Flight Attendant Current
Confusion; Distraction; Time Pressure
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Aircraft; Company Policy; Equipment / Tooling; Procedure
Flight ZZZ-ZZZ1: We experienced a departure delay for the first flight of the day due to extreme heat and a broken APU on Aircraft X.  I was working as the lead flight attendant for the day.  We had a scheduled departure time of XA+00.  Our original Aircraft Y; had a broken APU with no air conditioning and the outside temperature was 108 degrees.  Boarding commenced at XA-40 due to no APU and to make sure that passengers could stay cool as long as possible in the terminal. Boarding ended at XA+05.  At XA+07; the Captain informed me that it would a 15-minute wait before we could close the door because a new battery was needed for the air start machine.  I made an announcement to the passengers regarding the delay and made announcements every 15 minutes.  I was later informed that the existing battery in the aircraft machine had exploded and that a new one was needed for replacement. At XA+15; the crew started handing out ice and water to the passengers to help keep them cool and hydrated due to the plane being extremely hot inside.  At this point; I asked the Captain if the passengers could take off their masks because it was getting hard to breathe.  I was given permission to make an announcement for passengers to take off their mask given the extreme cabin conditions. At XA+22; another announcement was made regarding the delay.  During this time; two passengers had began to overheat inside the cabin.  Company Representative tended to the passengers with cold packs; ice and water and checked on other passengers throughout the cabin.  I also called FA #2 in regards passengers being in the AFT galley with concern for their safety as well.  Passengers started asking for reassurance regarding the aircraft's safety as well.At XA+30; Captain made an announcement to the passengers from the FWD galley to reassure passengers of the aircraft; that the plane was safe; and that we were having issues with the ground equipment that prevented us from taking off at our normal departure time. At XA+40; the aircraft was air started; a slight delay in starting because ground personnel failed to get fuel for the air start machine and turned aircraft power.  The cabin went dark at least twice during this process; which didn't help matters because the temperature was over 100 degrees at this point.  Another announcement was made that the aircraft would be starting up and that the boarding door would be closed within three-to-five minutes.  We closed the boarding door at XA+45.  The passengers and crew sat on the aircraft in extreme heat with 100+ degree temperatures for one hour and five minutes.  Equipment and aircraft should be distributed to each base in regard to extreme and changing weather conditions at each base and should be in working order.  Aircraft with working APUs cannot handle extreme temperatures above 100 degrees.  This base experiences temperatures above 100 degrees at least 3-4 months out of the year given a desert climate.  I recommend that a proper Air Start machine be in place for future flights.  I recommend equipment be provided to help keep the aircraft cool in extreme weather circumstances and to prevent passengers from experiencing medical episodes such as heat stroke or possibly death.  A majority of the passengers are over the age of 65 and cannot handle such extreme heat.  The safety of all persons involved; working crew and passengers; should be taken into consideration with extreme heat inside the aircraft cabin.  I also recommend that contracted ground personnel be advised well in advanced of future aircraft problems and take proper procedures ahead of schedule; such as necessary equipment ready and in working order so this doesn't happen again.  If our contracted personnel cannot handle such duties; then I recommend that we hire our own personnel for each base to assist in such matters and to invest in working equipment for each base.  Our number one priority is safety for our passengers; before; during and after a flight; and the safety of our flight crews.  This incident should never happen again.
Flight Attendant reported a ground delay due to an inoperative APU and failure of Ground Support Equipment with temperatures of 108 degrees F.