Maybe we are too harsh on flyrights. Of course most would find the opinion, that the order of checking-in should be more determining than the class of travel, elite level etc., naive, but we shouldn't forget that he is probably an infrequent flier. Most infrequent fliers have not thought of such things before, and getting into the logic of first class perks, elite ff status, fare codes etc. isn't the first thing that pops into their mind, if all they do is fly once or twice a year in economy. To them, the comparison with the procedures of bus travel sounds plausible.