MD-82
Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Human Factors
[When we] arrived at the gate the agents asked who we were; so we stated the working crew. The pilots were with us. The agents looked surprised about this. Unknown to us; they had already started boarding the aircraft. One Agent ran down the jetbridge to stop boarding. We stated that all passengers needed to deplane so we could do our emergency equipment checks; etc. The passengers deplaned aircraft and the Agent stated that a bag was still on board. We asked that the bag be removed by the Agent before we board ourselves. She needed to find the owner of the bag. After the passengers reboarded and the bins closed; the agent was ready to close the aircraft door. The first Flight Attendant stated no because we had Maintenance on board. The Agent did not seem to be aware of this issue.
When the flight attendants and pilots arrived [at the gate] we noticed 3 agents boarding the aircraft. The Captain said 'is there something we dont know about?' The Agent continued to board the aircraft. We told her we were the crew. She said 'isn't the crew down there?' We said we did not know; we had just arrived. She ran down the jetbridge. I told an agent I was the first Flight Attendant; but she did not look at my ID. I went down the jetbridge to find out what was happening. I saw 10 people on the jetbridge with the Agent and I told her we would need time to check out equipement. When I got on the aircraft; there were 15 people on the aircraft with no personel on board. We told her everyone had to get off. When everyone deplaned; there was still a bag on board. We told her she had to take that too. Three agents boarded an airplane with no flight attendants on board. Then; she tried to close the door without talking to the flight attendants and pilots. He told her do not close the door; we had a mechanical [issue]. She apologized.
Two flight attendants report how agents began to board passengers before the flight crew had arrived. They were surprised to discover that neither pilots or flight attendants were on board.