JetBlueJetBlue shook things up in the transcontinental premium market today by announcing the introduction of Mint, their new premium class cabin on New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) routes. Mint will feature the longest lie-flat beds in domestic business class and four private suites among the 16 Mint seats.

In celebration of the launch, Mint fares are now on sale for $499 one way from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) for travel starting the first day Mint flights will be in service—June 15—and June 18, 2014, which is the end of JetBlue’s current schedule.

Flying Mint will get travelers a pre-departure drink, followed by a cocktail and amuse-bouche (described by Wikipedia as “a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre”) once airborne. As for the main course, JetBlue has partnered with the popular New York City-based restaurant Saxon + Parole to curate the onboard menu, which Mint travelers will be able to customize. According to the airline, travelers will get to choose among five “comfort food with a twist” offerings, served tapas-style, followed by dessert. Fresh cappuccino and espresso made from the first purposely built cappuccino machine for a U.S. airline will be available throughout the flight.

JetBlue will also be the only U.S. airline to offer customized men’s and women’s amenity kits from Birchbox, a global discovery retail company that offers consumers a personalized way to discover, learn about and purchase the best beauty and grooming products from prestigious brands. With an amenity kit designed specifically for JetBlue, loyal customers will receive products often as the kits will be changed several times throughout the year.

The Mint seat
Here’s the deal with the Mint seats:

  • Fully lie-flat beds up to 6′ 8″ (203cm), averaging the longest in the U.S. domestic business class market
  • The only private suites with closing doors in the American market, four on each flight
  • Seats up to 22.3″ wide, making them the widest seats on average in the U.S. domestic market
  • Air cushions with adjustable firmness
  • Massage function
  • 15-inch flat screen with up to 100 channels of DirecTV programming and 100+ channels of SiriusXM radio
  • Shoe storage
  • Dual 110 volt power outlets with two USB ports
  • “Wake me for service” indicator, allowing customers to customize their service needs

Here are some photos of the new seats from their launch event this summer:

JetBlue lie-flat 5

JetBlue lie-flat 4

JetBlue lie-flat 6

JetBlue lie-flat 3

JetBlue lie-flat 2

JetBlue lie-flat 1

There’s more for economy class, too
JetBlue’s brand new Airbus A321 aircraft will also feature an enhanced core (economy) product, including a new, more comfortable seat with larger 10.1″ personal screens offering up to 100 channels of DirecTV programming and 100+ channels of SiriusXM radio, in-seat power outlets accessible to all customers and a drink holder. And with the new, slimmer seat design, customers will still the most legroom in coach.

Also on its Airbus A321s, JetBlue has created a self-serve station full of snacks, sodas and water for customers to enjoy at their convenience throughout the flight.

The airline’s A321 fleet will also offer free superfast Fly-Fi for all customers, JetBlue’s revolutionary in-air Wi-Fi.

Schedule
JetBlue’s flight #223, departing New York’s JFK Airport to Los Angeles International (LAX) at 9:30am on June 15, 2014, will be JetBlue’s first flight featuring the Mint experience. By fourth quarter 2014, all seven daily flights between JFK and LAX will offer Mint, as well as the enhanced core experience.

The Mint experience will be introduced on flights between JFK and San Francisco in the fourth quarter of 2014, with all five JFK-SFO flights offering Mint by the end of first quarter 2015.

There will be a dedicated sub-fleet of 11 brand new Airbus A321s initially used for the two core transcontinental routes, each featuring 16 lie-flat seats, four of which are private suites, and 143 JetBlue standard/economy seats.

After the JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO routes, JetBlue says they may bring Mint to additional markets based on customer response and demand for more service.

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