Travel

Budget carrier JetBlue shakes up business class with Mint seating on transatlantic flights this summer

US budget airline JetBlue will launch new business class Mint seating on transatlantic flights this year, travel restrictions permitting.

Designed in partnership with London’s Acumen Design Associates, its new premium ‘private suites’ will launch on the carrier’s highly anticipated London flights this summer, at prices that promise to be competitive.

Transatlantic flights operated on an Airbus A321 will feature 24 private suites, complete with sliding door and custom-designed seat cushions by mattress company Tuft & Needle. The idea is to offer an elevated flying experience for a fraction of what other airlines charge for premium seats, says the carrier.

A 16-seat layout will also be used on a limited number of flights between New York and Los Angeles.

Transatlantic flights operated on an Airbus A321 will feature 24 private suites, complete with sliding door and seat cushions by mattress company Tuft & Needle…

The new transatlantic Mint will offer a tilting 17-inch Thales AVANT seatback screen, wireless charging, integrated mobile phone ledge and easy-to-reach in-seat power, as well as laptop, shoe and handbag stowage.

JetBlue is the first carrier to outfit its aircraft with Thompson Aero Seating’s VantageSOLO seat, a single aisle seating solution with a herringbone configuration developed and designed specifically for narrow-body aircraft.

This latest version of Mint sports a residential design, with flannel-covered privacy dividers, lampshades, woodgrain table patterns and vegan leather-covered seats and headrests. There’s even mood lighting to enhance the inflight experience.

Mint was first launched in 2014. “Mint was an idea to make premium travel across the US less stuffy and more affordable, and its performance has exceeded even our most optimistic expectations of going beyond New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco,” says JetBle COO Joanna Geraghty. It’s used on more than 30 routes across America. 

Prices have yet to be confirmed.

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