About six months ago, I wrote a post about how I think it makes sense for JetBlue to introduce a first class product on all of its flights, rather than just offering its Mint business class product in select premium markets.
Continue reading: JetBlue Should Offer First Class On All Flights: Now Is The Time
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Great point. Agreed that B6 should offer first class in more markets. Question is, if they offered first class on the A320, would they reduce the seat count in coach ? Or reduce legroom to compensate ?
@ Jason -- In my opinion JetBlue should take a page out of Delta's playbook and have really tight but nice cabins. People aren't willing to consistently pay extra for the extra 1-2" of legroom Delta offers. So I think the first class cabin could come from a combination of the two -- reducing seat pitch, and maybe slightly reducing seat count.
Now, the A320 is a tricky plane, since there could be an incentive to get the seat count to 150 seats, in order to eliminate a flight attendant. Whether that makes sense or not depends on the layout JetBlue considers.
If they’re were to add first class to, among other things, allow for a complete premium experience as in your Tampa to London hypothetical, then they absolutely need a lounge as well. At a bare minimum they should have one each in JFK and BOS where their transatlantic flights depart from. Doesn’t need to follow the legacy membership model of the big 3, just Mint and top tier frequent fliers and CC holders.
Agreed with the substance of your argument but disagree that B6 was “incredibly innovative” for not having first class when Southwest had been kicking around for decades
News about this and closing product gaps are rumored to be announced on Investor Day in May.
I am an NYC area Delta customer that JetBlue tried to lure away, so a few comments here
1) I think the first thing JetBlue should do is make sue it has good lounge experiences at its main airport terminals - they can do this faster than refitting their entire fleet. JFK Terminal 5 needs one. At LGA, maybe they can somehow get whatever space is left for their own lounge. I'm not sure what lounge options are available at FLL/BOS. But this is something that can quickly be done.
2) I do think First Class can help. But they should also emphasize how economy can also be better than the legacies, and market that. I don't know if enough people know that.
3) They should do more to make elites strive for higher status. For example, all Mosaics board at the same time, rather than top tier Mosaics first. They will have to retain their front line staff in terms of recognizing and servicing higher elite status tiers
I agree and I think JetBlue can be innovative with a distinguishing model from the legacies that enables them to price lower and offer a good product, such as
* Small first class cabins to ensure paid loads. Elites get something like a plus point system for upgrades, not unlimited upgrades (I guess this is not really innovative but going back to the sticker-era, but stickers can be based on likelihood to displace a paid fare instead of distance.)
* Add a few more rows of Even More Space (with slightly greater pitch) to the front, sell business class with a blocked middle seat and a nice meal. Similar to Europe, although you’d still very good legroom, and the cabin size can be flexed. With JetBlue running lots of leisure routes they may need the flex to make this work competitively. I know people don’t like the blocked middle model but if pitch is similar i think it’s just as comfortable except on red eyes
Completely agree. FWIW it's the only credible option for transcon, particularly SFO/LAX - BOS. Mint is much better than anything else on offer - or at least more consistent. EMS over C+ anytime. They already charge more for Mint and it's worth it.
I would seriously consider moving my domestic and transatlantic business to them if this happened. Alliance membership would be the obvious next step after that, but I'd shift even without that. In general JB is just so much better than the competition.
JetBlue should have a hub in LAS or anywhere in the West, we desperately need JetBlue to beat Delta.
This is a very logical post. The jetBlue brand also still has an upscale brand image to most casual travelers. They are stating to become more of a LLC brand with each year as they change to a more fee based model. Having MINT already established they could quickly scale the brand with introduction of more MINT and MINT-Lite routes.
This airline lives in its own little universe, just like the residents of its two main focus cities. I see no reason to give them advice, encouragement, or assistance. The sooner B6 goes bankrupt, the better.
When i told most people about how good JetBlue is (Mint or Core), people often asked: isn't B6 a budget airline? I think they started out on the wrong foot with mismatch between branding/marketing and actual product that they offer. It's sad how poor they perform operationally versus the nice inflight product that they have. I think first they need to decide on a direction and make cohesive messaging, than offering a new product.
First thing JetBlue needs to do is fix their operational reliability. I paid $20 more for economy on Delta from LAX-BOS (same timings) because I saw the JetBlue flight got delayed more. I almost booked JetBlue due to the free wifi (which Delta does not offer on LAX-BOS surprisingly).
I've taken exactly 1 flight on JetBlue and that got delayed by an hour to wait for deadheading crew so they could have crew at another base. Now I am flying JetBlue in March (and I paid slightly more for it than other airlines) because I value the free wifi/extra legroom and don't mind a delay but the biggest issue now is whenever I think about booking B6 I have to ask myself whether a delay is ok or if I need to try my best to not get delayed (i.e. book Delta and not B6)
as a 360/CK payor, having to be on DL/AA planes with riff raff is already bad enough. I could not handle being on a plane with anyone who flies JetBlue, even if I could be in a first class cabin or some sort. the terminal, gate, boarding, lounge, bathroom, etc. would all be in-tolerarable.
