So I've been idle on SA for about a year.  Partly due to frustration and partly due to COVID.  My frustrations pushed me back to the escorts which was probably something I need to do to reset my expectations and goals. lol.

So I am back on SA and have has some interesting chats.  Looked like I was making progress with getting initial m&gs set up.  But dam it just collapsed after the initial m&g setups.  Ghosted by 2 and the other just wasn't what I was hoping for not bad, but just not what I was looking for when she showed up late, back story conflicted with chats, etc., etc.,  What really got me and I know it was my fault was the m&g I had setup for last Friday.

I texted her in the morning to confirm, which she did rather quickly.  I let me guard down and didn't do the hour before the date confirmation.  I just texted her when I was on my way which got no response, then when I arrived at our meeting location (restaurant of her choosing) 15 minutes early, and then again when she was 5 minutes late.  No response to any of those texts.  I know I should have never left for the restaurant without that "I am on my way" text not getting a response, but I let my self believe she was gonna show based on the early morning response. UGH! I hate this shit sometimes. lol

I did have one m&g go well and we are looking at our first real date coming up this Friday. crossing my fingers but not holding my breath given my current track record. lol.

In my case most of the SBs are not in my home town, they reside in the city 50-60 miles away.  And they generally expect me to show up at a restaurant near them.  I've had a few aggravating no shows of the kind you describe.  I get  all ready, drive for an hour, and then nothing.  Sometimes that happens even with confirmations in advance!   So what I prefer to do is make the M&G just one part of an event filled trip to the city.  The best is when I have a BCD date planned with a reliable SD in the city for the same day.  Then if my M&G is a no show I barely care since I'm already having a great day.  Other times I might have other business or visiting friends in the city, whatever, so the M&G is not the only reason for my trip.  Otoh, if the M&G is local in my home town it's a small matter to go out and arrive.  If she shows, great, and if not, it's just no big deal.  As many others have said here recently, the covid situation has changed the sugar landscape quite a bit.  There are more women on SA with less realistic expectations.  So don't expect it to be quite the same as it was in pre covid times.

I'd have enough budget for another SB in my rotation.  
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POT SB's flake for all kinds of reasons:
1. They get cold feet and bail
2. They get a better offer
2.5 They purposefully book multiple M&G's on the same day/time because they get no-shows as well.  
3. They actually DID forget/didn't plan their day well, got stuck at work, have car trouble, got stuck with family/friends, etc. (Life happens)
4. She's a catfish and found a better mark
5. She decided you're an ugly, old fucker and she can't bring herself to suck you dick.  
6. She rolled up at the M&G site and got a bad vibe and bailed.  
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In my experience, if you get at least a 50% show up rate you're doing well.  I think you can sometimes spot those who will likely be a no show:  
1. Too eager to meet ASAP in texting. She wants tonight, but you push for a M&G date 3-5 days later. She will agree but...  
2. Too little info during texting. Yes or no answers, or replies that seem to ignore your last message.  
3. Long, unexplained delays between replies.  
4. She calls you "baby" or "bb" instead of using your name name.  
5. She asks you questions already asked and answered.  
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Even with these signs, I still go to the M&G and I always get there at least 15 minutes early.  I text 5 mins before that I am at the site, then again 10-15 mins after. At 20-25 minutes after, if she hasn't at least replied, I send one more text "Looks like you won't be able to meet today. Hope you are ok!" (Never burn bridges!) and I then I text, "I'll be leaving now.  Please let me know if you want to reschedule."  
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Maybe 1 time out of 5, I'll get some type of message/excuse (or even an actual apology) later that day or in the next 2 days. Some of the weirdest include (feel free to read into these probable lies anything you like, you're likely to be correct):  
1. "Sorry, I was asleep! Got drunk with my girlfriends last night... "
1.5 The asleep story continues with "my phone died; my alarm didn't go off; I was xxxx (somewhere at least 50 miles away)."  
2. "I though we said (xxx) day?"
3. "I was 5 miles away when my tire went flat and my phone was dead..."
4. Received at 25 mins after: "I'm just 2 blocks north of you, can you come to me?"
5. "I need a ride to my friend's place to pick up my wallet? Maybe can you send me $25 for an uber?"  
6. "I missed my train from Oakland." This when she told me she lived in San Fran, near Nob Hill, where I was waiting at a restaurant.  
7. An hour late: "I need $250 to meet for lunch"  
8. 40 minutes late and I'm already in my car heading home:  "Lose my number"  
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Don't despair BR, just persevere, because...
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Life is good.
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The Cat

I've had pretty much every version of what you've mentioned above as "no-show" excuses and then some.  Agree that about 50% on a M&G is correct.  To mitigate, always meet near my work/home region and bring my laptop to remain productive while waiting.  Will wait as long as it takes to have 1 glass of wine, and then I'm out.  Even if she texts that she's running late, I will not wait too long as to not endorse bad habits and/or poor planning.

Its not too far.  I actually took the train downtown because it was close to the location we were going to meet.  So I couldn't just turn around when I didn't get a response to the message that I was on my way.  Fortunately, there was an outbound train pretty close to the time we were supposed to meet, so when I knew she wasn't coming I just caught the next train.  I did leave her a voicemail letting her know I was leaving.  I figured I wasn't getting any response to texts, so I figured she could never say she didn't get my messages by leaving the voicemail.  I was polite too.  No venom, just said "hey thought were meeting tonight. Guess something came up.  I leaving now, have a good night."

I follow most of those rules.  I always take advice well from The Cat, GA GA, and Sweetman.  lol.

I know you can't avoid ghosting but I should have followed my rules of not leaving for the date until I had gotten a response that she was coming.  Worst part is I didn't get any response.  If she had said something like "something came up" or even a lame excuse like she overslept, I would have appreciated the response. But oh well!  On to the next. lol