I try to be strategic about when I use priority boarding and when I don't. Over the years, I've slimmed my travel pack to the absolute minimum, and I use only a small backpack that can always fit in any bin no matter how full it is.

The real concerns for me are the type of airline and the load:

- On a packed flight, I want on early to get to my seat and be able to hang out and watch the scrum from beyond it - plus no waiting in the jetbridge. On a long flight, though, I might wait anyways just to get some extra stretch time in/enjoy the lounge.

- On a relatively empty flight, I want to be on last so that I can scan for better seats and snap up a seat with an empty or two around it.

- On a budget flight, I always board last. Nice to be out of the chaos as long as possible, but the real perk is getting your choice of the leftover seats. I've found that a lot of those 'special' seats in the first few rows fly empty so once everyone's boarded I just saunter in, plop down and hope for the best. Hasn't failed me yet.

Basically: I love having the option to get on first, but don't always find it worth using.