Want all the hassle of air travel without going anywhere?

Step up for JetBlue Airways Corp's trial of bag check and security systems at its new John F Kennedy International Airport terminal, which is set to open in September.

New York-based JetBlue is looking for 1,000 of its frequent flyers to show up at JFK on 23 August to check bags given to them by the airline, go through security and wait at the assigned gate for their imaginary 'flight'.

In return, the airline is promising unspecified giveaways, free parking and lunch.

The US No 7 carrier is taking no chances with the systems at its new Terminal 5 following the chaotic opening of British Airways' Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport in March, as baggage systems failed and staff did not know their way around the new building.

Only last week, AMR Corp's American Airlines had to cancel flights from JFK after its baggage system software malfunctioned at a different terminal.


JetBlue, which is partly owned by Germany's Lufthansa, is no stranger to snafus at JFK, having cancelled hundreds of flights and stranding thousands of passengers last year after an ice-storm hit New York.