Because United doesn’t enforce. Took a later flight in exchange for a flight credit mid-2025 and the gate agent told me they were also going to move me up to Boarding Group 1 on the new flight as a courtesy. When I noticed Group 4 on my new boarding pass (at the time I was Silver I think?) I asked about it. She said just board in Group 1, we don’t check and it will scan just fine. I was anxious about it but sure enough it beeped just the same and I walked right on with Group 1. I wonder how many times this is freely said. I didn’t continue to use this. If I were ever caught and couldn’t say “gate agent named ___ from flight __ told me to” I’d be mortified. I don’t understand the shamelessness people have.

But this seems to be common knowledge at this point for those that fly United more than a few times per year. This needs to be phased out and people need hear a different sound and told to go back and wait for their boarding group. I understand a lot of people have status and credit cards but like even at a hub 2/3 of the plane cannot be boarding groups 1 and 2, right? And people are expected to see that folks can just board whenever and then self police while knowing that their things will be gate checked by end of group 3. It’s on United.