The Background:
Since I enjoy reading trip reports/reviews, I figured I'd indulge my inner aspiring travel-writer by writing about a recent experience in JetBlue Mint business class. It's not one that's discussed very often in Aussie circles (at least not that I've seen), but definitely one worth considering! I tried to follow the Point Hacks format, so I think I covered most bases, but let me know if you have any questions! (or job offers)
Due to some vocational training I needed to take, I had originally planned to arrive in the USA on 9 October for a 10 October start. I had secured flights in Qatar Airways Q-Suites for myself and my wife via positioning to Adelaide (my hometown), then flying to Miami via Doha. I managed to get the seats during the sudden spate of Q-Suite availability in March, so I was resting on my laurels a bit. Then, to my horror, the provider of my training told me in mid-September that I would need to be in Miami for a 2 October start, with my earliest possible date to depart Australia being 1 October. I managed to find a Business Classic Reward from BNE-LAX on 1 October, which would see me land on the same date due to crossing the date line, but I couldn’t get this connected through to Miami – I would need to book a separate cash fare. I would also need to do my utmost to get some rest on the LAX-MIA red-eye before checking into my hotel, hurriedly freshening up, and sprinting straight into training on the morning of my landing – hardly an easy proposition on a trans-continental economy flight in the USA. I compared my options for direct red-eye flights on all the major carriers, both in economy and in business. My main factors were cost, timing (leaving enough room for some delay in LAX if necessary), avoiding the risk of any layovers, and the ability to get a decent night’s sleep. Given the value proposition of a lie-flat seat at a not-too-painful price increase, JetBlue Mint emerged as a clear winner.
Check-in, Lounge and Boarding:
I stepped into Terminal 5 at LAX having just landed from QF55 and cleared customs, and was quickly processed through the dedicated Mint check-in line. While JetBlue markets Mint as also having expedited security, I don’t think this arrangement was in place with the TSA on the night, as I found myself in the regular (and only) security queue.
With roughly three hours to spare, I would have looked forward to venturing into a lounge to gather myself and study. Unfortunately, however, this is not included as a part of the JetBlue Mint offering – there are currently no lounges accessible to Mint passengers, although this would be mitigated by accessing a non-airline lounge using the right credit card. Not being in possession of any said cards, I made the trek over to my gate lounge to pass the time with my iPad and a tarmac view.
The call for Mint passengers came early in the litany of boarding announcements and, before I knew it, I was saying G’Day to the bubbly cabin crew and being given a run-down on the particulars of my seat.
JetBlue A321 Mint Classic Seating:
On its “classic” A321s, the JetBlue Mint cabin alternates between 2-2 and 1-1 rows across five rows of seating. This leaves the even rows as “throne” style seats, which enjoy the extra privacy afforded by a closing door. While this represents an older version of the Mint product compared to the Suite/Studio seats on JetBlue’s newer A321 NEOs, this is the kind of seat that the likes of Casey Neistat were gushing about in 2017, so I figured I was still in for a great experience.
The seat offered a large bench up against the window that would make for a good workspace if I were so inclined. A grand total of three separate charging sockets (each configured with both a USB port and universal adaptor) allowed me to charge both my phone and iPad – little wonder this seat used to be so popular with travel-vloggers. There was an ample storage cubby by the side of the seat, plus plenty of room within the door itself for me to kick off my boots once in-flight.
The seat itself offered adjustable firmness and lumbar support, a massage function, and could convert into a fully lie-flat bed. The leg-room was expansive when seated. However, when converted to a bed, my feet would end up in the hollow space between the two passengers seated in front of me, making for a bit of a narrow compartment and a small constraint on my sleeping position.
Food and Beverage:
I was offered a drink upon reaching my seat and, despite JetBlue’s intriguing coughtail menu, opted for a water. Drinks were again offered upon reaching the cruise, and during and after the meal service. I decided to grab their signature “Mint Condition” coughtail as well as a glass of wine, just to make sure my sleep was guaranteed.
JetBlue’s meal service typically consists of a menu of small plates, from which Mint passengers can choose three out of five options. On this overnight flight, we were offered a fixed “shut-eye” menu, consisting of a salad, a soup, a panini, and a dessert.
