FFF,
Could you give us an idea where this was and your flight rules? We could then guess a bit better on what was going through the tower controller's mind.
In the worst case it might be somewhere that has to use procedural separation based on time for departures (even if a radar controller was to work you after departure). Assuming that you were IFR, in this case putting you in front of the 737 could result in a ten minute separation for the 737 if you were not turning 45+ degrees away from its track immediately after departure. You could go 3 minutes behind the 737 (since the IFR separation would be 2 minutes with you behind, so you'd get the vortex separation of 3 minutes). With the 737's slot in this case it's easy to see why it would go first.
Even if it was somewhere that uses speed tables for departures (ie. a larger airport) it is likely that putting you in front would require the 737 to be 5 minutes behind you (unless the busy tower controller could find time to phone radar for an early release). This again could cause problems with the 737's slot time.
From a runway utilisation perspective, a same-route IFR spamcan in front of a jet is the worst case scenario for a tower controller unless there is something else (preferably more than one aircraft, ideally VFRs or landers) that they can stick in between. Throw in the tight slot on the jet and it's usually a no-brainer to put it first.
Last edited by foghorn; 14th August 2006 at 21:14.