I agree 100%.

This happened to me in SEA about two years ago. I had a flight that left at 1:10 am. There was another flight that left at 12:40.

I had worked until 4:20 or so in Pendeleton, Or, the drove 3 hours back to Seattle, saw the last 6 innings of a Mariners game. I then grabbed a bite at a fast food place, then returned the car. I got in line (no elite/FC counter at all, and the automated check-in was not functioning) at about 11:30 p.m. This was after working all day and driving 3.5 hours.

I waited in an incredibly long line for over 30 minutes, when the agents pulled all the people for the 12:30 flight to the front. At least 40 people who were behind me went to the front of the line, delaying me and everyone else another 20 minutes.

It wasn't so much that I missed a seat assignment, etc., but that I had to stand in line with a large garment bag, a laptop case, and a lawyer's brief bag filled with papers that weighed 30 or so pounds. I was exhausted, and wanted to sit down and not hold my bags any more.

This rewarding of irresponsible behavior (kind of like FEMA rebuilding everyone's house who DOESN'T have insurance after an natural disaster) is stupid. Show up that late, miss your **** flight, or simply ask others if you can cut ahead.... I would have gladly let anyone cut ahead of me... I just didn't appreciate NWA making me do this.