AN MD80 WAS PARKED ON A GATE UNATTENDED WITH DOORS CLOSED AND APU OPERATING; BOTH PACKS AT FULL HOT; AND NO JET BRIDGE TO ACFT.

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LEAVING ZZZ TODAY; WE SPENT A GOOD 20 MINS AT THE SECURITY CHK POINT AND ARRIVED AT OUR GATE APPROX XA10. OUR SCHEDULED DEP WAS TO BE XA49. THE AIRPLANE'S JET BRIDGE WAS STILL NOT CONNECTED TO THE PLANE AND ALL DOORS APPEARED FROM WHAT I COULD SEE CLOSED. ONE OF MY CREW MEMBERS ASKED AN AGENT IF THEY WOULD CONNECT THE JET BRIDGE TO THE PLANE. ONE OF THE AGENTS MOVED TO OPEN THE (GATEWAY) DOOR TO OUR PLANE. MY CREW FOLLOWED IN TOW. I PULLED THE JP FOR THE FLT; AND HEADED DOWN THE JET BRIDGE TOWARD THE PLANE. THERE WAS A RUSH OF HOT; I MEAN HOT AIR; COMING UP THIS JET BRIDGE; PLUS I SMELLED A FUME I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS BURNT PLASTIC. AS I APCHED THE PLANE; THE TEMP BECAME HOTTER AND HOTTER IN THE GATEWAY TO THE PLANE. THE SMELL REMAINED THE SAME AND I ASKED MY FO WHAT WAS GOING ON. WHAT HE WAS SAYING WAS THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS HAD BEEN SET TO FULL HOT -- BOTH AIR CONDITIONING PACKS -- WITH ALL DOORS CLOSED; APU RUNNING AND AN OUTSIDE AIR TEMP IN THE LOW 50 DEGS F RANGE. THE CABIN TEMP WAS HORRIFIC. WITHOUT LOOKING OR FEELING; I WOULD SAY AT LEAST 150 DEGS F. THE COCKPIT TEMP GAUGE SHOWED 145 DEGS F. MY CREW BAILED OFF THE PLANE AND I COULDN'T FAULT THEM AT ALL. NOT ONLY WAS THE PLANE'S INTERIOR WAY BEYOND HUMAN NORMS; IT STANK LIKE MELTING PLASTIC. MY FO HAD ALREADY TURNED OFF THE RETICULATING FAN AND OPENED BOTH COCKPIT WINDOWS FOR BETTER VENTILATION. I WALKED BACK THROUGH THE CABIN AND OPENED THE 'EYE-BALLS' AS WELL. I DECIDED TO DELAY BOARDING UNTIL WE COULD GET THE CABIN TEMP DOWN TO A LEVEL I WOULD FEEL OK SITTING WITHIN. THAT WAS APPROX XA35 OR 14 MINS PRIOR TO OUR DEP TIME. AT THAT TIME; THE CABIN WAS STILL WARM; BUT BETTER; BUT COCKPIT STILL SMELT LIKE A PLASTIC FACTORY. I ASKED MY FO IF HE WAS OK WITH THE SMELL AND HE NODDED YES. WE BRIEFED THIS ISSUE ON DEP BECAUSE OF THE FUMES ISSUE WE COULD BE SUBJECTED TO. THIS PLANE SPENT THE NIGHT IN ZZZ. IN FACT; IT WAS CLEANED THERE AS WELL. THERE WAS A MISSING COMPLETE SEAT COVER OFF 1 SEAT; THE FLOOR GALLEYS LOOKED BAD. I WENT DOWN TO THE RAMP TO TALK WITH THE CREW CHIEF TO SEE IF WE COULD GET SOMEONE UP THERE TO SWEEP UP THE GALLEY FILTH THAT WAS ALL OVER THE FLOORS (BOTH AFT AND FORWARD GALLEY STATIONS). ALONG THE WAY; I RAN INTO 2 ACR EMPLOYEES. I SAID 'DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE CREW CHIEF IS FOR THIS PLANE?' THEY SAID; 'WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO GO TOP SIDE ON YOUR PLANES.' IN FACT; THEY SAID IT TWICE; AND WITH SUCH VIGOR; IT MAKES ME VERY CONCERNED. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MECHS TOW AIRPLANES. THE PERSON IN THE L SEAT IS A MECH AND HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THE SYS ON THE PLANE. THE PAD AT THE ZZZ ARPT IS NOT TOO FAR FROM THE GATES; BUT GIVEN THE TEMP SETTINGS SELECTED; THE PERSON ON THE PLANE WOULD HAVE SMELT BURNING LINT LONG BEFORE HE LEFT THE PLANE. THEN TO HAVE THIS PERSON CLOSE THE DOOR AND DEPART; NO ONE IN MY 15 YRS WITH OUR COMPANY WOULD DO SUCH A THING. THE COCKPIT TEMP ONLY CAME DOWN TO A COMFORTABLE TEMP 1 HR AND 20 MINS INTO THE FLT. THE PLASTIC SMELL DID NOT GO AWAY UNTIL 40 MINS INTO THE FLT. MY WHOLE CREW WILL WELL REMEMBER WHEN THAT AGENT OPENED THE DOOR OF THAT PLANE. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS WHY THE PLANE WAS ON THE GATE AT THAT INTERNAL TEMP TO BEGIN WITH. WHY THE PLANE WASN'T CLEANED PRIOR TO FOOD BEING BOARDED.