I don't like that idea, they'll start diluting their transcon routes with subpar domestic F.
That's what all the big 3 do, East to West Coast are up to 6 hours, it's gonna be a no from me.
The passengers that fly premium cabins want to get there reliably first and foremost - and JBLU does not deliver that at all.
It makes no sense to change JBLU's cabins until they fix their operational reliability and do it on a sustained basis.
And other carriers have more than 150 seats on A320s that have first class.
10 seats of incremental revenue, well revenue managed, justifies an additional flight attendant
One issue is that I’m assuming none of their Core configured aircraft have ovens? So a F meal service would have to be cold items only unless they put the money into reconfiguring all their galleys.
Great post. I agree, the time is now. B6 wasted so much time chasing acquisitions (first Virgin America and then Spirit) that they’ve let their core tenets languish. Operational reliability, route expansion, etc. They need to shake things up or they will continue their slide into irrelevance. They need to focus on improving the airline organically from within.
I’ve been flying them since the beginning, and they were a fantastic airline, and still shine in some regards (in-flight service, Mint). They could become great again.
That’s not a big deal. If they’re reconfiguring the cabin with new seats, a tweak of the galley is easy.
They can’t even have working Mint seats now, how will they be able to maintain mint on more flights. I was denied boarding due to malfunctioning seat. And the mint seat I was moved to the next flight was inoperable as well. ♂️
That - and no lounges and awful food results in a hard pass from me.
Funny how there are so many armchair CEOs for airlines online.
If it was this easy and this obvious, would JetBlue not have done this already?
I agree 100%. Issue is JetBlue’s new CEO is a female version of Jeff Smisek.
Other issue is logistics. No way B6 will add kitchens to A320s. Then again I still don’t understand why anyone eats food in domestic first class.
A lot of the operational reliability really hasn’t been their fault. For me this year I think they are 90%+ on time and only delay was weather related.
Like others, I think JetBlue needs to improve its operational reliability first and foremost. The only times I’ve considered JetBlue when given a choice is when I know I can afford a substantial delay.
Outsized premium traffic has indeed been the cash cow for legacy carries this past year. Question is - if it dries up over the next year or two, and it very well may, where does that leave the already struggling JBLU? Having just invested hundreds of millions into seats they cannot fill? I think they'll take a pass on that.
upgrades are still a part of the premium experience that legacy airlines get more revenue for and includes a global loyalty program they control - not the partnerships that AS and B6 have where they are at the whims of their partners - and premium lounges.
Granted, not all legacy airlines offer good value for longhaul travel - or domestic for that matter - but customers sign up because of the scope of those airlines and their loyalty programs.
And adding lounges adds yet another level of cost and revenue.
But if B6 is really serious about increasing revenue, they should go all-in on a premium travel experience and an FF program and lounges are much more complex and costly than a lot of low-hanging fruit including chasing market share in leisure markets by adding twice as many flights as their competitors which depresses fares.
plus, this is not the time for B6 to make its product any more costly unless it intends to give up its appeal of the NK merger
Reducing the cabin crew count to three on an A320 is simply ignorant. It’s called safety.
It didn't make that much sense pre-COVID. Since the travel recovery (2022-onwards) there's more demand for premium leisure and a move away from LCCs - all are very recent developments. You can't just go swap seats out of A320s and introduce a whole new class of service (in addition to training hundreds of FAs, securing food service, etc.) in a matter of months!
I agree with your comments. It is interesting seeing a reverse trend of LCC/ULCC moving towards more premium type services. Even Frontier is considering a business fare that includes seat selection and carry-on bag.
The question is from a business sense would first class work on all routes? Does JetBlue want to go the way of the complimentary upgrade to elite levels albeit other than for very high spend flyers (including credit card spend) free upgrades are becoming a thing of the past.
I like where this is going - A LCC with Business Class seating.
I don't want food on a plane, I don't need lounges at the airport (Except the clean restrooms!). I fly out of PHL and Independence Prime (When the chef is on point) has better food than the AA lounges and Centurion Lounge.
Give me on time operations with a Business Class SEAT and I will pay for that.
They do now, but once they start adding "First Class" onto their other planes, they'll think they can get away with offering it on transcons.
They already do operate A320s on medium haul routes w/o Mint today.
