I just had an 8:20 flight last Sunday. My departure time pick up was 5:35 AM. We went ahead and got down to RAC/ME area at 5:00 AM with the hope that they could take our bags if it wasn't too busy. There were people but not really in line and we were able to check our bags through. They did ask me what bus time we were on though before they started processing the bags (I think to make sure they had enough time as the 5:05 AM bus was there. No real point here but thought I would offer my recent experence.
Liz
Liz
I would do the exact same thing you did, get to RAC early enough to check my bags and take the free bus.
You were at the DME area (RAC desk) at 5a. A car service would have suggested a 6:20a pickup. Some guests think paying $60 for a car service is worth getting an extra 80 minutes of sleep.