I started out always being early, usually 15 to 20 minutes, all perky and ready. Finally got the message that this is not only undesirable, but downright annoying to most ladies, so I only "arrive" (even if I have been sitting in my car for an hour) 3-5 minutes before our date at the earliest, and try to arrive 3-5 minutes late.
There are a couple of women I know who are extremely punctual but for the most part I get the "Come on up in 5 minutes, hun" reply whenever I call (so long as it is not earlier than 5 minutes before our date). And once I realize a woman is punctual, I adjust accordingly. I suppose I could ask up front, but I am not at all convinced people are realistic about how punctual, or not, they are. There are some ladies who say "DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY" on their web sites, which is helpful. My experience is that those ladies actually are pretty punctual.
Once I have called, assuming I do not get her, I wait another 5 minutes or so, then text or call back asking if everything is okay. If we get 15 or 20 minutes past the time and I still have not heard anything I will call back and say I am wondering what is up and whether there was some confusion with our date. Then, at whatever point I have decided to draw the line (which varies - I have a regular who is pretty flaky and often pretty late, but makes up for it with her performance as well as the fact that she truly is oblivious to the clock, which both explains why she is late, and why our dates only end when I look at the clock, realize we passed the time I paid for quite a while ago and say my goodbyes). So you might want to consider whether being unpunctual, a little bit oblivious to the clock, is a good thing or a bad thing.
Anyway, by the time I get to that third call or text 15 minutes or more past the time and without any reply, odds are it is NCNS. But I will usually hang around another 10 minutes or so, then leave a last message saying I am taking off, must have been some confusion, but I have to be somewhere now.
Which is fairly uncommon. Much more common is that the lady is running late, lets me know, apologizes and I wait for her. It used to upset me, but I expect and accept it now, and it gives me a chance to be nice, build a little more phone rapport and that kindness is usually repaid generously. Nothing quite like a big hug and kiss, a "thanks for being patient" and I can aw shucks my way to...
So I bring a newspaper, maybe a bottle of water, make myself comfortable, catch up on the news, and let myself fill with pleasant anticipation. I do believe this is about fun and relaxation, isn't it? But if your schedule is tight, keep looking until you find one of those really punctual women - you will probably get along better with her anyway.
Zig