The salad was a chopped salad featuring crispy prosciutto and a red wine vinaigrette, which was both crunchy and refreshing – two features I don’t often see in an airline salad! The soup was a rich chicken brodo with a lot of flavour, hearty but not heavy. The panini featured mozzarella and broccoli rabe, and I added some chilli oil that was also provided – while the bread was a bit on the dry/crunchy side, the panini still had a great flavour profile, and the brodo helped balance it out. This was followed by a serving of gelato with marmalata and crumbled shortbread, just enough to hit the spot for a sweet-tooth without spoiling sleep.
Service and Entertainment:
Hot towels were provided before takeoff and landing, something I welcomed on the tail end of such a long journey. The Tuft & Needle sleeping kit featured an especially plush pillow, and a convertible blanket that could be set up in a few different ways, although I settled for just throwing it over myself. The amenity kit was stocked with some interesting items such as Wanderfuel natural sleep gummies and Neuro gum in addition to the usual wipes, balms, moisturisers etc. Mint passengers are typically offered a snack to-go as a parting gift, but I missed out – probably because I slept soundly through to the start of our descent.
Entertainment is provided by a 15-inch touchscreen fitted to the seat in front. The screen is also served by a remote in the armrest, which I found to be a bit dated and clunky, but it could just be that I was tired. For audio, Mint customers are provided with Master & Dynamics MH40 noise-cancelling headphones. The noise-cancelling was effective, but I didn’t really take the time to get much of an appreciation of the audio quality, or of the quality of the screen display.
The JetBlue cabin crew were a real stand-out, taking the time pre-flight to familiarise passengers with the particulars of the Mint seats and enjoy some friendly banter. I even overheard a pair of newlyweds being enthusiastically congratulated – while this is the sort of thing you’d always hope for, I found it even more impressive considering the time of day.
Summing up:
I had pretty high expectations for my flight with JetBlue, having consumed quite a few glowing reviews when I was doing my research. These expectations were mostly met and, while I was flying on a more dated version of the Mint product, I was incredibly grateful to spend this part of my journey in a lie-flat bed, along with a great meal and a couple of well-placed hot towels.
JetBlue is not formally a part of any alliance, however it is a partner with American Airlines, and Mint seats can notionally be booked using AAdvantage miles.
While Mint comes without lounge access, it makes for a very compelling option, especially when the competition are mostly offering recliner seats at the same price-point. I believe it definitely merits consideration, especially for other travellers faced with the prospect of commitments on the day of their arrival on the East Coast.
Since I enjoy reading trip reports/reviews, I figured I'd indulge my inner aspiring travel-writer by writing about a recent experience in JetBlue Mint business class. It's not one that's discussed very often in Aussie circles (at least not that I've seen), but definitely one worth considering! I tried to follow the Point Hacks format, so I think I covered most bases, but let me know if you have any questions! (or job offers)
Due to some vocational training I needed to take, I had originally planned to arrive in the USA on 9 October for a 10 October start. I had secured flights in Qatar Airways Q-Suites for myself and my wife via positioning to Adelaide (my hometown), then flying to Miami via Doha. I managed to get the seats during the sudden spate of Q-Suite availability in March, so I was resting on my laurels a bit. Then, to my horror, the provider of my training told me in mid-September that I would need to be in Miami for a 2 October start, with my earliest possible date to depart Australia being 1 October. I managed to find a Business Classic Reward from BNE-LAX on 1 October, which would see me land on the same date due to crossing the date line, but I couldn’t get this connected through to Miami – I would need to book a separate cash fare. I would also need to do my utmost to get some rest on the LAX-MIA red-eye before checking into my hotel, hurriedly freshening up, and sprinting straight into training on the morning of my landing – hardly an easy proposition on a trans-continental economy flight in the USA. I compared my options for direct red-eye flights on all the major carriers, both in economy and in business. My main factors were cost, timing (leaving enough room for some delay in LAX if necessary), avoiding the risk of any layovers, and the ability to get a decent night’s sleep. Given the value proposition of a lie-flat seat at a not-too-painful price increase, JetBlue Mint emerged as a clear winner.
Check-in, Lounge and Boarding:
I stepped into Terminal 5 at LAX having just landed from QF55 and cleared customs, and was quickly processed through the dedicated Mint check-in line. While JetBlue markets Mint as also having expedited security, I don’t think this arrangement was in place with the TSA on the night, as I found myself in the regular (and only) security queue.
With roughly three hours to spare, I would have looked forward to venturing into a lounge to gather myself and study. Unfortunately, however, this is not included as a part of the JetBlue Mint offering – there are currently no lounges accessible to Mint passengers, although this would be mitigated by accessing a non-airline lounge using the right credit card. Not being in possession of any said cards, I made the trek over to my gate lounge to pass the time with my iPad and a tarmac view.
