Let's assume that Duster is the guy, shall we?
So he's the pilot in command. The key word is "command". Borrowing from military usage, "command" means that he is responsible for every single thing that happens on that a/c from the time he asses it to the time he un-asses it, and more besides.
It's become far too common these days to question, second-guess and cavil at those who are placed "in command". Everyone's an expert, everyone knows what's best, and everyone has exquisite vision - in hindsight. Everyone claims to have the highest respect for those who are "in command", but this kind of experience shows that that respect is highly situational.
When a PIC uses his command skills and judgement - oh, let's say, to bring a two-engined DC10 with no hydraulics and no directional control surfaces to an airfield in the middle of BF Nowhere - he's a superman, and hero and an Example To Others. Which is as it should be.
But when a PIC uses his command skills and judgement to decide what he thinks is best for the security of the a/c and every soul on it - and it involves some first-class passengers with delusions of their own importance having to walk a few extra steps to pee - he's a jerk.
What first-class passengers think of themselves and their relative importance to the success of the airline is insignificant. If their bathroom access is so GD important, they can buy a Gulfstream of their very own. An airliner is a common carrier, not a magic carpet whose functioning is dictated by those who happened to pay more for a wider seat and to have their delusions pandered to. Part of the common carrier deal is that any and all decisions that involve the safety, security and correct operation of the airplane are at the sole decision of the pilot In Command.
I applaud Duster for showing the true exercise of command authority in making sure that even the more minor details of cabin security are addressed. I want the people in the first-arriving seats to have their minds completely engaged in every aspect of the operation of the aircraft. If I fly AA through DFW, I hope I'm seated behind Duster - and not some pilot who is prepared to compromise his/her command decisions in order to avoid giving offense, or to further the self-absorbtion of some self-important jackass who thinks that a higher disposable income (or a fatter expense account) gives him/her the right to Command.
llater,
llamas