A319
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 190; Flight Crew Total 12000; Flight Crew Type 5000
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related; Company Policy
[We were] scheduled pushback on the half hour. Agents arrived and asked if we had everything; which we did. Door closed ten minutes early at 20 after. We did our before pushback checklist and called for pushback around 22 after the hour. We started to push; and then the tug driver stopped and started to say something. At the same time; I noticed the forward door light come on; and the slides quickly disarm. I looked out and saw an agent; a supervisor of some sort (Flight Attendant I believe) and a passenger on the jetway. The passenger was loaded on; and the door was shut again with no communication to us. I called the Lead Flight Attendant and she was quite startled; suggesting that she had not known what was going on until she heard the tap on the door. Luckily; she did an excellent job and very quickly called for all doors to be disarmed. VERY lucky that the tug driver happened to see the jetway pull up to the airplane as he started his pushback; or we would have had damage to the jet; jetway; and possible injuries. The jetway at this gate only moves a couple of feet; so it is difficult to notice the movement. I'm all for bringing the jetway back to load passengers; particularly since we were so early; but it is imperative that the agents get our attention before moving the jetway toward the airplane so that I can communicate with the pushback crew; flight attendants; and ramp. We VERY narrowly avoided a dangerous and costly error.
An A319's pushback was stopped immediately after it started because an Agent put the jetway up to the aircraft without warning to board another passenger. An alert Flight Attendant luckily disarmed the door.