关于新概念课文中than比较结构

2 关于新概念课文中than比较结构

If you are catching a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a fraction of a minute too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it.

曹老师，这里的this 我可否理解成前面的being early？

句间对比关系这样理解是否合理，我知道little的比较级是less ，本句是否可还原，即：

being early（=this）is little ;

being early（=this）is little if you miss the train …

再用 less than 连接：

being early（=this）is less than being early（=this）is little if you miss the train …

如若不对，请曹老师把应该省略的部分给学生展示出来，恕学生愚笨！