Exactly, on Y longhaul I'm usually at the gate about 5-10 minutes in advance to boarding time to not ever complain about too long elite queues. I rarely check-in except for more than 1 week travel, so my trolley takes up the max allowed dimensions and is not easy to be squeezed in everywhere.

Happy to give up a couple minutes lounge time for that, because nothing s*cks more than having to get luggage from the back by fighting your way through full aisles with everyone already standing up. That can negate any benefits of sitting in front Y rows to arrive as one of the first at busy immigration queues like JFK...