I know there is likely not a good reason for this. . . but, why, on planes, is First Class in the front? First Class patrons have to watch “2nd Class” patrons file by. . . and it’s generally safer to be at the rear in aircraft.
…whilst smugly lying back, sipping chamagne and nibbling on canapes. I think this a feature, not a bug.
More seriously - surely it’s because the doors are toward the front, and easy and quick to get in and out. If you’re a late-boarding First Class customer, you’d be standing for 20 minutes shuffling toward the back of the plane. And upon reaching the gate at destination, if the flight attendant said “please will everyone remain seated for 10 minutes and allow the First Class passengers in the rear of the plane to pass”, how do you think it would go?
Besides the easier boarding and deboarding nowadays, I think the ride was smoother in the front during the early decades of aviation. Of course, for much of that time, the boarding door was near the back.
It is significantly quieter at the front.
The idea that it is safer at the back is a myth. There are certain accidents where people right at the back have survived. There are also accidents where the only people to die were those at the back.
How is it safer? ISTM most aviation accidents are all or none. It’s not like if they hit a mountain the first class passengers are going to absorb the impact and coach will survive because of it and when the incident happens before (or soon after) take off, in general, everyone disembarks safely.
When you’re going 500mph faster and traveling six miles higher then a typical car, where you’re positioned in the vehicle seems irrelevant. Unlike in a car where your inertia relative to the car’s is great enough* that it’s actually worth thinking about WRT safety systems.
*ETA or maybe it’s that the whole system is moving slower, I’m not sure now that I think about it.
Well my experience is that the cabin crew is less “bossy” to you if you fly first class… Also it’s nice to be offered beverages on a 6 am Delta flight from San Antonio to JFK via Atlanta… And ask for Jack Daniels on the to rocks and not get a dirty look…
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I fly first/ business class as often as I am able to afford to do so…
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Last time I had couple of them before we pushed back from the gate 
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But what the OP is asking is not “What are the advantages to flying first class?”, but rather “Why is the first-class section located in the front of the plane?”
I’ve been told that in a (theoretical?) fraction of mid-air breakup cases, the tail section spirals down with some living passengers strapped in.
Being seated ahead of the engine’s means it’s a good bit quieter. Especially on a prop plane or something like a DC-9/MD-80.
Several years ago, Popular Mechanics analyzed data from 20 crashes in which at least one person survived and at least one person died. They found that the rear of the plane is significantly safer than the front or middle.
As I understand it, the smoothest ride is when you’re seated over the wings, in the middle of the plane.
United 752’s have the door between first and economy. Upon boarding the first class folks turn left and go up font, the rest turn right to the back of the plane.
And some of the larger planes have entirely separate gangways for the higher-order classes. I think that is true for most planes where first class is more than just “slightly less packed seats and better food” like a lot of domestic first class is.
Interesting question. But, I don’t think the first class folks would want to view the common folk on their way to the rear.
I’ve flown first class on two occasions. One was a gift from the airline, the other was a cheap upgrade.
I especially liked the hot, steamed towel immediately on boarding. Do they still have those?
One time when entering the first class section, I held up my ticket and announced,
“I have a kick-ass aisle seat in the back, with the common folk. Anyone wanna trade?”
No takers, but it got quite a few laughs.
I’ve flown business class and first class plenty of times, especially back when I was Delta Platinum. I never look at the “common folk” with disdain as they pass on towards the back, because but for the grace of my employer go I.
My Platinum is long gone, so I’ll sometimes spring for domestic first class, but it’s relatively inexpensive compared to international business class and nowhere near as luxurious.
I suspect it started from the railroads. The first class cars were towards the front of the train because there was less jostling as the train accelerated and decelerated. Which happened a lot in the old days with hills and curves.
As to now, the big thing is ease in boarding because FC seats are near the boarding door. And more than that, ease and speed in deboarding for the same reason.
Many widebodies and the 757 have a door between FC & whatever class(es) are further aft. IIRC there’s also such an option on the A321 which is a latter-day competitor to the 757.
That between-classes door is not always used for boarding/deboarding. But when it is that makes for a very nice experience for the crew and the FC passengers.
The downside to that door existing is that it pretty well permanently forces the split between FC & the lesser classes for the life of the aircraft. It’s impractical to move the class border farther fore or aft to have more or fewer seats in each class. Which is a big limitation when you’re talking about an asset with a 20+ year life amid ever changing economic times and industry trends.
The safety thing is IMO a red herring. The number of partly survivable/partly fatal accidents are so few that any statistics one might generate have little or no predictive power. For darn sure there’s no thought at the airline marketing departments towards putting FC in the safest place, wherever that may be.
First on, first off. That, and the somewhat quieter ride already mentioned.
What does the front section do? Continue to its destination? Spiral down with everyone already dead? Order Jack Daniels? Deplane fist?