I don't clutter my phone with every single airline's app, electronic boarding passes often don't list the gate and never reflect status changes, and I don't get text updates when I'm traveling for work because our corporate booking system helpfully hard-codes my office phone in the contact information.

Besides, even when the stars line up and my phone really does reliably give me updates on the flight status, digging it out of my pocket, unlocking it, etc is more hassle than glancing at a status board as I walk past.

You don't need separate apps. I use this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flightawar...

(Though as I said in another comment, I still check the boards when they're close by, just to be sure.)

Sometimes analog is just quicker. There's nothing like getting to an area with shit wireless when you're relying on your phone. So I print out tickets, confirmation numbers, even directions and maps when I travel. My last trip I was kicking myself for not remembering a little bubble compass...

Maybe it's irrational, but I don't trust my phone app to have the latest info on gate info or delays.

It's not irrational. The text alerts (from United anyway) are hit and miss. Half the time I find out about delays and cancellations from the board long before the phone get an update.

Indeed. I've even seen several times the multi-airline boards have delay info that the reader board at the gate doesn't even have yet!