Hello from Los Angeles! I just flew JetBlue’s Mint business class nonstop from Miami. I wanted to report back with my initial impressions, and then I’ll have a full trip report soon. For what it’s worth, I booked my ticket with cash, for $619 — that’s quite good value!
Nowadays JetBlue gets the most attention for its new business class product, known as the Mint Suite (and then the Mint Studio is the premium first row product). How is JetBlue’s “classic” Mint cabin holding up, given that this is what you’ll find on most Airbus A321s? Well, based on my flight, very well. When JetBlue can operate its schedule on-time, the product is unbeatable…
In this post:
JetBlue’s Mint cabin & seats are impressive
It’s pretty wild to think that JetBlue Mint was introduced nearly a decade ago, and the product still compares very favorably to what you’ll otherwise find out there. JetBlue’s Mint cabin consisting of 16 seats. This includes a staggered configuration, with three rows having seats in a 2-2 configuration, and two rows having seats in a 1-1 configuration.
The “throne” seats are definitely the best in this configuration, as you don’t have a seatmate, and have a ton of space on each side of the seat.
While I don’t want to suggest that this is life changing, it is cool how JetBlue has doors at its throne seats. JetBlue was the first US airline to introduce doors at seats, so that’s quite remarkable.
Even if you don’t get one of the four suites, the standard business class seats are very comfortable as well, and are ideal if you’re traveling with someone.
The cabin felt quite fresh as well. The only thing that has changed about the product in 10 years is that the seats have been reupholstered, and I definitely noticed that the padding has improved considerably.
Complementing the great seats is very nice bedding from Tuft & Needle, including a thick pillow and a cozy blanket.
There’s also an amenity kit (more of a cardboard pouch than anything) that has all the essentials, plus some unique items, like an electrolyte drink mix.
Here’s something else you won’t find on any other airline in the United States — only 10 of the 16 Mint seats were occupied. JetBlue doesn’t offer complimentary elite upgrades (though Mosaic members can earn some Mint upgrade voucher), and also (oddly) doesn’t do much to monetize paid upgrades. Does anyone know if JetBlue employees can non-rev in Mint? It’s just so strange to see empty premium seats in the United States…
JetBlue Mint has tasty food & friendly service
JetBlue manages to do what seemingly no other US airline can accomplish, by serving restaurant-quality food on domestic flights. It’s not necessarily that JetBlue’s meal service is that elaborate or extensive, but rather it’s just a simple concept and very good execution.
I was on a breakfast flight, so the service started with drinks and a croissant (which was the best airplane croissant I’ve had on a US airline). JetBlue ordinarily has cappuccinos and lattes (both hot and cold), but the frother was broken on this flight, so I sort of had a modified iced latte, which was tasty, and much better than your typical airplane coffee.
JetBlue then has five different dishes on the menu, and you can select three of them. On this flight, I selected the greek yogurt with strawberries and walnuts, the frittata with with potatoes, red peppers, and parmesan, and the “avocado toast,” which was really guacamole with some crostinis, tomatoes, and feta.
All three dishes were very good, and it was probably the best airplane breakfast I’ve had on a domestic US flight. I appreciate the carrier’s attention to detail when it comes to service, as coffee is even served on a nice platter, and you can have milk served on the side.
The only downgrade I noticed to the service compared to past flights is that there was no pre-landing gift. Back in the day, each Mint passenger was offered a treat from Milk Bar, featuring a signature cookie in a gift box. On this flight, the snack options were simply the standard packaged snacks from economy, or some chocolate covered cashews.
As I’ve always found to be the case in JetBlue Mint, service was friendly and attentive, with the two Mint flight attendants frequently passing through the cabin. It’s my understanding that crew members have to specifically bid to work in Mint and undergo training, and it continues to be something that they take pride in. I don’t know why other US airlines can’t do the same.
JetBlue entertainment & Wi-Fi are great(ish)
While this was admittedly more cutting edge a decade ago, JetBlue Mint offers varied entertainment. The seat back selection includes DIRECTV, SiriusXM, a library of movies and TV shows, and a map feature. The screen isn’t as high definition as some of the more modern premium products out there, but is still plenty good.
JetBlue also offers free Wi-Fi to all passengers, powered by Viasat. There’s not even a need to be a loyalty program member, and you can log-in with one click on as many devices as you’d like.
