Agree...
Yes I consider it a perk. I like to board first and then get all settled in before the plane gets crowded. Once out of DFW, I think it was Delta, I upgraded to first, but they boarded the plane rear to front, and it was irritating. There were plenty of over head bins, that wasn't the issue, I just hated waiting while everyone else boarded ahead of me.
Normally I might not have cared as much, but it had been a rough trip. Connecting flights were ridiculously tight, and on every leg, I became increasingly more stressed.