JetBlue offering FC fleetwide would most definitely be a recipe for disaster. The costs associated with reconfiguring the cabins and purchasing the necessary tools (dishes/glassware/trays/linens) are staggering. These items do not come cheap. Then you have an extensive Catering Budget and training costs of all employees which is time consumming and disruptive to the operation. First Class domestically in the US Marketplace is generally a Loss Leader......if people are not opening their wallets to PURCHASE the Product (upgrading FFs does not count) Why would anyone even consider doing it? First Class in the US is not FC from years ago and nowadays most customers expect MORE ,yet Pay less and it doesn't work that way. JetBlue going this route would be a recipe for disaster and if anyone thinks the Big Three would let it take place without responding is fooling themselves. JetBlue has hesitated even flying into the middle of the Country out of fear of being chased out of the market. I have over 40 years in the industry and the costs alone are a reason to not even contemplate it.
Sounds great, but B6 would need to get its house in order:
- Focus on operations; cancelation after cancelation just alienates the cliental
- Cash flow is soooo important right now; cull the loss leader airports
- Lounges (especially BOS, LAX & NYC) would cater to the Mint crowd with 1st Class at a later date
- Pray NK merger rejected on appeal; $400M is much less expensive than $3.8B
- Pray AA wins NEA appeal; remember, cash flow and airport slots are paramount
The airline that would benefit the most from some type of Business Class would be Southwest:
- much more leg room in first two rows
- block out middle seat like Euro Business Class or Big Seats like NK
- Guaranteed Seat Reservation (and none of this reserved seat BS like the back of the plane)
- 1st & 2nd cocktail rounds for free
- free WIFI per flight leg
Southwest can support this via its high frequency and vast coverage; this would be the next logical step!!
B6 doesn't get a revenue premium for the economy product because their operations are not good. If they improve their OTP, they can start charging more for their core product. If you can fly DL and B6 for the same price and schedule most people will choose DL because they'll get you there on time.
I'll add my voice to the chorus saying that operational reliability is the #1 thing B6 has to fix. If I'm traveling to visit friends or family, I'll fly JetBlue, but if it's a meeting or event I can't miss, I'll fly Delta.
I'd also like to see JetBlue try to leverage their premium markets more, as you said. I live near PBI, which is in a part of the state that is growing its population, can command a fare premium due to its wealthy catchment area of folks who don't always feel like connecting through Atlanta or Charlotte or driving to FLL/MIA, and which JetBlue can easily service with FLL-based crew. JetBlue has 25% of the traffic at this airport, but other than the seasonal flight to LAX, it basically offers the same flights to the NE that every other airline does. With some kind of premium seats on the new A220s, maybe we can get some more creative routes out of PBI.
Ben has mentioned this before, but JetBlue could also be more creative with its transatlantic flights. EDI is a good example, but it is a bit of a waste of the flexibility of flying A321s to use annoying mega hubs like CDG/LHR/AMS, especially without the connecting traffic in Europe. The XLR is going to open up more opportunities, but hopefully we get some routes to places like LYS and NCE instead of additional CDG frequencies.
"There’s another point to be made here — JetBlue currently offers the most legroom of any US airline in coach. I hate to say it, but JetBlue shouldn’t do that. The airline isn’t getting a revenue premium for it…"
Please don't make Y worse just to add J. My wife likes the B6 Y experience, it's more comfortable then legacy airline Y. Let B6 compete on product, not join the race to the bottom in Y.
1 flight attendant would be horrible service in first class. They usually have 2 for a premium product. While 2 are in the back for 100 customers. 1 flight attendant serving drinks and food to an entire first class is not well thought out.
Ben -:I agree 100%. The Premium Leisure market is currently the fastest growing segment in air travel.
JetBlue knows how to do this - and I think many customers don't opt for JetBlue and instead take one of the US3 which is generally a pathetic first class experience.
Absolutely. I just found a great fare on JetBlue for a trip to London in the fall. I was all ready to book it in Mint, but it just didn't make sense to me to fly a connecting flight DEN-JFK-LGW with DEN-JFK in economy when, for about $500 more (each), we could fly DEN-LHR on UA in Polaris. I'd fly to Gatwick to save $1000. I'd fly with a connection to save $1000. I'm not gonna do both, plus sit in coach for four hours, to save that money.
So have you checked out Spirit's Big Front Seat? Sounds like exactly what you're looking for (and I don't mean that sarcastically).
Agreed. And get lounges and distinguish themselves as a “boutique airline” kind of like Bangkok Airways. Smaller nicer planes, better food , cool lounges, better tech and more leg room in coach for less. We don’t need another low cost carrier and JB has a unique opportunity here. Or at least I think they do ♂️
JetBlue should go for it and implement domestic first. What do they have to lose?
No, the will put first class where it makes sense. The concept of legacy airlines having domestic first filled with FREE upgrades is not a good business.
And Jetblue needs to start having airport lounges or a partnership with another airline lounge
With the A220 on transcon routes like YVR-JFK and YVR-BOS, it's a real shame they don't offer first class seats for better red eye sleep.
Stating that JetBlue started with 150 seats is not accurate. When the airline first launched, the A320 had 162 seats. It went down to 150 for some time and as you stated is now back up to 162.