Of course JetBlue deserves a ton of credit for offering free Wi-Fi. However, as someone who values the ability to stay productive when flying, it’s worth acknowledging that this definitely impacts speeds. There’s only so much bandwidth shared between all passengers, so your user experience is going to be different depending on whether 10 people are using the system or 100 people are using the system.
On balance, though, you can’t beat the variety of entertainment options you have on JetBlue.
Bottom line
I hadn’t flown the “classic” JetBlue Mint in many years, and found it to be basically as good as the first time that I flew it. Admittedly a breakfast flight never really gives you the most exciting food & beverage experience, but this was still great.
JetBlue Mint seats are very comfortable, the entertainment is extensive, Wi-Fi is free, there are good amenities, and the food, drinks, and service, are the best you’ll find in the United States. When you consider what I paid for my ticket (which is less than American was charging for its standard domestic first class in the same market), I’d say this is an awesome way to cross the country.
I just wish JetBlue Mint were available on more routes. Living in Miami, it’s only available on flights to Los Angeles.
What’s your take on the classic JetBlue Mint business class product?
@Ben You did great finding a Mint ticket for $619. I fly JFK-LAX, and have never seen a price that low. Three big problems with JetBlue:
1. No Lounge - At JFK, I get access to the Greenwich Lounge which is comfortable to spend an hour and much nicer than sitting in T5. I can also take a shower when I land and grab something to drink.
2. I do not trust B6...
@Ben You did great finding a Mint ticket for $619. I fly JFK-LAX, and have never seen a price that low. Three big problems with JetBlue:
1. No Lounge - At JFK, I get access to the Greenwich Lounge which is comfortable to spend an hour and much nicer than sitting in T5. I can also take a shower when I land and grab something to drink.
2. I do not trust B6 to fly me on time. American has a much more reliable operation.
3. For the JFK-LAX route, JetBlue pricing isn't any cheaper than AA's. For a non-legacy airline, they are not differentiating on price.
I don't find the 2x2 in older Mint planes to be much different than J on AA's A321T.
“American has a much more reliable operation.”
This made me belly laugh. I’ve had more AA flights delayed and canceled than any other airline I’ve flown. It got to the point where I refuse to ever fly them again.
JetBlue non-revs in Mint are some of the most ill-behaved I've ever experienced. I wouldn't fly it again if I knew it was a non-rev heavy route.
You can also fly FLL-SFO in mint which I'm sure you're aware of.
...and usually are the most expensive (rightfully) vs AA and UA (both from FLL and MIA) for the premium cabin on this route.
Yes on @John.
I have stopped my clicks due to self richness.
Ben, why did you not take coach class for this flight? I think that you are paying 400 or 500 more for first class?
Also, why not re-name this Blog to ONE LUXURY MILE AT A TIME,
As your writing does not speak to me the way you travel, I cannot afford to fly Emirates First Class, or whatever carrier you choose or stay at the Four Seasons for 1,000 on up per night,...
Ben, why did you not take coach class for this flight? I think that you are paying 400 or 500 more for first class?
Also, why not re-name this Blog to ONE LUXURY MILE AT A TIME,
As your writing does not speak to me the way you travel, I cannot afford to fly Emirates First Class, or whatever carrier you choose or stay at the Four Seasons for 1,000 on up per night, why don't you write more for the common man or woman, instead of the 1 %? I do not think that the majority of your readers can afford all of these luxuries, perhaps more readers are like me.
Thank you. I doubt if you Ben will answer me.
This blog isn’t for you. All the pertinent info that you need can be found at www.spirit.com
Haha that was my thought too, you do the name Ryan proud. :)
I think the strategy is to show what is available with credit cards points and airline miles. After all, Ben makes a living by advertising for these programs. No one is excited to redeem points for a basic seat. That is, the point of this blog is “inspirational” travel i.e luxury.
Also, Ben probably has so many points and miles that I doubt he pays much of the travel you see with cash.
@John
I am more like you than Ben --I can't afford most of the luxuries reviewed in this blog. That's why it's most important to me to get detailed reviews about top-of-line hotels and airlines so I can pick the ones that are truly worth it.
Actually we read this blog for luxury options. Take your peasant self elsewhere - plenty of gen pop options to read for your kind.
@John, That's the point of the blog -- aspirational travel. Some use their points and miles for it and some pay cash. If you're not interested, definitely find another blog.
