Walk down the aisle of a recently retrofitted JetBlue Airbus A320 and the cabin looks familiar, with its blue accents and tightly packed economy rows. The front of the plane is changing, though. JetBlue has unveiled BlueFirst, a new domestic first-class product that gives the carrier a premium cabin for flights within the United States, and Points Guy got an early look ahead of its launch ([1]). ([1])
A debut that starts in Boston
JetBlue’s first-class product will debut on December 8 on its service from Boston Logan International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The seats will not stay on a single route for long. The airline has 39 routes slated for the new cabin, and the seats will roll out across the fleet as JetBlue retrofits its planes ([1]).
The new seats will occupy the first few rows on most of JetBlue’s aircraft. Over time, every JetBlue plane will have a first-class section except for the jets already equipped with Mint, the airline’s lie-flat cabin. Mint, which arrived in 2014, remains the top seat on the carrier.
Where the seats sit on each aircraft
The number of rows depends on the aircraft type. Larger Airbus A321s will carry 16 first-class recliners across four rows at the front of the cabin, while the Airbus A220 and A320 jets will each seat 12 passengers across three rows. The configuration is more compact than a long-haul premium cabin, but it gives domestic flyers a clear step up from the main cabin.
Seating at a glance
- Airbus A321: 16 seats across four rows
- Airbus A220 and A320: 12 seats across three rows
- Seating arranged in a 2-by-2 layout, common for U.S. domestic first class
What it feels like in the seat
Much of the appeal is in the details that are hard to see at a glance. JetBlue equipped the BlueFirst seats with flex foam cushioning from Tuft and Needle, a mattress and bedding company. A special BlueFirst logo appears on each headrest, a small touch that sets the cabin apart from the rest of the plane.
The seats also come with cocktail trays, additional storage, and a large tray table that includes a holder for a personal device. The 13-inch seatback screens are the first in the JetBlue fleet to support Bluetooth, so passengers can connect wireless headphones such as Apple AirPods. Screens also introduce “Mixologist Mode,” which lets passengers build a custom cocktail from a base spirit and a selection of mixers.
Food, wine and a new menu of bento boxes
JetBlue will not offer hot meals on its domestic aircraft, because the planes lack ovens. In their place, the airline is serving bento box meals assembled with a range of flavors. Options include sesame beef noodles with crispy wontons and Szechuan dip, tortellini pasta salad, and a pastrami sandwich. The meals will be served chilled, which sets them apart from what travelers would find on a long-haul Mint flight. Even so, the spread the airline showed off looked more polished than a typical domestic snack service.
Beverage service is also getting an upgrade. BlueFirst will feature a new lineup of wines curated by Parcelle Wine, a New York-based wine business. Passengers will also receive fresh amenities, glassware, and coasters designed by a local artist.
Upgrades for Mosaic members, and the trade-offs
For frequent flyers, the most immediate benefit may be the upgrade policy. All Mosaic members will be eligible for complimentary, space-available upgrades into BlueFirst. Customers who hold JetBlue’s top-tier premium credit card can also join the upgrade queue. High-level Mosaic members may use their confirmable upgrade certificates on BlueFirst, though those certificates will still work for an upgrade to Mint.
The new cabin does come with compromises. To create room for the recliners, JetBlue’s long-celebrated economy legroom will shrink. The first-class section also has no physical divider from the main cabin, and the chilled meals will not satisfy every traveler looking for a warm dinner. Those trade-offs are worth weighing, but the cabin still marks a meaningful change for a carrier that began flying in 2000 with all-economy seating.
For travelers, the question is whether BlueFirst delivers a noticeably better domestic experience. Based on the seats, the food concept, and the upgrade rules, the answer appears to be yes, with a few caveats. Mosaic members and passengers on the early routes will be among the first to find out how the cabin performs once real flights begin.
