How to handle an interviewer-funded flight being cancelled?

Question

I recently had an interview in San Francisco, the interviewing company flew me out from Dallas. Originally, the plan was to fly out at 6am, do the interview, and fly back at 5pm.

I woke up the morning of my flight to an email alert stating my outgoing flight had been cancelled (unscheduled maintenance). It was 4am in Texas, 2am in California so I really couldn't expect to get in touch with my POC. I figured the best way forward was to try to make it work anyway, so I headed to the airport and got a slightly later flight with a connection in Los Angeles.

When I landed in LA, it was late enough to call my POC. They told me that the window I had been scheduled for was the only time they could see me, and that rescheduling would be very difficult (The CEO and Directors of Marketing and Customer Engagement were supposed to be there). In the end, we did get it rescheduled for the next day, just early enough for me to make my return flight.

I worry that I caused an unnecessary hassle, and my concern that the position would be filled by the time I rescheduled was unfounded and may have hurt my chances by inconveniencing my interviewers. Should I have just stayed home? Was it improper to reschedule a travel plan I did not pay for? How should one handle last-minute changes to itineraries when the purchaser of the tickets is (presumably) asleep?

Answer 1

Two Options:

1. Do what you did by working with the airline to show up later and calling and working with the interviewers to reschedule the interview after there.
2. Wait until you can get a hold of someone and then schedule an alternate time and get the cancelled flight pushed to the day it was rescheduled for.

The second option would likely mean a lot of headache for you including hanging out at the airport until you can reach them and then going and working the re-scheduled flight out after you agree on a new date/time with them. I personally think the first way and the way you handled it was better as if they want to pay to fly you out in the first place, then they want to interview you and will figure something out.

Although I have heard of situations that it didn't work, and they wasted the flight money and were no longer considered for the job. Flying out at 2am/4am is really freaking early, I think I would push for a different time myself, but I'm guessing it was to hit an early morning interview. Tough situation to be in, glad it worked out to interview.