Ridiculous! There is no reason why a jumpseat can not be released to a company employee with a valid ID, wether managment or otherwise, by the captain of the flight. I remember as a licensed airman, being involved in a wide body evaluation for my company in the early seventies, where we had to obtain flight deck pass permits from the FAA to be able to observe the operation of various types in the USA. That was way before 9/11. It obviously didn't and doesn't prevent terrorism in the air.