JetBlue Asks Passengers For Help Trying Out New Terminal

It won't be the most thrilling airline trip out there... but at least the price is right. JetBlue Airways says it will offer 1,000 of its frequent flyers the chance to try out the airline's new terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, free of charge.

As Reuters puts it, the opportunity will present "all the hassle of air travel without going anywhere." But that's precisely the point.

JetBlue has asked 1,000 of its frequent flyers to show up at JFK August 23, and go through the typical check-in process. The "passengers" will be given bags by the airline to check; they'll then have to go through security, and make it to their assigned gates for their make-believe trips.

The airline is taking the unusual step of vetting its new flagship terminal, to test baggage systems and staffing levels... procedures that apparently weren't tested earlier this year, before British Airways opened its new Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport. Closer to home, American Airlines had to cancel dozens of flights from JFK just last week, after a baggage system malfunction snagged operations for hours.

JetBlue -- no stranger to catastrophic systems breakdowns itself -- hopes to avoid the kind of crises that plagued BA's operations at Heathrow for weeks.

For their trouble, JetBlue has promised unspecified prizes and "giveaways" for participants in the test program. Those passengers will also receive lunch on the airline, and they won't have to pay for parking.

FMI: www.jetblue.com