Worked Examples
Two fictional flight-cost comparisons from the workbook show how airport transfers, group baggage and shared transport change the total.
Both examples compare a return journey. Every amount already covers the full selected journey. There is no automatic doubling. Costs listed as Not needed are explicitly resolved, rather than guessed to be zero.
Example 1: one traveller, different ground costs
Solo A has a EUR 80 ticket and EUR 58 of individual ground transport. Solo B has a EUR 115 ticket and EUR 16 of ground transport. Baggage, flight extras, shared transport, parking and other costs are Not needed for both.
| Full-journey cost in EUR | Solo A | Solo B |
|---|---|---|
| Fare per person | 80 | 115 |
| Ground tickets per person | 58 | 16 |
| Group total, one traveller | 138 | 131 |
| Above lowest complete total | 7 | 0 |
Result: Solo B costs EUR 7 less overall. Its fare is EUR 35 higher, but its ground transport is EUR 42 lower. The workbook shows the total difference; the traveller still has to compare the actual airports, travel time and conditions.
Example 2: three travellers share a vehicle
Group A has a EUR 90 fare per person, EUR 84 of baggage for the group, EUR 18 of flight extras for the group and one EUR 72 shared transfer. Group B has a EUR 105 fare per person, EUR 30 of group baggage and one EUR 48 shared transfer. Flight extras are Not needed for Group B. Individual ground tickets, parking and other costs are Not needed for both.
| Full-journey cost in EUR | Group A | Group B |
|---|---|---|
| Fare per person | 90 | 105 |
| Travellers | 3 | 3 |
| Tickets for the group | 270 | 315 |
| Baggage for the group | 84 | 30 |
| Flight extras for the group | 18 | 0 |
| One shared transfer | 72 | 48 |
| Group total | 444 | 393 |
| Average per person | 148 | 131 |
| Above lowest complete group total | 51 | 0 |
Result: Group B costs EUR 51 less for the group, or EUR 17 per person. The shared transfer is added once. The formula does not charge each traveller another EUR 72 or EUR 48.
The tickets for Group B cost EUR 45 more in total. Its baggage, extras and transfer together cost EUR 96 less. The net difference is EUR 51.
See the actual workbook results
This is a rendered view of the completed example cells, not a flight-search screen.
What happens when a cost is missing?
Change Group B's baggage status to Unknown in your own copy. Its EUR 393 final total and cost position disappear because the offer is now incomplete. Its resolved subtotal remains visible, with one unresolved category. Group A then becomes the only complete offer, not a proven cheaper choice than the unfinished one.
If two complete offers have the same total, both receive a zero difference and the label Tied lowest. Neither case gives missing information a fictitious zero price.
