Here in Ireland nobody cares what the gate agents say on the announcement. People start lining up way before the flight and just get on the plane. It sucks because if you need overhead room you are stuck standing for at least an hour. I’ve seen American boarding agents boarding Irish return flights getting frustrated that people aren’t listening, and they are faced with either creating a big incident or just acquiescing.

It works so much better when there is a system and everyone follows it.