B737-700
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 450
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure
Aircraft was at the gate and had been terminated by the departing crew. Flight attendants arrived. We (pilots taking the aircraft out) were late arriving and would block in at push time. Operations Agent boarded the aircraft without any pilots present in violation of current procedure. A commuting mechanic started the APU to provide electric to the jet. Unknown if ground power was connected to the aircraft or not. When we arrived at the aircraft the APU was providing air; no ground power connected; emergency exit lights were not armed. There is confusion amongst Ops Agents about what constitutes shutdown or terminated. Our entire operation has confusion over 'terminated' versus 'shutdown;' etc. In general folks believe 'terminate' only applies to the final flight of the day; rather than the reality of our operation which sees aircraft terminated numerous times a day. Perhaps a set of clear definitions and common terminology would help.
B737-700 Captain reported that an Operations Agent boarded the aircraft and a commuting Mechanic started the APU without any pilots aboard.