When I first started on the road as an opener for comedians, I was told by one of the headliners (Brad Brake – RIP), “We don’t get paid for the gig; we get paid to get to the gig.” I quickly learned that that’s a common saying with acts that travel.
Yesterday my flight from Sacramento was to phoenix had a layover in San Diego. Shortly after landing in San Diego my flight to Phoenix was cancelled and I was rebooked onto the last flight of the day to Phoenix six hours later!
Then about 45 mins after the first flight was cancelled, the last flight was showing a delay of an hour. I had a feeling that I was going to be stuck in San Diego after waiting 7 hours at the airport, so I rented car and drove 5 1/2 hours to Phoenix.
I periodically checked the status of that the last flight during my drive and it was delay a second hour, then ultimately was cancelled!
Had I not trusted my spidey sense, I would have waited 8+ hours at the airport to ultimately be stuck there for the night.
If the drive was much longer, I probably would have just stayed at the airport to see how it played out, but when the drive is shorter than I’d be waiting at the airport for the flight if it left on time, it was a no brainer.
When you’re faced with significant delays, it’s always good to look at other options. I made a good choice bail on the flight!
-Louie