alt Hacker NewsYes but compare it to trains or busses. If I want to take the train/bus I make sure I am at the station 10 minutes before the vehicle departs.
In my experience the good time to arrive before a flight (with luggage to check in) is roughly 1 hour before (and this nearly wasn't enough in some cases).
If we talk about a short flight that can add more than 50% to the flight duration on the ground for (1) putting the luggage somewhere, (2) going through the security funnel and (3) getting to the plane.
Sure I get why things are shaped the way they are, but if I wanted to cut travel time I would first have a long deep look at that.
If you are flying to/from popular destination like Europe in August, you can stuck for two hours just in the luggage drop queue. Extra hour for security check queue and one more for border/customs check queue. Another 20 minutes just to walk to the gate.
Depends on the airport and your luck, of course.