I anecdotally know a JetBlue employee who with a friend nonrevs in Mint (including to/from Europe), but their HQ being in NYC, there’s probably much less likelihood of their employees being on MIA-LAX
So you book a first class seat and pray that one of the 4 solo seats remain available ?
The amenity gift in mint was sparser than any other airline business class, e.g. no hand lotion, there was no hand lotion in mint toilet. I am 5’2” and couldn’t reach the screen with my seat belt on. We were flying to Paris and I wanted to watch a movie in French with English subtitles. I had a hard time finding one and finally found an older American movie, dubbed in French with English subtitles....
The amenity gift in mint was sparser than any other airline business class, e.g. no hand lotion, there was no hand lotion in mint toilet. I am 5’2” and couldn’t reach the screen with my seat belt on. We were flying to Paris and I wanted to watch a movie in French with English subtitles. I had a hard time finding one and finally found an older American movie, dubbed in French with English subtitles. The wifi was inconsistent, the lie flat cell phone charger wasn’t working. I had been looking forward to this Mint flight but was disappointed.
Susan,
Are you sure your name isn't actually "Karen"? (jk) :) Those gripes you mention are really really minor and I'm sorry to hear that they left you disappointed in Mint.
As Morgan mentioned, those are extraordinarily unique issues, putting you far and away in the minority. Outrageous complaints there.
Sorry you're short, Susan.
As an NYC based flyer, I really wanna like mint. But one of the dealbreakers is no lounge access. This hurts especially when compared to AA where, if I’m flying transcon J, I get soho lounge access. If B6 ever opens lounges, I’ll 1000% switch to them for transcons and even tatls to LHR
Yes, fully agree. Weren't they hiring a lounge position last year?
@ Lucky, do you know what happened with that?
So you trade an enjoyable experience flying for a few minutes in a lounge. Interesting.
I spend an hour in the Greenwich Lounge getting some food and using a clean bathroom. It is a much nicer place to avoid the craziness of T5. If you are driving in traffic to JFK, you are not going to arrive to the airport a few minutes before the flight. When you land, you can also grab a shower if you need or a snack before heading out of the airport.
The flying...
I spend an hour in the Greenwich Lounge getting some food and using a clean bathroom. It is a much nicer place to avoid the craziness of T5. If you are driving in traffic to JFK, you are not going to arrive to the airport a few minutes before the flight. When you land, you can also grab a shower if you need or a snack before heading out of the airport.
The flying product isn't that much different between AA and B6. Both have lay flat seats, large screens, meal and drink services,...
I thought transcon J would only get you Greenwich (the previous FSL location) access while Soho is for EMDs travelling int'l, unless the policy changed lately.
Transcontinental F gets you Soho, no?
"When JetBlue can operate its schedule on-time"
LOL
This is why I've never tried JetBlue and am unlikely to do so. I'm sure it's just as good as everyone says, but getting the plane in the air kind of sort of often on time are table stakes for most of my trips. Maybe when I'm retired and widowed and have nothing better to do with my time?
Their performance is a hot mess.
Also... baggage handling. I flew SFO-BOS non-stop, arrived at the airport 90 minutes early and they didn't get my bag on the plane. I mean, where did the lose it for 90 minutes? They did get the case of wine that I checked at the same time on the plane though, so I was all set.
I loved the trip in the throne seat but it was a...
Their performance is a hot mess.
Also... baggage handling. I flew SFO-BOS non-stop, arrived at the airport 90 minutes early and they didn't get my bag on the plane. I mean, where did the lose it for 90 minutes? They did get the case of wine that I checked at the same time on the plane though, so I was all set.
I loved the trip in the throne seat but it was a PITA to get my bag before heading to Martha's Vineyard the next morning.
So, I too, want to love jetblue, but can't.
+1.
I've had several instances where jetBlue had the best schedule and a competitive fare on routes I've needed, but because those domestic US flights often correspond with positioning from secondary US cities to LAX/SFO for an international flight on another ticket to/from Australia, I've never dared.
With no meaningful signs of improvement, I continue to avoid them, which is a shame.
JetBlue employees can non-rev in Mint. There used to be a $75 fee which was removed ~2018 or so.
Yes, Jetblue crewmembers and buddy pass riders can occupy a Mint seat.