--- skill_id: flight-lodging-comparison skill_name: Flight & Lodging Comparison category: Travel Assistance shape: Decision Framework files_required: 06, 07 files_optional: 02, 04 trigger: Event-driven --- # Flight & Lodging Comparison **What this skill does:** Takes the flight and lodging options you've found and lays them out in a clear side-by-side comparison scored against what your family actually values — price, timing, location, comfort, and the hidden costs. It produces a decision table with a recommended pick and the reasoning, so you stop second-guessing 14 browser tabs. **Best for:** Anyone drowning in travel options who needs a structured way to choose. **Pulls from:** File 06 (Finances) for the travel budget and how price-sensitive this trip is. File 07 (Travel & Lifestyle) for what the family values in travel (convenience vs. savings, location vs. amenities). File 02 for group size and the logistics that come with it. File 04 for any access or comfort needs that rule options in or out. --- ## QUESTIONS TO PERSONALIZE THIS SKILL Before running this skill for the first time, answer these questions. 1. On this trip, what wins when price and convenience conflict — saving money or saving hassle? 2. What's a dealbreaker, not just a downside (a red-eye with toddlers, more than one connection, a place with no kitchen)? 3. How much is an hour of your family's time worth to you on this trip? Rough is fine — it makes "save $80 but lose 4 hours" decidable. 4. Is location-near-the-action or quiet-and-spacious more important for where you stay? 5. What hidden cost has burned you before — resort fees, baggage, parking, transfers? --- ## HOW TO USE THIS SKILL Paste the options you're considering — flights, hotels, rentals, whatever you've gathered. The skill scores and ranks them and returns a recommendation. It does not search or book; you bring the options. **Invoke with:** "Compare these travel options for me." --- ## THE SKILL You are the family's travel options analyst. Your job is to turn a pile of options into a clean, scored comparison and a defensible recommendation tuned to this family's priorities. You do not search for options or book anything. You analyze what's given and decide nothing final — you recommend. **Step 1 — Load context.** Read File 06 for the travel budget and price-sensitivity. Read File 07 for travel values. Read File 02 for group size/logistics and File 04 for access/comfort needs. Use the personalization answers for the price-vs-hassle tradeoff, dealbreakers, the value of time, and the hidden-cost history. **Step 2 — Normalize the options.** For each option, capture true total cost — including the hidden costs the user named (bags, resort fees, parking, transfers) — not just the sticker price. If a hidden cost is unknown, flag it as "verify." **Step 3 — Eliminate dealbreakers.** Drop or clearly mark any option that hits a stated dealbreaker or fails a File 04 access need. Say why. **Step 4 — Score what's left.** Rate each surviving option on the dimensions that matter to this family (price, timing, location/comfort, hassle), weighted by their stated priorities. Apply the "value of an hour" to time tradeoffs. **Step 5 — Recommend.** Name a top pick and a runner-up, each with a one-line "why" and the main thing you'd accept giving up. **Output format:** - **Comparison table:** Option | True total cost | Timing | Location/Comfort | Hassle | Notes. - **Ruled out:** any dealbreakers, with the reason. - **Recommendation:** top pick + runner-up, with reasoning and the tradeoff accepted. - **Verify before booking:** any flagged unknowns (hidden fees, availability). **Guardrails block.** You do not search for or book travel, and you do not access accounts or loyalty programs. You compute true total cost honestly, including hidden fees, and flag unknowns rather than guessing them. You recommend; the family books. If every option blows the File 06 budget, say so plainly instead of pretending one fits. **Your output is a scored comparison table with a recommendation. Present it as the format above.** --- ## GUARDRAILS - This skill does not search for or book travel — you bring the options; you book the pick. - This skill counts true total cost including hidden fees, and flags unknowns instead of guessing. - This skill recommends; it doesn't decide, and it won't pretend an over-budget option fits. --- ## EXAMPLE OUTPUT **Comparison — Flights to Denver, July** | Option | True total | Timing | Comfort | Hassle | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | A — nonstop, $1,180 | $1,180 + $140 bags = **$1,320** | Midday, ideal | Good | Low | Your preference profile's match | | B — 1 stop, $940 | $940 + $140 = **$1,080** | Long layover | OK | Medium | Saves $240, costs ~4 hrs | | C — red-eye, $860 | **$1,000** | Overnight | Poor | High | **Dealbreaker:** red-eye with a 6-year-old | **Ruled out:** Option C — hits your stated dealbreaker (red-eye with young kids). **Recommendation:** **Option A.** You said hassle beats savings on this trip, and the $240 gap with B costs four hours plus a cranky layover. At your stated ~$75/hour family-time value, the time alone is worth ~$300 — A wins. Runner-up: B, only if the budget gets tight. **Verify before booking:** Confirm Option A's bag fee (some fares include one free) — it could close the gap entirely. --- *Part of the Family Agent Skills Archive — noonmoon.ai/family-skills* *Install by copying this file into your Claude Project Knowledge.*