NEW YORK, NY, August 26, 2008. When Jet Blue debuts its new $743 million terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport on October 1, it’s hoping to reinvent the notion of traveling in a post-9/11 world. At a time when most Americans abhor having to take a trip to the airport, Jet Blue is looking to eliminate the myriad hassles passengers must face before boarding the aircraft.

Terminal 5, as it’s called, is the first airline terminal to be designed and built since the terrorist attacks in 2001. And its designers had the benefit of examining the problems of current airport terminals that had to shoehorn a slew of security measures into suddenly antiquated pieces of infrastructure.

With just five weeks until it opens and nearly everything in place, aside from the completion of restaurant and retail outlets, Jet Blue officials this past weekend called upon nearly 1,000 frequent travelers and their friends and family to put the new terminal to test. The mock experiment was meant to mimic how the terminal will operate once passengers start departing from Terminal 5 come October.

“We are pressure-testing this new facility to make sure there is a much improved ground experience once we open,” said Jet Blue’s CEO Dave Barger.

It’s critical they get it right, too. People these days are frustrated by the incredible amount of time it takes to get through most existing airline terminals. And many folks are opting to simply stay home rather than deal with increasing airfares, the need to arrive at an airport two hours before a scheduled flight and interminable lines once they get there.

The 635,000 square foot facility will be put to the test immediately, as it’s expected to handle 30 percent of all travelers coming through JFK. That’s about 20 million people a year that need to be processed before heading to one of the 26 gates of luggage claim area. Incredibly, when Jet Blue had its first flight back in 2000, JFK handled about 31 million passengers per year. This year Barger said the airport will handle 48 million passengers total, and its share of passengers is equivalent to entire load handled by LaGuardia, New York’s other airport.

When opened, the terminal will boast an amazing 20 security check points. That’s more than anywhere in the country. Lines will be broken down into three groups: One for expert travelers, another for casual travelers and a third for families. That’s a good step to meeting the needs of its bread and butter frequent travelers. This 340 foot wide area (the size of a football field!) also features soft rubber flooring to keep those bare feet comfortable, and a 225 foot long bench for passengers needing to get their stuff together after passing through security and before heading to one of 26 departure gates.

There will also be 40 ticket counters, an additional 65 check-in kiosks, and two sky cap areas with a total of six curbside check-in counters. Baggage will move swiftly from baggage drop through screening and sorting that can handle 4,000 bags an hour and onto planes. Baggage claim features six belts with 180 feet of space to grab your stuff and go. While waiting for a flight, passengers will shop in 25 retail outlets and 22 restaurants.

Guests participating in the mock test had a chance to adopt a persona and given instructions to check into a specific flight. They checked luggage (souvenir Jet Blue gym bags), moved through security and then headed to the gate for their flights to be called. After “boarding” they went to baggage claim and got their bags.

According to participants the test seemed to go pretty smoothly, and many were simply excited to see the new terminal before it makes its grand debut. Many reported being excited in the upgrade from the old Jet Blue terminal which is about a third of the size and usually gets long lines at its security gates; it’s also not nearly as spacious and plush as the new terminal.

Terminal 5 features plenty of natural light and extremely wide concourses. But don’t expect to be wowed by over-the-top architecture. The designers seemed to have gone more with function than form, creating a very practical experience, but not one that’s high on “wow factor”. That’s OK, since it looks like it will score high marks on elements that are truly relevant to the travel experience.

For example, there are lots of flat panel televisions at all the gates to watch the news before boarding. A display at each gate gives valuable information in clear legible type such as flight duration and weather reports in the arrival city.

Another neat item is a touch-screen food ordering system at the gates. Passengers can select items from nearby food outlets and it’ll be delivered right to their departure gate. Finally, people on the test panel at gates 14 and 16 couldn’t get enough of the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked right out onto a landing runway. Every minute or so another large jet touched down, injecting the passengers with a sense of excitement.

Taken together, it looks as if all these elements should work quite nicely in returning the ground experience to something more akin to the early days of air travel. To paraphrase their recent ad campaign, jetting shouldn’t mean suffering on the ground.