strake
The good ole days are gone.
Not quite - you will always end up behind the most boneheaded cretin fumbling around, no matter which queue you take
. One of life's little mysteries.
The new(ish) system works rather well when travelling Y on an airline where you don't get preferential treatment because of miles or status. Similarly, the days of waiting in queues for a teller at a bank are now, thankfully, long behind us.
As
strake points out, it's just one of those learning experiences from which you can benefit in the future.
BOFH