Narrative:

My purpose for filling out this form is to report a serious breach of the FAA safety regulations by the mci ground personnel. Our flight diverted to mci because of a potential fuel shortage problem. We were able to change aircraft in mci. Instead of holding the passenger in the lounge so the flight attendants could board first, stow our belongings and check our emergency equipment, the ground personnel directed the passenger to board the replacement aircraft without so much as 1 flight attendant on board. In fact, by the time the first of the flight attendants was able to work her way through the crowd of passenger on the jetbridge, 1/2 of the aircraft was boarded. I was the last to board. When I discovered what they had done, I informed them that FAA regulations require that a minimum of 3 flight attendants be on board to begin boarding. I didn't receive any response (by this time the damage was done). I did emphatically state that it was mandatory that I check the emergency equipment out before we departed. I was able to do so. I do remember hearing in passing, as I was leaving the aircraft being taken OTS, a remark made by a ground worker talking about the crew going illegal and wanting to get us out before that happened. I later learned it was the captain he was referring to. In my opinion, either: 1) the mci personnel are seriously unknowledgeable about safety regulations or, 2) they played dumb to prevent the captain from going illegal, so they wouldn't have to deal with overnighting the passenger and crew. Regardless of their reason, in my opinion there is no excuse. In fact, if they had coordinated with the flight attendants instead of totally ignoring us, we could have achieved the same result, only sooner, without compromising the passenger's safety. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that they xferred the passenger from their inbound plane to the other plane before the cabin crew even realized it. She worked in the aft of the plane and was the last one off. When she got on the new plane, it was almost completely boarded. When the purser got on, all of first class was boarded and 1/3 of economy. The ground crew also created another safety hazard when they xferred the serving carts from the other plane, they forgot to remove the old carts on the new plane, thus creating a log jam in back, making the exists unusable. The mechanical problem with the first plane was one of the fuel gauges was reading wrong, and the crew worked with dispatch at least 20 mins before telling the cabin crew or the people about it and about or why and where they were diverting to.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, S80, ORD-SLC. INOP FUEL GAUGE. DIVERT TO MCI. GND CREW VIOLATED FARS BY BOARDING PAX ON SUBSTITUTE PLANE WITHOUT ANY CABIN CREW ON BOARD.

Narrative: MY PURPOSE FOR FILLING OUT THIS FORM IS TO RPT A SERIOUS BREACH OF THE FAA SAFETY REGS BY THE MCI GND PERSONNEL. OUR FLT DIVERTED TO MCI BECAUSE OF A POTENTIAL FUEL SHORTAGE PROB. WE WERE ABLE TO CHANGE ACFT IN MCI. INSTEAD OF HOLDING THE PAX IN THE LOUNGE SO THE FLT ATTENDANTS COULD BOARD FIRST, STOW OUR BELONGINGS AND CHK OUR EMER EQUIP, THE GND PERSONNEL DIRECTED THE PAX TO BOARD THE REPLACEMENT ACFT WITHOUT SO MUCH AS 1 FLT ATTENDANT ON BOARD. IN FACT, BY THE TIME THE FIRST OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WAS ABLE TO WORK HER WAY THROUGH THE CROWD OF PAX ON THE JETBRIDGE, 1/2 OF THE ACFT WAS BOARDED. I WAS THE LAST TO BOARD. WHEN I DISCOVERED WHAT THEY HAD DONE, I INFORMED THEM THAT FAA REGS REQUIRE THAT A MINIMUM OF 3 FLT ATTENDANTS BE ON BOARD TO BEGIN BOARDING. I DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY RESPONSE (BY THIS TIME THE DAMAGE WAS DONE). I DID EMPHATICALLY STATE THAT IT WAS MANDATORY THAT I CHK THE EMER EQUIP OUT BEFORE WE DEPARTED. I WAS ABLE TO DO SO. I DO REMEMBER HEARING IN PASSING, AS I WAS LEAVING THE ACFT BEING TAKEN OTS, A REMARK MADE BY A GND WORKER TALKING ABOUT THE CREW GOING ILLEGAL AND WANTING TO GET US OUT BEFORE THAT HAPPENED. I LATER LEARNED IT WAS THE CAPT HE WAS REFERRING TO. IN MY OPINION, EITHER: 1) THE MCI PERSONNEL ARE SERIOUSLY UNKNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT SAFETY REGS OR, 2) THEY PLAYED DUMB TO PREVENT THE CAPT FROM GOING ILLEGAL, SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH OVERNIGHTING THE PAX AND CREW. REGARDLESS OF THEIR REASON, IN MY OPINION THERE IS NO EXCUSE. IN FACT, IF THEY HAD COORDINATED WITH THE FLT ATTENDANTS INSTEAD OF TOTALLY IGNORING US, WE COULD HAVE ACHIEVED THE SAME RESULT, ONLY SOONER, WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE PAX'S SAFETY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THEY XFERRED THE PAX FROM THEIR INBOUND PLANE TO THE OTHER PLANE BEFORE THE CABIN CREW EVEN REALIZED IT. SHE WORKED IN THE AFT OF THE PLANE AND WAS THE LAST ONE OFF. WHEN SHE GOT ON THE NEW PLANE, IT WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY BOARDED. WHEN THE PURSER GOT ON, ALL OF FIRST CLASS WAS BOARDED AND 1/3 OF ECONOMY. THE GND CREW ALSO CREATED ANOTHER SAFETY HAZARD WHEN THEY XFERRED THE SERVING CARTS FROM THE OTHER PLANE, THEY FORGOT TO REMOVE THE OLD CARTS ON THE NEW PLANE, THUS CREATING A LOG JAM IN BACK, MAKING THE EXISTS UNUSABLE. THE MECHANICAL PROB WITH THE FIRST PLANE WAS ONE OF THE FUEL GAUGES WAS READING WRONG, AND THE CREW WORKED WITH DISPATCH AT LEAST 20 MINS BEFORE TELLING THE CABIN CREW OR THE PEOPLE ABOUT IT AND ABOUT OR WHY AND WHERE THEY WERE DIVERTING TO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.