Makes sense to check in late now I think about it... although the trade-off is missing the window and getting stung last minute... I think it’s better to pay for seats instead if seats are that important.

In fact, reason why 2 days window is better vs 48 hrs for me (also why I posted here) is that it just about allows me to get my return check-in sorted before departure, which avoids potentially getting stung and was also an important feature of the much longer window in the past.