[el_nahual]

I was like you--tried to be the last guy on the plane--until I started to fly very frequently (every other week). I started getting upgraded to first, which means really boarding before everyone and not having to wait in line/in the tunnel to get to my (now comfortable) seat.

Boarding at the very beginning makes a huge difference.

It's a 30 minute chunk of time in which you get to relax. Once you're in your seat there really is nothing else to do. You can work, you can watch a movie, you can think, read a book.

No latent anxiety wondering when I should get up, no "I can't really focus on this book because I might have to get up any minute," etc.

For a relatively short flight (2 hours) it's a pretty meaningful % of time that becomes a lot more relaxing.

[matwood]

> until I started to fly very frequently

This is a key point. When I used to fly once or twice per year to go on vacation it didn't really matter too much. Now I'm flying sometimes more than twice/month often international and all these little niceties add up. Global Entry is a must, some type of lounge with wifi and snacks is nice. Getting on early enough so I don't have to worry about them forcing me to check which then adds a ton of time when I land (or worse, lost luggage which happens all the time). And yes, I can relax and get back to what I was doing - likely reading a book :)

[sgarland]

Yup. I was flying SFO -> SEA last year to visit family after a work trip, and Alaska Air had a screaming deal on first class, so I bought it. So nice to just walk on, sit (in a decently comfortable seat!) down, and do whatever you want while waiting for boarding to finish. Get a drink, do some work, read, whatever.