How we compare flight prices
HopTrip · Reviewed
A low price and a good travel choice are not always the same thing. HopTrip compares recorded flight prices, but choosing also requires checking dates, airports and ticket conditions. Here is how to read our comparison.
Image source and licence
Cropped and resized by HopTrip; WebP format. This adapted photograph is shared under the same licence as the original.
Illustrative photograph, not a statement of current conditions or availability.
What enters the comparison
We compare recorded flight prices per person in PLN by provider, departure airport, destination, and departure month and year. Days between departures are counted in UTC and may differ from local dates and hotel nights. One-way flights have their own group. The sample may include the current price, multiple observations of the same flight, different arrival airports and fares. This is not a confirmed saving or the whole market.
The current importer accepts only PLN prices for comparison (rate 1). Other currencies without conversion do not enter the sample. The approximate EUR display affects neither the score nor price ordering.
We do not score baggage, flight times, connections, delays or refund conditions because our data are incomplete. Check these with the seller. Affiliate commission does not affect the score.
We compare flight prices per person in PLN. However, a group does not guarantee the same destination airport, baggage, flight times, airline or booking change conditions. Check these with the seller before purchase; the historical comparison does not make them equivalent.
Understanding the percentage below the median
The card shows the difference in PLN from the sample median. We describe a difference smaller than 1 PLN (after rounding prices to grosz) as ‘Close to the median’. This is a limit on the precision of the message, not a threshold for good value. For an equal price we say ‘at the median’; larger differences are described neutrally as below or above the median. At least 5 observations and a consistent, current calculation are required. Without these data there is no reliable comparison. The median describes the middle of the recorded price sample. The percentage below the median shows the difference between the current observation and that value. It is not a seller's discount or a promise of the lowest market price.
Calculation example only: with a median of 400 PLN and an observation of 300 PLN, the difference is 25%. These amounts are not a travel offer. Without a historical comparison, there is no basis for stating savings; zero in this field does not prove a typical price.
The score helps order offers
By default we show the lowest flight price per person in PLN, then earlier departure, with a stable order for ties. Missing history does not change that order. ‘Price, history, freshness’ retains the previous composite score: neutral points for a small sample can rank above a validated comparison. It does not rank savings or convenience.
The 0–100 offer score combines price against history (up to 60 points), observation count (up to 25 points) and data freshness (up to 15 points). It is an auxiliary index using HopTrip's chosen weights, not an airline rating or a purchase probability. From the card, open the price comparison and expand the calculation to see the percentage and point breakdown. On the offer page, the same calculation is available in ‘Price against history’.
With at least 5 observations and a valid median, a price equal to the median gives 30 out of 60 points. Each 1% below the median adds 0.6 points; each 1% above subtracts 0.6 points. We cap this component at 0–60. With less history or an unknown median, we assume a neutral 30 points and mark the score as provisional. This is an assumption, not confirmation of a bargain.
History receives 25 × min(observation count / 30, 1) points. These are recorded observations, not independent sellers. The sample can include the current price and need not represent the whole market. Freshness contributes up to 15 points: points decrease linearly with observation age to 0 after 48 hours. An invalid timestamp or an expired offer means 0 freshness points. If the source gives no price observation time, we use the first recording of that observation in HopTrip, without promising a live price.
We round each component to 0.1 points, add the visible values and round the total to an integer, with halves rounded up. Calculation example only: a price of 330 PLN against a median of 400 PLN gives 40.5 points, 24 observations give 20 points, and an age of 24 hours gives 7.5 points. Total: 68/100. This example is not a travel offer. The score describes the calculation time shown in the explanation.
We do not add points for unknown flight times, baggage, connections, delays or refund conditions. Affiliate commission does not affect the score. Older scores may still use previous weights: their explanation shows the old calculation and a previous-method label until recalculation. If the full calculation was not saved, we report the missing explanation instead of fitting points to the score.
Start with your airport, dates and length of stay. Then check the per-person price, observation time and final price after visiting the partner. Account separately for accommodation, transfers and required extras — the current catalog covers flights.