True Cost Calculator
Demonstrate the Real Value of Flying Local
Help travelers understand why their local airport is the better choice
Many travelers choose a larger hub because they believe it offers lower fares. However, airfare is only one component of the total travel experience.
A nearby airport can provide significant savings through:
- Shorter driving distances
- Lower parking costs
- Faster airport processing
- Easier navigation
- Reduced time spent before and after flights
The FlightBI True Cost Calculator helps airports quantify these advantages by converting the convenience of flying local into a measurable dollar value.
Move Beyond Airfare: Show the True Cost of Travel
A traveler’s decision is not only about ticket price. It is about the total cost of completing the trip.
FlightBI compares your airport against competing airports by analyzing:
Transportation Cost
- Driving distance and mileage cost
- Parking expenses at each airport
Airport Experience
Departure
- Terminal access time
- Ticket-counter processing time
- Security wait times
- In-airport transportation
- Walking time to gates
Arrival
- Gate walking time
- In-airport transportation
- Baggage claim time
- Terminal to parking time
Value of Time
Time savings are converted into a dollar value using either traveler’s personal input or estimated traveler income by ZIP code.
This allows traverlers to answer a critical question:
“How much cheaper does the hub fare need to be before it is worth driving farther?”
Transparent Calculations Build Traveler Confidence
Many airport cost calculators show a result without explaining how it was calculated.
FlightBI provides transparency:
- Clear comparison between local and competing airports
- Detailed cost breakdown
- Explanation of time savings
- Quantified value of convenience
Instead of simply saying:
“Fly local because it is easier.”
Airports can demonstrate:
“Flying from your local airport saves you $X in total travel cost.”
Simple Traveler Experience
Behind the scenes, FlightBI combines multiple datasets and calculations. For travelers, the experience is simple:
The only required input is a ZIP code.
The calculator automatically estimates:
- Closest airport options
- Driving costs
- Parking costs
- Airline processing time
- Security wait time
- Airport navigation time
- Baggage claim time
- Traveler value of time
No complicated forms. No manual calculations. The result is a personalized comparison showing why flying local may provide a better overall value.
Always Current Airport Cost Data
FlightBI maintains the underlying cost assumptions so airports do not need to manually update their calculators.
Our data includes:
Airport-Specific Information
- Parking rates for individual airports
- Airport layout and transportation options
- Airport processing times
- Competing airport comparisons
National and ZIP-code-level Cost Standards
- IRS mileage reimbursement rate
- Traveler value-of-time assumptions
- ZIP-code-level income estimates
- ZIP to airport road distance and average driving time
This ensures the calculator remains accurate as costs change.
Convert Travelers from Awareness to Action
The True Cost Calculator can be integrated directly into an airport website.
The traveler journey becomes:
1. Understand the Advantage
“Flying from my local airport saves me time and money.”
2. Compare Options
“See how my airport compares with nearby alternatives.”
3. Take Action
“Search flights and book from my local airport.”
FlightBI can optionally integrate a flight-search widget at the end of the calculation to help convert awareness into actual bookings.
Support Airline Discussions with Cost Advantage Maps
For Airport Service Development (ASD) teams, FlightBI provides additional analysis tools to support airline discussions.
The Airport Cost Advantage Map visualizes:
- Geographic areas where your airport provides a total-cost advantage
- Competing airport relationships
- Potential expanded catchment areas
- Traveler segments most likely to benefit from switching airports
These insights help ASD teams demonstrate to airlines:
“Our airport can attract passengers from a larger market because travelers receive a measurable cost and convenience benefit.”
A New Way to Demonstrate Your Airport Advantage
The FlightBI True Cost Calculator helps airports:
✓ Educate travelers
✓ Increase local airport preference
✓ Quantify convenience benefits
✓ Support airline recruitment efforts
✓ Expand understanding of the airport’s true catchment area
Seamless Integration with Your Airport Website
The FlightBI True Cost Calculator is designed to integrate seamlessly into an airport’s existing digital experience.
FlightBI can provide a customized embedded widget that matches your airport’s website style, including:
- Airport branding and colors
- Fonts and visual styling
- Layout and user experience
- Custom messaging and calls to action
Travelers see a natural extension of your existing website rather than a separate third-party tool.
The integration process is simple:
- FlightBI hosts and maintains the calculation engine.
- Your airport embeds the calculator directly into your website.
- FlightBI manages data updates, calculations, and ongoing improvements.
This allows airports to provide a powerful traveler engagement tool without requiring additional internal development resources.
Show travelers the value of flying local.
Try a live example and see how the calculator helps travelers understand the true value of flying local here.
Contact FlightBI to add the True Cost Calculator to your airport website.