$250 Freeplay @6am. Intl flight at 2pm. Airport 1 1/2 hrs away

Casino 1hr East from my house and 1 1/2 hrs East of airport.

I could stay at the casino hotel the night before (saturday, free) and at exactly 6am, use my Freeplay.
Then leave for my house, park my car, and take Uber to airport.

Since it's an intl flight, I want to arrive 3hrs before flight departure so 11am.

$250 Worth it to have have that tight of a schedule?

Quote: 100xOdds

Casino 1hr East from my house and 1 1/2 hrs East of airport.

I could stay at the casino hotel the night before (saturday, free) and at exactly 6am, use my Freeplay.
Then leave for my house, park my car, and take Uber to airport.

Since it's an intl flight, I want to arrive 3hrs before flight departure so 11am.

$250 Worth it to have have that tight of a schedule?
link to original post

I can not imagine arriving at the airport 3 hours prior to the flight. My goal is to always arrive at the gate 10 minutes prior to them closing the door.

Quite simple 100x. What is your sanity worth? How much is 250 really worth to you?

If you are an early bird and packed the night before you could just leave your house at 6:45 AM, arrive and gamble for 45 minutes, leave around 8:30 and drive to the airport arriving at 10 AM and get to the gate 4 hours early (an extra hour for shenanigans). Taking the extra hour and assuming it's 45 min to the airport from your home, that would be 3.5 hours spent for $250. Yielding a theoretical (assuming 100% return and no other costs) $71.42/Hr. Again, this is all contingent on your regard for rising early, the fuel efficiency and age of your vehicle, the enjoyment or lack thereof of driving, and your ability to efficiently convert free-play among other considerations.

Math wise it's probably over $50/hr so sure, seems decent, but when 2.5 hours of driving are introduced the question becomes very personal.

Quote: 100xOdds

Casino 1hr East from my house and 1 1/2 hrs East of airport.

I could stay at the casino hotel the night before (saturday, free) and at exactly 6am, use my Freeplay.
Then leave for my house, park my car, and take Uber to airport.

Since it's an intl flight, I want to arrive 3hrs before flight departure so 11am.

$250 Worth it to have have that tight of a schedule?
link to original post

Depends on the airport. If you are checking luggage. If you are TSA pre check. How long it takes you to convert free play into money. If I read this right your flight is 2pm? If so, I think you have plenty of time to accomplish this.

I wouldn’t do it. I know how upset I’d be if some circumstance (surprise traffic, car problem, free play not really available until later, the girl in your hotel room whose name you don’t know lost the handcuffs key, etc..) caused a problem.

The geography you described actually fits Del Lago and the Buffalo airport, by the way….

When I fly, I try to keep the flight day variables to a minimum. Will the extra $250 enhance your vacation to the point where missing a flight is worth it?

Quote: Talldude90

Quite simple 100x. What is your sanity worth? How much is 250 really worth to you?

Math wise it's probably over $50/hr so sure, seems decent, but when 2.5 hours of driving are introduced the question becomes very personal.
link to original post

Quote: billryan

When I fly, I try to keep the flight day variables to a minimum. Will the extra $250 enhance your vacation to the point where missing a flight is worth it?
link to original post

It's risk/reward.

$100 fp, I wouldn't do it.
$500 fp, it's a yes.
$250 is at the cusp.

Quote: SOOPOO

Depends on the airport. If you are checking luggage. If you are TSA pre check. How long it takes you to convert free play into money. If I read this right your flight is 2pm? If so, I think you have plenty of time to accomplish this.

I wouldn’t do it. I know how upset I’d be if some circumstance (surprise traffic, car problem, free play not really available until later, the girl in your hotel room whose name you don’t know lost the handcuffs key, etc..) caused a problem.

The geography you described actually fits Del Lago and the Buffalo airport, by the way….
link to original post

Not checking in luggage but also no TSA pre-check.

yeah, i have that paranoia about some random once in a blue moon event happening.
But not the handcuffs because i use fake handcuffs precisely because of that. It doesnt need a key to open.

Quote: 100xOdds

Quote: Talldude90

Quite simple 100x. What is your sanity worth? How much is 250 really worth to you?

Math wise it's probably over $50/hr so sure, seems decent, but when 2.5 hours of driving are introduced the question becomes very personal.
link to original post

Quote: billryan

When I fly, I try to keep the flight day variables to a minimum. Will the extra $250 enhance your vacation to the point where missing a flight is worth it?
link to original post

It's risk/reward.

$100 fp, I wouldn't do it.
$500 fp, it's a yes.
$250 is at the cusp.
link to original post

But the fact that you made the thread means you want AP's to tell you to hustle and grind and get that extra $$$... so what are you waiting for?

As others said, in the end it just comes down to what EV your time is worth. 1.5 hours each way, 3 hours drive. Assuming you can play it off on VP and only lose like 5% (also assuming you're running extra coin like a good boy should with free play)... then you're looking at about $210 for 3 hours of your time, so about $70/hr. If that's worth it to you (not all hours of the day are equal for me) then do it. Literally if I could do it at 2am I would, but 6am I wouldn't.

Just do it and after you get to the airport, tired and pissed because you ran horrid and got $90 out of your $250 FP... then decide you'll never do it again then you'll always have your answer =).

I used to drive weekly from Las Vegas to Laughlin which is 90 minutes each way for as little as $200 free play. If it was less than $200 I wouldn't bother. I would drive 90 minutes, be in the casino for about 20 minutes, and then turn around and drive back. I always just played the freeplay through once and left. I believe one time I only collected $40 for my time and effort.

(snipped! Emphasis added!)

Quote: SOOPOO

I wouldn’t do it. I know how upset I’d be if some circumstance (surprise traffic, car problem, free play not really available until later, the girl in your hotel room whose name you don’t know lost the handcuffs key, etc..) caused a problem.

link to original post

A friend tells me that if you use standard handcuffs, the police (and probably security) can unlock them for you in a pinch.

If I was going to be at the casino the night before anyway, sure, I'd stick around until 6:30a and redeem the offer.
It means no leisurely, civilised^* breakfast, but that's usually already lost on an airport day - that much butter doesn't sit well at altitude.

*: with cutlery and saucers

Quote: Romes

If that's worth it to you (not all hours of the day are equal for me) then do it. Literally if I could do it at 2am I would, but 6am I wouldn't.

Just do it and after you get to the airport, tired and pissed because you ran horrid and got $90 out of your $250 FP... then decide you'll never do it again then you'll always have your answer =).
link to original post

why not 6am?

Ok, booked hotel the night before.
If $90, I'll chalk it up to variance.

If I miss my flight because a heard of cows is loose on the highway (or some other dumb probability event) , then I'll never do it again :)