JetBlue set to debut its first premium cabin

JetBlue is about to make its biggest play yet in the chase for the highly coveted business flier.

The airline, whose brand is rooted in the premise that one class of cabin fits all, is preparing to launch its first premium section.

The new cabin, dubbed "Mint,'' will have its inaugural round-trip flight between New York's JFK and Los Angeles International Airport on June 15. The airline offered a preview of the more luxurious section earlier this week, highlighting its lie-flat seats, customized toiletry kits and tapas style meals.

The experience will be available in the first five rows of the airline's new A321 jets, and only on flights between New York and Los Angeles and New York and San Francisco, though airline officials have said that it may be offered on additional routes in the future.

By the fourth quarter of this year, all seven daily round-trip flights between New York's JFK and LAX will have the premium section. Meanwhile, Mint will debut on flights between New York and San Francisco on Oct. 26, with all five daily round trips between those cities featuring the premium rows by the end of March 2015.

With its new offering, JetBlue is making a major bid for those fliers who will pay more for a plusher flying experience or a last-minute ticket, particularly on flights between New York City and the West Coast. The carrier, renowned for providing a quality travel experience at a good price, was losing out on some of those fliers who preferred to make the cross-country trek in the first- and business-class cabins flown by Delta, United and American.

"About 18 months ago we started hearing from some of our most loyal customers that they still loved the JetBlue product and service that we offered, but they were increasingly looking away from us for trans-con flights,'' says Jamie Perry, JetBlue's director of product development. Those passengers wanted in-flight Wi-Fi, which the carrier is now offering, and "they were looking for a premium product for the trans-con experience.''

Jami Counter, senior director of SeatGuru, a website that offers information and reviews of airline seats, services and amenities, agrees that JetBlue was being left behind by its larger peers.

"With their all-economy product before, even as good as that was, they were challenged winning their fair share of corporate and business contracts because they didn't have a true premium-cabin experience,'' Counter says.

Still, JetBlue may be taking a risk by straying from its reputation for providing the same experience to all its fliers. The airline has traditionally been known for its single-class cabins, unlimited free snacks and a policy that allows passengers to check a first bag for free at a time when most carriers are reaping billions charging for checked luggage, food and other services.

"It's not like they changed their business model and are doing it across their network,'' Counter says. "But it could alienate the loyal JetBlue flier who now has to walk past (five) rows of a very premium experience.''

Perry says the airline is aware that Mint marks a change, but one not as drastic as some might believe. "It's certainly true that we've historically been a very egalitarian airline,'' he says. "We don't see this as a huge deviation from that. But we do see it as two distinct market groups. There is a group of customers who are prepared to pay slightly more for a slightly enhanced product, and that's what we've tried to create here."

JetBlue's answer to the premium cabins offered by its bigger competitors includes the longest, widest flatbed seats — up to 6 feet, 8 inches long and 22.3 inches wide — currently flying domestically and four "suites'' — single-seat pods with their own doors that enable travelers to shut out the world, or at least the other passengers on the plane.

Mint passengers can sample a signature drink before takeoff, and then have a cocktail and amuse-bouche once the jet is in the air. Then, during the flight, Mint passengers will have their pick of three out of five tapas style plates for their entrée.

While they dine, they can watch up to 100 channels of live TV on a 15-inch screen. And when the jet touches down, Mint passengers will take an amenity kit, customized by Birchbox, as a parting gift.

Mint may be JetBlue's most significant move toward offering a specialized experience to those willing to pay for it, but JetBlue has been slowly moving in that direction, offering some upgrades for a price. Its "even more space" seats, for instance, cost extra and give passengers more legroom along with the ability to board early.

JetBlue officials note that their premium section, at least initially, is still a bargain compared with first- or business-class cabins on most other carriers, with a starting, one-way fare, of $599. That's in comparison to the starting price tag of $2,000 for a first- or business-class one-way ticket on some other airlines.

Still, JetBlue fliers who can't or don't want to pay for a seat in the new premium section aren't being left behind.

"It's very important to remember that this isn't just about Mint,'' Perry says. "We've also taken a lot of effort to reinvent the core cabin.''

The coach sections on A321s used to ferry fliers on the airline's busiest routes, will be the first to feature new, bigger seats. There will be power outlets at every seat and up to 100 channels of live television. On the jets that feature Mint, the coach section will also have a snack bar up front where passengers can grab snacks and drinks throughout the flight.

"Mint is great,'' Perry says. "We think it's going to be a roaring success. But we're very conscious that we also have to make sure that we have a great product for our regular customers as well.''