B737-700 STRIKES JETBRIDGE DURING POORLY MARSHALED GATE ARR.

Narrative

UPON INITIAL TAXI IN TO THE GATE IN LAX; WE OBSERVED THE MARSHALLERS AND WING WALKERS TAKE THEIR POS. AS WE WERE BEING MARSHALED IN TO THE GATE; WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SUPVR CAME OUT A NEARBY DOORWAY AND TOLD THE LEAD MARSHALLER TO TELL US TO STOP. WE STOPPED THE JET. THE JETWAY WAS THEN REPOSITIONED. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO CONTINUE. SO WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI IN. THEN WE WERE TOLD TO STOP AGAIN. WE STOPPED. THERE WAS SOME BAGGAGE CARTS THAT WERE IN QUESTION TO THE LEAD MARSHALLER; SO THEY WERE MOVED. NOW WE CONTINUED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE MARSHALLER KEPT MARSHALLING US FORWARD. AS WE APCHED THE JETWAY; WE SLOWED THE JET AND WAITED FOR THE MARSHALLER'S STOP COMMAND. THE MARSHALLER KEPT MARSHALLING US FORWARD. A CABIN CLEANER SUDDENLY RAN UP TO THE MARSHALLER AND TOLD HIM SOMETHING. THE MARSHALLER WAS CONFUSED AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON; AND AFTER A WHILE GAVE US THE STOP SIGNAL. WE HAD ALREADY STOPPED THE JET BECAUSE OF HIS CONFUSION. APPARENTLY THE MARSHALLER WAS TRYING TO PARK US ON THE B757 HOLD LINE INSTEAD OF THE B737-700 LINE; AND CONSEQUENTLY; THE #2 ENG MADE CONTACT WITH THE JETBRIDGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 692690: THE LEAD MARSHALLER FINALLY GAVE ME A STOP COMMAND; AFTER I HAD ALREADY STOPPED. HE DIDN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE EXCITEMENT WAS ABOUT. IT WAS CLR THAT HE HAD NO IDEA WHERE THE CORRECT PARKING LINE WAS FOR OUR B737-700. IT WAS ALSO OBVIOUS THAT HE WAS COMPLETELY FOCUSED ON THE NOSEWHEEL PLACEMENT WITHOUT CLRING THE AREA AROUND THE WHOLE ACFT. I COULD NOT SEE WHERE HE EVER LOOKED TO THE WING MARSHALLERS AS A BACK-UP TO HIS OWN COMMANDS.