A coworker of mine that I travel with about a dozen times a year who is also A-List preferred consistently gets a few spots ahead of me, in fact I don't think I have ever been ahead of him. If I'm A18-19 he will be A16, If he's 18-19 I'll be low-mid 20's. We usually book at the same time so the fares are the same. The only difference is he flies a few more times per year than I do and he has CP from the credit card and I don't have the SW credit card.