@ c-w-s, I’m all too aware that this issue crops up repeatedly on FT but I nonetheless feel that it’s unfair to dismiss it as illogical or a totally pointless pursuit.

When I’m in CE I’m not overly-bothered as to when I board. But when in ET - and especially a favoured exit row seat where of course not even the smallest carry-on may be placed under the seat - then I, along with many others I know, will not relish the prospect of one’s bag having to be placed, say, three or four rows further back. Even that sort of distance can become surprisingly tiresome when ready to disembark, given the natural reluctance of fellow pax to give way to anyone attempting to make their way back, ‘against the flow’ in order to retrieve a bag. Sure, you can patiently wait for the whole aircraft to offload, but it rather defeats any ‘benefit’ of being in Group 1.