B757 CAPT ALLOWED PAX IN COCKPIT WHILE HOLDING ON THE TXWY FOR DEP TO HELP CALM A DISGRUNTLED PAX THE REASONS FOR THE DELAY. THIS WAS CONTRARY TO COMPANY RULES AFTER THE ACFT LEAVES THE GATE.

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LOTS OF PROBS ON THE GND THAT OUR PAX HAD TO ENDURE WHILE TRYING TO DEPART ORLANDO. AFTER FIRST PUSHBACK; OPS CALLED TO TELL US THE WTS WERE WRONG; SO WE RETURNED TO GATE. ON SECOND PUSHBACK; OUR APU DIED JUST BEFORE ENG START. BACK TO THE GATE AGAIN; WITH INADEQUATE EXTERNAL AIR CONDITIONING; CABIN TEMP WAS APPROX 85 DEGS. AFTER THIRD PUSH; WE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER 1.5 HRS ON THE TXWY BEFORE TKOF DUE TO WX. APU WAS INOP AND COULD ONLY USE 1 ENG (TO PRESERVE MINIMUM TKOF FUEL) SO CABIN TEMP REMAINED APPROX 85 DEGS. ABOUT 1 HR INTO OUR DELAY; AND AFTER NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM PAX; THE CAPT INVITED ONE PARTICULARLY UNCOMFORTABLE PAX TO THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF EXPLAINING THE SIT TO THE PAX FACE-TO-FACE TO INCLUDE SHOWING HIM THE INDICATIONS OF OUR WX RADAR. THE PAX FELT MUCH BETTER AFTERWARDS. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE ON THE GND; BRAKES SET. HOWEVER; LATER WE DISCOVERED THAT BY THE EXACT LETTER OF COMPANY REGS; THAT PAX WAS NOT ALLOWED IN THE COCKPIT BECAUSE WE WERE AWAY FROM THE GATE. OUR MISTAKE.