It's all part of inventory control. I believe we are talking coach. The airlines sell cheap seats via third parties to get “key money.” I’m guessing they make money off the full fare class seats purchased by businesses and last minute travelers. If someone pays full fare and gets a non reclining seat next to the bathroom, you can bet they won’t be happy, especially if they find out the good seats went to people paying half the price. Perhaps a less obvious method would be to restrict pre-selection to less desirable areas based on category (e.g. United’s Y,B,M,H,K,L,Q,V,W,U,T,S fares). S would be restricted to pre-selecting seats next to the bathroom.

Personally, with the hassle of flying, I figure if I can drive there in 8 hours or less + drive time to destination from the airport, I’m much happier driving. That’s the ultimate boycott.