Originally Posted by
iadh
Can't be the only reason. In the upstairs business class cabin on the 747-8, for example, the preferred seats are in the first two rows, but the exit is at the back. And none of the downstairs business seats is designated as preferred.
Some small aircraft with Y-only seating had the business section in the back because the door was at the back. Apparently enough customers complained about the "bad" seat arrangment and the business section was moved back to the front. That probably influenced the decision to make the first rows on the 747-8 the preferred seats...
My experience is that seat blocking tends to work better in the non-preferred seats further back, because so many people seem to prefer a middle seat in the front...
HTB.