Oh, I dream of days gone by when finger docks first were implemented and passengers could board leisurely at their own pace up to one hour before flight departure. One of the first times I experienced that was on an AF B727 from Orly to GVA decades ago. Seemed so much more civilized than being bussed to the plane or walking across the apron.
Of course, back then there were no seat allocations, just first class and economy class, with smoking allowed in the last three rows of each section, ( also a very new concept at that time ). No security, no large hand luggage wheelies and passengers were real people and not cattle.