Several years ago I had to go to Akron for my work. I had the choice of flying into the Cleveland airport or into Akron. I opted for Akron. It seemed like a good idea at the time; closer, less traffic, etc.

My original flight into Akron had been cancelled and I arrived much later, around midnight, on the very last flight arriving into Akron that night.

I arrived, picked up my luggage, and called the rental car agency. They said that they would be by shortly and to just wait on one of the benches outside the terminal.

It was a pleasant summer evening so I waited outside. After a while everybody else who was outside had been picked up. I was alone and had been sitting there for a long, long time. I decided that I had better call the car rental agency again.

I got up off the bench to go back into the airport to make another call. Much to my surprise, the doors to the airport were locked and the lights had been turned off. I was alone!

I found a pay phone outside and called the rental agency again. When I asked “What’s taking you so long?” the person on the phone explained that they are actually an answering service and that they have been unable to get a hold of anybody from the rental agency, that I was basically on my own.

I called the hotel, they wouldn’t come get me because the airport was too far away. Finally, some sort of limousine drove by. I flagged it down and paid the driver mega-bucks to get me to my hotel.