I don't really care what the airport wants. But stuff happens--e.g. there's construction in the tunnel leading to the airport or there's a holdup of some sort--so I essentially always arrive much earlier than I need to. I hate stressing myself for maybe a bit more sleep in the morning.

> Still, major airports all want you to arrive quite a long time before your flight's scheduled departure.

I think they still encourage this so that you'll spend $$ at the airport (the longer you're there, the more likely you are to spend), which is a major source of revenue these days.