Here's a concept: Civilized dining at the airport

— -- The company in charge of food service at JetBlue's new Terminal 5 at JFK airport in New York aims to deliver quality chow to the harried masses, but it also has a far loftier goal for the October opening and beyond.

"We want to bring humanity back to dining in an airport," says Rick Blatstein, CEO of OTG Management. "Our objective is to change the 'need to go to the airport early' mind-set to 'want to go to the airport early.' "

Travelers hardened by flight delays and security regulations probably will say, "Good luck with that." But user-friendly approaches such as table-service dining in the gate areas and a gourmet market selling more than 1,000 heart-healthy, green-leaning items "will be a new business model for the future," predicts Blatstein, whose company operates concessions at nine other major domestic airports. At Terminal 5, OTG owns and operates the spaces, which gives it more flexibility than if it were tied to contracts with national chains, he says.

The most innovative dining program appears to be "re:vive," consisting of 16-seat clusters in front of about half of the terminal's 26 gates. Each cluster has electric outlets for recharging laptops and cellphones and touch-screen monitors that display flight information and a food/beverage menu. Customers can order food, pay for it with a credit-card swipe and have it delivered, all without leaving the gate area. The screen will note the approximate delivery time (usually within 10 to 15 minutes, Blatstein says) and ask if it's acceptable. The small-plate options — sandwiches, meat and cheese plates, appetizers — arrive either on a plate with silverware or in a to-go container. Average check: $7 to $8.

OTG has spent more than $45 million to build the 22 food and beverage outlets, which are highlighted by a central 55,000-square-foot dining/shopping Marketplace. There also will be 25 retail spaces in the $743 million terminal, which is designed to accommodate up to 20 million passengers a year and will handle up to 250 flights a day.

In addition to three coffee bars and six bars/lounges, Terminal 5 also will feature several other key concepts:

•Nine full-service restaurants/bars/cafes. The company recruited a half-dozen chefs from notable New York eateries (including Del Posto, Rosa Mexicana and Buddakan) to consult on these spaces. The goal is to offer dining experiences that are "exclusive to Terminal 5 but that also reflect New York's culinary heritage," Blatstein says. "Instead of 'airport restaurants,' these will be restaurants that happen to be in airports."

The lineup of cuisines embraces American steakhouse, Italian, sushi, French, Spanish, Mexican and global fusion, along with pub and French bakery fare. Average checks will be $10 to $12 at the casual spots, up to $50 or more at upscale places. About 400 different wines will be offered in the terminal, including 200 options by the glass and 150 half-bottles, and nearly 50 beers.

•A "gourmet" food hall. This modern take on the traditional food court consists of eight quick-service eateries where most of the food is prepared in front of the customer "instead of being scooped out of a steam table and put into Styrofoam containers," Blatstein says. Customers build their meal ($7 to $10 average) from a touch-screen menu that draws from all eight eateries, and then they pay at a central cashier. Food options include Roma Pizza, Lucy's Asian Kitchen, Philly Cheesesteaks, Pommes Frites, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Boar's Head deli, Dunkin' Donuts and Fresco Italian Pasta.

•Gourmet markets. This collection of food retail spaces will offer more than 1,000 items including organic, vegan, kosher, all-natural, no-sugar and gluten-free products, some of which are sourced from the region. All items will be pre-packaged and on-board ready.

Blatstein predicts some of these approaches will evolve, depending on the changing needs of travelers, and the economy.

"OTG is built for lean times and prepared for good times."