A320 CREW CAME WITHIN 6 INCHES OF HITTING A JETWAY AFTER THE GUIDE MAN PARKING THE ACFT DID NOT NOW THE DIFFERENCE BTWN A B757-200 AND AN AIRBUS A320.

Narrative

NEAR COLLISION WITH JETWAY. AFTER EXITING RWY 22R; WE CALLED RAMP CTL AND WERE TOLD THAT OUR GATE HAD BEEN CHANGED FROM OUR ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED OUTBOUND GATE. UPON ARR AT NEW GATE; NO GUIDE MAN WAS SEEN AND THE SELF-PARK SYS WAS OFF. AFTER CONTACTING RAMP CTL AGAIN; AFTER 5 MINS A GUIDE MAN ARRIVED AND TURNED ON THE SELF-PARK SYS. AS WE GOT CLOSER TO TERMINAL; I NOTED VERBALLY THAT WE SEEMED RATHER CLOSE TO THE TERMINAL; BUT NOT BEING BASED AT ORD AND HAVING NOT PARKED AT THIS GATE IN RECENT MEMORY; I CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THE GUIDE MAN'S INSTRUCTIONS (GREEN/YELLOW/RED LIGHTS) AND STOPPED WHEN INSTRUCTED. DURING THE PARKING; THERE WAS A JETWAY DRIVER AND CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR ON THE JETWAY AND AT NO TIME DID EITHER INDICATE ANYTHING WAS OUT OF THE UNUSUAL. AFTER SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE; I LOOKED L AND NOTED THAT THE JETWAY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY FARTHER AFT THAN USUAL. LOOKING R; I NOTED THAT W WERE FAR FORWARD OF AN AIRBUS PARKED AT THE NEXT GATE. EVENTUALLY A GUIDE MAN HOOKED UP TO THE INTERCOM AND STATED THAT WE WRE TOO FAR FORWARD AND HAD TO BE PUSHED BACK. THE OUTBOUND CREW ARRIVED AND THE OUTBOUND CAPT INDICATED WITH HIS HANDS THAT WE WERE LESS THAN A FT FROM CONTACTING THE JETWAY WITH THE ACFT/ENG. AFTER REPOSITIONING AND SHUTTING DOWN THE ACFT; I SPOKE WITH THE OUTBOUND CAPT; WHO STATED THAT WE HAD COME WITHIN 6 INCHES OF HITTING THE JETWAY. I SPOKE WITH THE CUSTOMER SVC SUPVR WHO WITNESSED THE EVENT AND HE STATED THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND SUCH INCIDENT THAT HE HAD SEEN. I CALLED THE DUTY MGR AND STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT THE GUIDE MAN INVOLVED BE IMMEDIATELY DECERTIFIED. I INFORMED HIM THAT I WOULD SUBMIT A RPT. AS THE GATE WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN AIRBUS AT IT; SAYING THAT THE PERSON(S) INVOLVED THOUGHT THAT WE WERE A B757 WON'T WASH. GIVEN THE ADVENT OF WINTER WX AND MARGINAL RAMP CONDITIONS; IT IS OBVIOUS THAT ORD NEEDS TO IMMEDIATELY ADDRESS THIS PROB AND GET SOME RETRAINING ACCOMPLISHED AND ENSURE GUIDE PERSONS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF ACFT IS ARRIVING AT THE GATE.