MD80. FAA INSPECTORS CONDUCTING A 'RAMP' CHK; DISRUPTED FLT CREW DUTIES AND PAX BOARDING BY THREATENING MULTIPLE CREW AND ACR FINES WHEN THEY FOUND 4 OUT OF DATE SEAT BACK PAX EMER CARDS. THIS WAS IN FULL VIEW OF BOARDING PAX.

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ACFT ARRIVED ON GATE AT XA08L. WE WERE SCHEDULED OUT AT XA38L. MET THE OUTBOUND CREW; WHO BRIEFED ME ON AN OIL LEAK THEY'D WRITTEN UP; PLUS THE HYD MEL WE WERE ALREADY AWARE OF. PUT FLT GEAR IN COCKPIT; WENT TO ATTEND TO OTHER PREFLT DUTIES. RETURNED TO ACFT; AND FAA INSPECTOR STOPPED ME ON JETBRIDGE; ASKING ME WHY 4 EMER INFO SEAT BACK CARDS WERE OUT OF DATE -- THIS; AS PAX WERE BOARDING. HE TOLD ME THE ACFT WAS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH FAR'S; AND THAT COMPLIANCE WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE; ALL SEAT BACK INFO CARDS WERE REPLACED BY CABIN SVC; AND WE HAD ONLY 80 PAX SO NO ONE WAS OR WOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED THE PROPER INFO. WE ARE NOT SURE; HOWEVER; THAT FAA INSPECTOR DIDN'T HAVE ANY FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE ACFT; ALTHOUGH I DID ASK HIM POINT BLANK. THE FLT ATTENDANTS TOLD ME LATER THAT HE HAD A PROB WITH PBE TAGS NOT BEING SECURED PROPERLY; AND THAT HE HAD THREATENED EACH OF THEM WITH A $1000 FINE PER REVISION HE FOUND MISSING (HE FOUND NONE); THAT HE DOESN'T HOLD BACK AND GOES FOR THE MAXIMUM FINES. TOLD BOTH MY FO AND ME AND THE GATE AGENT THAT IT WOULD BE A $10000 FINE PER OUT-OF-DATE INFO CARD; PLUS $1000 FINE FOR EACH OF US. ALL THIS WAS TAKING PLACE WITHIN 15 MINS OF DEP -- WITH PAX ON BOARD AND BOARDING -- AS WE TRIED TO PREFLT AND VERIFY MEL COMPLIANCE AND MAINT COMPLETION ON THE OIL LEAK WRITE-UP. WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO FAA INSPECTORS FINDING DISCREPANCIES; AND BRINGING THEM TO OUR ATTN FOR CORRECTION. THIS WAS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT; WHICH THOROUGHLY DISRUPTED OUR OPS AND CREW FUNCTIONING AT A CRITICAL TIME WITH THREATS AND INTIMIDATION. WE DID NOT KNOWINGLY LEAVE THE GATE WITH ANY OUT-OF-COMPLIANCE ITEM; HOWEVER; WE BOTH FEEL RPT IS NECESSARY DUE TO THE VIOLATION VULNERABILITY TO THIS INSPECTOR; WHO AS HE EXPLAINED; 'DOESN'T HOLD BACK' ON FINES; AND ALSO TO IDENT THE RESULTANT DISRUPTION AND DEGRADATION OF OUR CREW FUNCTIONING DIRECTLY RELATED TO THIS INSPECTION. WE DEPARTED 30 MINS LATE; LARGELY DUE TO THIS SIT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 580395: THE INBOUND ACFT FOR FLT DFW-RSW ARRIVED LATE TO GATE AT XA08. AFTER ACFT DEPLANED PAX; I WALKED ON AT XA20. PLACED BAGS IN COCKPIT AND TURNED AROUND TO SEE 2 FAA INSPECTORS; WHO SAID THEY WERE CONDUCTING RAMP CHKS/CABIN INSPECTIONS. 1 INSPECTOR ACCOMPANIED ME ON THE WALK-AROUND WHILE THE OTHER INSPECTOR CONDUCTED A CABIN INSPECTION. UPON RETURN TO THE JET BRIDGE; AN FAA INSPECTOR PRESENTED ME WITH 4 OUT-OF-DATE PAX BRIEFING CARDS THAT HE CLAIMED HE FOUND IN THE CABIN AND TOLD ME IT WAS AN $11000 FINE FOR THE COMPANY AND $1100 FOR CREW -- IN FULL VIEW OF THE BOARDING PAX. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD MAKE SURE CABIN SVCS INSPECTED THE ACFT TO ENSURE ALL SEATS HAD THE CORRECT VERSION. HE THEN PROCEEDED UP THE JET BRIDGE TO FIND THE CAPT; WHO WAS RETRIEVING THE PAPERWORK. CABIN SVCS BOARDED THE ACFT AND INSPECTED ALL SEATS FOR CURRENT PAX BRIEFING CARDS BEFORE THE FLT DEPARTED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 580110: LOCATION -- DFW. I UNKNOWINGLY AND UNINTENTIONALLY FLEW THIS FLT WITH 4-6 PAX EMER EXIT BRIEFING CARDS OUT-OF-DATE; THAT WERE LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN THE COACH SECTION OF THE PAX CABIN. THIS WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL AFTER THE FLT'S COMPLETION.