Learned that same lesson on a site in New Mexico where I wasted three weeks troweling a room block that gave me maybe a dozen flakes. My buddy working the midden behind the plaza pulled a whole bone awl and a string of turquoise beads in his first week. Featureless floors look great in a research design but the trash is where the actual people left their story.

Timing matters way more than the ask. Gate agents hand out seats when something opens up last minute like a no show or a missed connection, and if you already bugged them once they might not think to flag you. Next time hang back near the desk and watch for them typing a lot, that's usually when a seat frees up. Also being nice and chill goes a long way, they remember the jerks.

That charging port cover is the weak spot on about every rechargeable light I have owned. I started putting a strip of electrical tape over that port the day I get a new one, and it has saved me twice now. The real killer is the battery though, those cheap 18650 cells they ship with lose capacity fast if you leave them sitting at full charge. If yours uses a removable cell, try a fresh one from a known brand and see if it holds up. My old incandescent lights never had any of these problems because there was nothing to break.