By Taylor Rains
JetBlue Debuts its Reimagined Premium Mint Suites for Transatlantic Flights
On Monday, JetBlue Airways debuted its re-imaged Mint business seats for transatlantic and transcontinental flights. Designed in partnership with Acument Design Associates, the Mint Suites will have a 24-seat configuration, focusing on privacy, comfort and an enhanced customer experience. Passengers can enjoy the new premium suites beginning this summer on JetBlue’s highly anticipated London routes and select flights from New York to Los Angeles. The airline will also offer a domestic configuration of the cabin with 16 seats.
JetBlue President and COO Joanna Geraghty said, “Mint was an idea to make premium travel across the U.S. 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. It’s remarkable how Mint’s thoughtful design has resonated with customers as we successfully grew it to more than 30 routes. We put our heart into this redesign of Mint and were inspired by our original vision of offering customers an exceptional experience at a lower fare – which is what JetBlue is all about.”
JetBlue revolutionized business travel with its Mint seats in 2014, allowing customers to enjoy a premium travel experience for an “unpremium” price. The success of Mint set a new standard in the airline industry, and JetBlue will keep it rolling with its Mint Suite – inspired by the private suites that are part of its original Mint section.
JetBlue’s new Mint suite will debut this year on flights to London and select New York to Los Angeles flights. (Photo: JetBlue)
The seats feature sliding doors, a tilting 17-inch Thales AVANT screen, wireless charging, a phone ledge for multitasking, conveniently located in-seat power, and storage for bags, shoes and laptops. Furthermore, customers will enjoy a custom-designed seat cushion made by Tuft and Needle.
Tuft and Needle, known for its “bed in a box,” also engineered the seat’s enhanced sleep experience. Each Mint Suite bed is layered with “T&N Adaptive foam and a breathable cover to create a cool and comfortable sleep experience unlike anything in the sky.”
JetBlue’s new Mint suite offers sliding doors for added in-seat privacy. (Photo: JetBlue)
The company also designed additional touches, like a convertible blanket with a foot pocket, a sleep kit with an eye mask and earplugs and a memory foam pillow.
JetBlue is particularly excited about the new Mint because it is the first airline to fit the Thompson Aero Seating VantageSOLO seat on an aircraft. The herringbone configured seat was created for narrow-body jets and further customized for JetBlue.
Up-close view of the Mint Studio. (Photo: JetBlue)
JetBlue’s Mint Studio is a brand new concept that will offer the most amount of space in a premium cabin on any U.S. airline. Each aircraft will be fitted with two studios located in the front row of Mint, each featuring a 22-inch Thales AVANT screen, a second side table, the largest’s flat-bed of any U.S. airline and a guest seat to be used by another Mint passenger while cruising.
JetBlue’s Mint Studio offers the most in-flight real estate and the largest bed for any premium U.S. airline seat. (Photo: JetBlue)
The carrier has also included unique “residential textures” and “custom-for-JetBlue” touches throughout the cabin to make customers feel like they’re at home in the sky. These include “flannel-covered privacy dividers, concrete lampshades, woodgrain table patterns and soft, vegan leather-covered seats and headrests.”
An overhead view of the JetBlue Mint Studio found in row one of the 24-seat cabin. (Photo: JetBlue)
Customers will also notice the signature Mint leaf on the suite door and custom mood-lighting. JetBlue claims that the entire reimagined Mint experience has been designed with the customer in mind, creating a comfortable, premium product for a fraction of the price of competitors.
Taylor Rains graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Aviation Management in 2017. She has worked in the aviation industry for the past five years and has a specialty in safety analytics for part 121 airlines, but she has also worked for a part 135 company in Alaska. Her experience has allowed her to work in many areas of aviation, including airport operations, flight operations, security, inflight, dispatch, and maintenance. Taylor is also an avid traveler and has used her flight benefits to fly on as many airlines and aircraft types as possible. So far, her favorite flight has been aboard KLM’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