The call for Mint passengers came early in the litany of boarding announcements and, before I knew it, I was saying G’Day to the bubbly cabin crew and being given a run-down on the particulars of my seat.
JetBlue A321 Mint Classic Seating:
On its “classic” A321s, the JetBlue Mint cabin alternates between 2-2 and 1-1 rows across five rows of seating. This leaves the even rows as “throne” style seats, which enjoy the extra privacy afforded by a closing door. While this represents an older version of the Mint product compared to the Suite/Studio seats on JetBlue’s newer A321 NEOs, this is the kind of seat that the likes of Casey Neistat were gushing about in 2017, so I figured I was still in for a great experience.
The seat offered a large bench up against the window that would make for a good workspace if I were so inclined. A grand total of three separate charging sockets (each configured with both a USB port and universal adaptor) allowed me to charge both my phone and iPad – little wonder this seat used to be so popular with travel-vloggers. There was an ample storage cubby by the side of the seat, plus plenty of room within the door itself for me to kick off my boots once in-flight.
The seat itself offered adjustable firmness and lumbar support, a massage function, and could convert into a fully lie-flat bed. The leg-room was expansive when seated. However, when converted to a bed, my feet would end up in the hollow space between the two passengers seated in front of me, making for a bit of a narrow compartment and a small constraint on my sleeping position.
Food and Beverage:
I was offered a drink upon reaching my seat and, despite JetBlue’s intriguing coughtail menu, opted for a water. Drinks were again offered upon reaching the cruise, and during and after the meal service. I decided to grab their signature “Mint Condition” coughtail as well as a glass of wine, just to make sure my sleep was guaranteed.
JetBlue’s meal service typically consists of a menu of small plates, from which Mint passengers can choose three out of five options. On this overnight flight, we were offered a fixed “shut-eye” menu, consisting of a salad, a soup, a panini, and a dessert.
The salad was a chopped salad featuring crispy prosciutto and a red wine vinaigrette, which was both crunchy and refreshing – two features I don’t often see in an airline salad! The soup was a rich chicken brodo with a lot of flavour, hearty but not heavy. The panini featured mozzarella and broccoli rabe, and I added some chilli oil that was also provided – while the bread was a bit on the dry/crunchy side, the panini still had a great flavour profile, and the brodo helped balance it out. This was followed by a serving of gelato with marmalata and crumbled shortbread, just enough to hit the spot for a sweet-tooth without spoiling sleep.
Service and Entertainment:
Hot towels were provided before takeoff and landing, something I welcomed on the tail end of such a long journey. The Tuft & Needle sleeping kit featured an especially plush pillow, and a convertible blanket that could be set up in a few different ways, although I settled for just throwing it over myself. The amenity kit was stocked with some interesting items such as Wanderfuel natural sleep gummies and Neuro gum in addition to the usual wipes, balms, moisturisers etc. Mint passengers are typically offered a snack to-go as a parting gift, but I missed out – probably because I slept soundly through to the start of our descent.
Entertainment is provided by a 15-inch touchscreen fitted to the seat in front. The screen is also served by a remote in the armrest, which I found to be a bit dated and clunky, but it could just be that I was tired. For audio, Mint customers are provided with Master & Dynamics MH40 noise-cancelling headphones. The noise-cancelling was effective, but I didn’t really take the time to get much of an appreciation of the audio quality, or of the quality of the screen display.
The JetBlue cabin crew were a real stand-out, taking the time pre-flight to familiarise passengers with the particulars of the Mint seats and enjoy some friendly banter. I even overheard a pair of newlyweds being enthusiastically congratulated – while this is the sort of thing you’d always hope for, I found it even more impressive considering the time of day.
Summing up:
I had pretty high expectations for my flight with JetBlue, having consumed quite a few glowing reviews when I was doing my research. These expectations were mostly met and, while I was flying on a more dated version of the Mint product, I was incredibly grateful to spend this part of my journey in a lie-flat bed, along with a great meal and a couple of well-placed hot towels.
JetBlue is not formally a part of any alliance, however it is a partner with American Airlines, and Mint seats can notionally be booked using AAdvantage miles.
While Mint comes without lounge access, it makes for a very compelling option, especially when the competition are mostly offering recliner seats at the same price-point. I believe it definitely merits consideration, especially for other travellers faced with the prospect of commitments on the day of their arrival on the East Coast.
