Originally Posted by Dan Burgess
Indeed, online check-in is a godsend for this trick, as the 10-minute rule no longer applies.
Au contraire. You will be removed from the flight and your seat will be given away if you don't show up. It almost happened to me once. I showed up 3 minutes before departure just as they were about to give away my seat -- the last seat. The fact that I had a single-digit A made the difference, I think. They probably gave away others' seats first, working in reverse order of check-in (by boarding pass number).