Unbelievable: A firm emailed me to schedule an in-person interview and went on to be unresponsive for about the following two weeks after I had purchased a plane ticket from Chicago to New York. I know ethics differ, and I know this isn’t a college class on ethics, but I was so invested (ironically). And I still might use the plane ticket turn up unannounced. Good idea?
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In my experience, turning up unannounced is not a good idea. I’ve had what happened to you happen to me, twice over my career. The first time was caused by the scheduler being with the firm that just acquired the firm I was interviewing with, and they were in opposite parts of the country. There was clearly a culture mismatch between the two firms and the way they handled the acquisition.
The second time was just two years ago, the interviewer wasn’t responding to the scheduler, so while I was given a date, it came and went without confirmation. Because the interviewer never responded to the scheduler, the scheduler didn’t know what do with my inquiry. I reached out directly to those I’d interviewed with on the hiring panel, explained what happened and asked if they were still interested in my candidacy. The next day a different scheduler called to apologize and setup the interview.
My advice, reachout to those you’ve already spoken with on the phone/zoom, politely explain what’s been said and your efforts to reach out. Most important, don’t blame, or argue or sound annoyed. This too could be part of their interview process. How do you react when things don’t go well?
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Did the company offer to reimburse your airfare?
I’m in NYC. I could show up and pretend to be you.
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I post in the bubble when things don’t go well. 
I’m just joking. Seriously, though, I try to keep my wits about me and be as diligent as I can. For example, in this particular instance, (a) I went ahead and did extra research on the interviewing-company (IC) to see if the IC is legitimate, so I used the address the IC had given to locate the office building and contacted the office building to see if there was a tenant in the office building with the same name as the IC; (b) I contacted the IC instead of the specific recruiter that had contacted me; and (c) I’m considering visiting unannouncedly because it could just be a case of misunderstanding or miscommunication. I thought of this instance being a part of the interview, too, like you had mentioned, so visiting unannouncedly would show my commitment to the work (which is highly correlated to the kind of work the job entails (investor relations)), as well as my proactive character – maybe, other candidates got the same non-response, and I’d be the only one to show up at the office – in my opinion. Not that I’m impatient, but instant gratification is a real thing in my opinion. 
It’s awesome that your situation turned out in your benefit, if I may. Did you have any barriers that you had to go through in order to get communication (like getting new contact information for someone or getting past the receptionist), @Thomas_Hovind?
@am312, the IC (interviewing-company) hasn’t responded. I don’t know if they know about my airfare or if they are ignoring it. My fear is that it’s a “catfishing” episode. And thanks for the offer, but we’ll see how the situation concludes and then consider appropriate solutions.
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when I really, really needed a job years ago I would fly to other cities for interviews at my own expense. It never worked out. I’d say if a company isn’t serious enough to cough up the dough for a candidate’s airfare then forget ‘em.
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That’s probably a good notion to consider, and I have, but I’d also venture to say that an experience gained is an experience for the better, and small victories can be just as valuable as big victories. Thanks for the advice, and I’m not denouncing the advice; I’m just wondering about the positives that could come from the IC seeing that I’m a real person: To think, the IC bypassed an initial phone interview or email follow-up to setup an in-person interview, and that speaks to an interest in gaining existential information. If I can satisfy that pre-requisite, then what could happen?
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I used to think, “If I fly out to meet them it’ll show initiative on my part. They’ll know I’m serious about the job.” - Nope. Wrong idea. But hey if you just want to have a few fun days in NYC and maybe knock out a few meetings while you’re here, go for it.
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@Curt Did the firm reach out to you with a date and time and contacts of whom you’ll be meeting with? Have you already spoken with someone at the firm on the phone or video call? Not just the recruiter, but someone aligned with the hiring manager?
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The IC details would be significant, but there was mixed messaging: I was asked for a date, the IC provided date options, and then the IC went silent before I could ask any further questions, so, the recruiter that I spoke with, I’m not positive if the person was a hiring manager or an evaluator. No phone call, no video call. Straight to the in-person interview. Kind of cryptic and secretive.
@Thomas_Hovind, oh, and that’s the kind of bizarre part about it: I heard that there’s typically prior stages to being awarded an in-person interview.
Also, I don’t know if you recalled my question, but I was wondering if you had any experience with breaking down barriers to gaining communication in your experience (obtaining new contact information, getting past receptionists, etc.).
I’m not sure if I would necessarily recommend it, but in your position I would simply go and knock on their door. Not sure where this advice comes from to be a sniveling beggar for a return to their grace.
You are a human being, and they have an obligation to treat you with dignity. If they can’t, they should face the shame that they can’t.
Worst case scenario it’s a fun anecdote and you have a few days in one of the greatest cities in human history.
Moving on to the next application.
We may have to keep in mind that we create our down narratives: Does one simply fade away, or does one forge their fortune? This how reputations are made. We choose, right?