IMO, part of the reason things take so much longer is that the check-in system (PRS) "guides" the user through a series of frames, pop-up windows and F-keys, whereas its less user-friendly but much quicker pre-decessor (DCS) allowed people to check-in faster.

That said, your post does remind me of a Dilbert cartoon which shows Dilbert waiting at the airport check-in complaining about the time it takes for the agent to complete the transaction. After the boarding pass is issued, Dilbert departs from the desk and the check-in agent destroys Dilbert's luggage and is shown to have been completing the final section of a novel. Its final paragrah reading: "... And so perished all enemies of the check-in agent."