411A,
"works like a charm".
Of course it does, right up until the point when a fire breaks out. Then it wont work at all.
I used to agree - board pax without flight crew no probs.
But then I read an article about a DL 727 that cought fire at the gate and went up in smoke really quickly. Only a handfull of pax onboard just managed to get out. Then China airlines went up in smoke in Japan so quickly it would make your head spin.
But more importantly - why board with no pilots. If the crew are arriving fresh to an aircraft, its going to take up to 30 mins to get settled, turn stuff on, read the tech log etc.
start the boarding then.