Originally Posted by
FindAWay
That is more common than you may think. A-35ish was most likely the position vacated by an A-Lister who changed/canceled their flight between T-36 hours (when A-List BPs are assigned) and T-24 hours (when you could check-in). I think folks here call it surreptitious early boarding - search this forum for "surreptitious" and you'll find more about it.
"Serindipitous."
I use Mac Safari, 2-3 tabs side-by-side and have never had a problem. Check in as close to T-24 as possible and normally get high As. Sometimes low Bs.