Jump seat



A jump seat or jumpseat is an auxiliary seat in an automobile or aircraft, typically folding or spring-loaded to collapse out of the way when not used. The term originated in the United States c. 1860 for a movable carriage seat.

History
Jump seats originated in horse-drawn carriages and were carried over to various forms of motorcar. A historic use still found today is in limousines, along with delivery vans (either as an auxiliary seat or an adaptation of the driver's seat to improve ease of ingress and egress for their many deliveries) and various forms of extended cab pickup trucks (to permit a ready trade-off - and transition - between seating and storage space behind the front seat).

In aviation
Jump seats are found both in the utility areas of the passenger cabin for flight attendant use (required during takeoff and landing) and in the cockpit — officially termed auxiliary crew stations — for individuals not involved in operating the aircraft. "Flight deck" uses may include trainee pilots, off-duty crew members in transition to or deadheading at another airport, official observers (such as Federal Aviation Administration personnel or airline staff). Airline personnel merely in transit may be assigned auxiliary jump seats in the cabin, or designated empty row seating.

Cabin crew jump seats are normally located near emergency exits so that flight attendants can quickly open exit doors in an emergency and aid in evacuation.

Security requirements for both flight deck and cabin jump seat use have been tightened significantly since September 11, 2001.