It still works, no matter how unpleasant it looks.

The 100 'elites' board a lot, lot faster than the 100 non-elites with all the folks who have not yet seen a jetliner and those who bring along a screamer. You beat them to the boarding and the overhead bin and that is all that matters.

As for Biz pax - they get enough overhead space, they have no material need to be there.
Use it if you think it's funny. The same as for OLCI. After years of non-working OLCI attempts, I see them and the kiosks as pure time wasters. Airlines that make you do one or two vain attempts in letting the jukebox check you in, go on my personal no-fly list.

??? I've used almost nothing *but* OLCI on a variety of airlines for several years now without issues. The biggest issue I'm likely to have is user error: a dead phone battery, a failure to save the BP as an image while I was at a good data connection, etc.

A check-in counter is for that 1-2 rare trips per year where I have to have a checked bag with me.

Even airlines that tend to screw everything else up (United) have a decent-enough OLCI process.

Really? I'm on at least two flights every week, often four or five, and the only time I ever interface with a check-in desk is when I have luggage to go in the hold. This is usually only on long haul flights. On the rare occasion when something has gone haywire with OLCI, or when the whole family is coming along with 17 bags, do I need to see the friendly face at the counter. I never use the jukeboxes, and I almost never have iPhone app check-in issues.

I do a mixture of circles and return trips. Works out around four flights a week.

I have elite status with BA (Gold), Lufthansa (SEN) and KLM Air France (Gold). Time is everything. However could not convince the clients to pay for a private jet. When it works (quick ground handling) it's great, but I do feel put out when I can't access or don't get what I pay for.

I usually board early as i can squeeze and extra 15-20 min of work as everyone boards. Have to maximise every scrap of time available.

Wouldn't the lounge be far superior to the crammed narrowbody for this task?

I'm with weero on this print. Getting to the airport as late as possible does far more for me wrt both productivity and sanity than spending 20 minutes more than necessary inside of an aluminum tube.

Could be the routes. Most ports I use to not even permit OLCI or do not permit it for aliens or insist on a visa check.
I am am 2.7 million miler on UA and not once could I complete an OLCI or a kiosk check in.
BA intra Europe would work ... but I don't do that. And I only use BA for longhaul with lots of luggage.

I just think that OLCI takes a lot more time than check in at the airport. And it fails so often that it is not worth the hassle.

In those cases - international journeys - my hunch is a lot of airlines reserve the *true* royal treatment for F passengers. If you're flying J, you're just in the heap with the rest of us elite-card holders. If you're flying narrowbody J (e.g., you cannot buy F) on some sort of short-ish international flight that still requires a visa check for your passport, then I don't have any good answers.

When I've had the rare opportunity to fly F on a good airline (LH being one), the service had been fantastic and light-years away from the check-in counters and standard lounges enjoyed by J pax and Star Gold members.

I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that whether we're buying J, upgrading to J, or just have the right card in our pocket, we're a distant second class to three-cabin F pax.

Totally agree. The service you get on LH and AF in F is really good. Apart from the initial wait at a desk -and that not often- you get whisked to lounge/aircraft/security no fuss.

Well possible. I haven't flown paid F in 12 years and upgraded F just on AA the last few years. I heard that LH F became really good but it's not something, I take an interest in. Premium Economy is plenty good enough for any distance covering my needs.

But then I do not miss OLCI either and haven't used it outside of BA for 2 years now.

Suggestions (some are summaries of other posters' points):
1. Fly hand-carry only. 100 round trip flights/yr means you're not carrying any more than a few days' clothes at a time, so it's easily doable. This probably makes the biggest difference with respect to time stuck waiting an an airport (before and after your flight). If you want suggestions on bags to get, other packing aids, packing techniques, items that minimise weight/bulk, check the Travel Products forum.
2. Don't board early. Too many distractions, not comfortable (so you're not going to be productive anyway). If you're flying business (or not, if you have sufficient status), sit in the lounge and do your work there (far more comfortable). When you arrive there, confirm with the staff your flight's boarding time and latest possible time to board (allowing for security, walk to gate etc). that way you're maximising your productive time at the airport.
3. As moondog said, get to the airport later. Check in online and get a mobile boarding pass (if you can). That way you only need to allow time to go through security and immigration (add any extra time if you need to do a visa check, manual check-in etc). That way you spend less time 'in transit' (and are more easily contactable, if your job requires a lot of time on the phone).
4. When checking in/booking your flight, inform whoever is handling it (probably not you, if you're being time efficient) that you want a seat up the front of the plane as far as possible. That way when the plane arrives you'll be one of (if not the) first off the plane. Makes immigration/customs etc faster.

Just goes to show there's no right or wrong.

1. Not everyone's doing 100 trips a year. Check a bag and let someone else carry your stuff.
2. Use priority boarding or get near the front of the queue. More chance of getting overhead space near your seat (you want that if your lugging all your bags around with you), or time to enjoy pre-departure fizz if you're up front.
3. Plan on getting to the airport early. Who knows what travel problems there might be on the way? Once you're checked in and through security then relax with a drink.
4. Tend to agree, but if it was so important I would get an earlier flight.

I'm in the minority here because I ALWAYS check a bag, even for 1 night trips. Baggage handling at most airports in the PRC is amazingly fast; 1 in 3 times, my bag beats me to the belt, and the wait is never more than 2 or 3 minutes.

This spares me of the need to lug extra stuff through security or ponder the existence of overhead bins.