This is the new seat that JetBlue will fly to London

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

JetBlue has unveiled ‘Mint Suite,’ a new business class suite it will launch on its inaugural transatlantic flights later this year.

And, we have to say, it looks pretty impressive.

In 2019, JetBlue announced it would start flights to London. Whilst the timeline has slipped slightly, the airline is still hoping to launch during 2021 as planned, using brand new aircraft.

As part of the launch, JetBlue has redesigned its ‘Mint’ business class experience, which already has a cult following in the US.

JetBlue will use single-aisle A321LR aircraft for the route. It will be one of the first airlines to the aircraft on transatlantic flights. Aer Lingus has operated select routes to the US on its A321LRs since 2019 and is basing two more at a UK airport – probably Manchester.

Introducing JetBlue’s Mint Suite and Studio

Most lie-flat business class seats are optimised for wide body aircraft, which means that most existing seat designs would require significant modificaton.

JetBlue is the first airline to install the VantageSOLO seat by Thompson Aero, which has been designed specifically for narrow-body aircraft.

It will install 24 suites on its A321LRs to London in a 1-1 layout. Domestic US flights between LA and New York will have 16 seats.

Each seat features a fully closing door. Here is a walk through of the new Mint Suite cabin:

(Click here if you are reading this via email and cannot see the video.)

Mint Suite is not entirely dissimilar from the Upper Class seat you find on Virgin Atlantic’s 787s and A330s, albeit without the middle pairs. Each seat is angled towards the aisle in a ‘herringbone’ layout (click on any image to enlarge):

….. and features a foot rest inside a cubby hole, as is common these days.

Each seat has a 17″ screen that angles out from the seatback:

As well as wireless and conventional charging, Mint Suite features plenty of stowage options for your laptop, shoes and handbag.

In bed mode, the seat is allegedly the “largest lie-flat bed of any US carrier,” as measured by total surface area.

Two seats in the bulkhead row at the front of the aircraft benefit from an even larger footprint, and are called ‘Mint Studio’:

JetBlue A321LR Mint Studio bed bulkhead row 1A

….. which also feature a guest seat.

Every Mint Suite seat is layered with Tuft & Needle’s proprietary foam mattress and a breathable cover, which sounds promising.

You’ll also get a “convertible blanket” with a built-in foot pocket, as well as a memory foam pillow and a “snooze kit” with eye mask and ear plugs.

Some thoughts on the Mint Suite

Mint Suite looks like an excellent business class product for a narrow-body aircraft.

Nevertheless, it is a shame that seats aren’t facing the windows. It will make them feel less private and a (literal) pain in the neck for anyone who wants to enjoy the view.

The A321LR still looks a little cramped, despite the developments in the past few years to get the narrow-body experience on par with widebodies. It will be interesting to see how the experience is in real life – coronavirus arrived before we were able to try the Aer Lingus A321LR in the flesh.

JetBlue has promised to bring a premium experience to transatlantic for “unpremium” pricing. It will be interesting to see whether it can follow through on its ambition and provide a bit of competition for the two joint ventures that currently dominate the market. We could do with more competition following Norwegian’s withdrawal from long haul.

As JetBlue is not in an airline alliance, buying a cash ticket is likely to be your only chance to give it a spin. It is a partner with Emirates Skywards but you can only book Economy seats – a one-way ticket from the US East Coast to London will be 32,000 Emirates Skywards miles plus (low) taxes.

Fingers crossed we will be able to get a sneak peak before the launch …..

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Ben says:

2 Feb2 February 09:17

Looks good! Always enjoyed flying domestically in the US with them, always been cheap but much better service then European low cost carriers.
Gary says:

2 Feb2 February 09:26

Looks very nice. So with 24 Mint Suite’s on the A321LR London routes, how many standard economy seats will be in the back?
- Rob says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 09:47
  
  I was wondering that. It can’t be many.
  - marcw says:
    
    2 Feb2 February 10:53
    
    About 100 I guess. Maybe bit less.
Fenny says:

2 Feb2 February 09:49

I’d use this. I already have a JB account. Used them plenty in the US.
Froggitt says:

2 Feb2 February 10:12

Possibly missing a trick with no PE section. Isn’t that the biggest revenue earner these days?
- ChrisW says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 11:27
  
  That’s a good point. Maybe with such a big J cabin on a narrow-body aircraft there wasn’t enough space. You’d think deep decline 2-2 recliners like Norwegian premium would have been very popular.
Steve in Croydon says:

2 Feb2 February 10:42

Neither the article nor the video mention the actual length of the bed (not the pitch, the actual usable length of the bed). I don’t care about the square footage including the side shelf!
I’m 1.95m/6’5″ tall. It doesn’t look any longer than BA’s old Club World 6′ beds, which I can only use on Transatlantic non-sleeping day flights. Folding yourself into a Z shape with knees sticking out into the aisle just ain’t premium!!
- Rhys says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 10:54
  
  The press release didn’t say!
- Andrew says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 12:24
  
  Their regular lie flat beds for Mint domestics are 6’8″ in length. That might be a good sign.
  
  Does anyone truly “lie flat” though? It always makes me laugh when you see the marketing images of people on their backs, eyes closed, looking as if they’ve been tucked in by an undertaker all content and peaceful.
  
  My, mere 6’3″, normal sleeping style switches between face down and waking up with dead arms under the pillow to a legs and arms extended side sprinter.
  
  There is a really unflattering photo of me sound asleep on a transatlantic where I’ve managed to go face down legs hanging out, blanket on the floor and me hugging my arms under the bed. I look like I’m clinging onto a horse.
Steve in Croydon says:

2 Feb2 February 10:43

And who cares about a door?
- Oh! Matron! says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 11:08
  
  I’ve often thought this too. First thing I do when flying Virgin is grab a sleep suit and run to the bathroom before anyone else has had a chance to use it, then the second the seatbelt lights go out, off to bed I go. If people want to stare at the guy who’s drooling, so be it: I’m unconscious and don’t care.
  - Andrew says:
    
    2 Feb2 February 11:20
    
    But what about on a day flight?
    - mradey says:
      
      3 Feb3 February 07:52
      
      Easy – over refreshment in the clubhouse prior to boarding. Works every time. First to sleep, wake up with a coffee as we start the LAX descent just past Vegas.
John says:

2 Feb2 February 11:45

This looks great, but the orientation of the seat next to the window does bug me. Pretty much gave myself neck strain trying to look at some amazing views from a Virgin flight a couple of years ago (similar configuration un Upper Class). Much better entertainment than the IFE.

I mean, obviously I’ll take the other amenities over a decent window seat in economy, so I guess I’ll be able to cope…
James says:

2 Feb2 February 12:28

Jet blue does have an alliance-esque codeshare arrangement with Emirates though so it is not correct that the only way to try it out is going to be a cash ticket. MR points / Heathrow Rewards points into Emirates and a call to the airline to book Jet Blue flights would likely work.
- Rob says:
  
  2 Feb2 February 14:03
  
  Forgot that. You can only redeem in Economy though.
  
  32,000 Emirates miles one-way for Economy (East Coast to Gatwick). Taxes will be peanuts though so it still may make sense if you are points rich and cash poor.
  
  I learnt something new today though – until I just tested this I didn’t know you could book Emirates partner rewards online.