Nice experience on F9 tonight! Boarding question inside...
 

Just flew F9 for the first time in about 6 months, I usually fly UA. 'Twas an enjoyable flight! FAs were great, TV is always a nice bonus, the seats were just a little tight though. I also didn't like having to wait to board last, whereas with my status with UA I get to board first. Which brings up my question... do Ascent/ Summit members get to board first on F9?

Yes -- Ascent, Summit, and Classic Plus passengers are eligible for pre-boarding.

And sometimes those sitting in rows 1 & 2, but it's an inconsistent rule and depends on the GA.

True, and you're more likely to see this on over-water A319s since the over-water equipment occupies most of the overhead bin space above Row 1 into Row 2.

Yes, the GA should have announced that during the preboard announcement. On F9, Active Military, Ascent and Summit, AirTran Elite, and Classic Plus passengers can board at any time.

As for status match, I'm definitely not an expert in that area.

Checko

Status Match
 

Good luck trying to get a status match. I tried. With AA Gold, USAir Silver, and UAL Premier; they wouldn't budge. Told me to just fly the 15,000 miles and I'd have my status in no time. I've been flying on UAL because I've not once had a problem booking an award ticket. Might have to pay a few fees here and there, but it's better than being told the only award availability is the fourth Thursday in November that isn't Thanksgiving.

For sure no go on status match. I tried last year from UA and they would not budge at all and told me to fly 15k miles.
Award availability on F9 is very limited except for the higher level awards available to Ascent/Summit.