JetBlue plans to add a new first-class cabin, with larger seats and more legroom, to its domestic flights in the coming years.
Specifically, the new first class will be retrofitted onto JetBlue’s Airbus planes that don’t currently include its top-tier Mint class, JetBlue’s version of business class, which is known for its spacious lie-flat seats and premium food service. The existing Mint seats are limited to a handful of routes, including transatlantic flights and select transcontinental flights, such as New York to Los Angeles. In a note to employees, JetBlue’s president, Marty St. George, said Mint “can’t be duplicated on shorter flights”—thus, this forthcoming first class is the work-around.
Dubbed “Junior Mint” or “Mini Mint,” the new seats will be similar to the front-of-the-plane seats offered by American, Alaska, Delta, and United on domestic flights, with a two-by-two configuration, offering more depth, width, and a deeper recline. On the airline’s A321neo, A321ceo, and A320 aircraft, there will be three rows of the new seats, while the A220 planes will have two rows. There’s no word yet on the exact seat dimensions nor information on how much they will cost to purchase, but the changes are expected to start rolling out in 2026.
Currently, JetBlue’s domestic flights’ most premium seating choice is the “Even More Space” seats, which have four or five additional inches of legroom, depending on the aircraft. However, once reconfigured with first class, the jets might offer less legroom for those seated in economy—the carrier is known for providing the most legroom in coach. Air travel and loyalty expert Ben Schlappig of the One Mile at a Time blog opined that the move is a smart one for JetBlue, even if it will mean putting a bit of a squeeze on economy seats.
“The demand for premium products is strong, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” wrote Schlappig, adding that “JetBlue operates in lots of premium markets while not offering a first class product; for example, there’s huge demand for this between New York and Florida, which is a big market for JetBlue.”
According to Schlappig’s recent post, here’s an example of what the new configurations would mean for the rest of the plane. The carrier’s Airbus A220s, for instance, currently has 140 economy seats. Once redone, it would feature 143 seats, including 8 first-class seats and 135 economy-class seats. To do that, JetBlue will need to reduce the pitch (the space between one point on an aircraft passenger seat to the same point on the seat in front of it) from 32 inches to 30 inches. JetBlue would not confirm this breakdown.
“Customer demand for premium options is stronger than ever,” JetBlue wrote in a statement shared with Afar. “Domestic first, paired with Mint, our updated EvenMore, and upcoming lounges, will ensure we have the premium options that leisure customers want from a brand they love.”
It’s the latest move in JetBlue’s playbook to change its financial fortunes (the carrier hasn’t posted a profit since before the pandemic but said its recent changes should add more than $800 million in pretax profit from 2025 through 2027) since its plans to merge with low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines were blocked by a federal judge in January who found that it violated the Clayton Antitrust Act, which prohibits mergers and acquisitions when “the effect of such acquisition may be substantially to lessen competition.”
This year, JetBlue also raised its baggage fees twice (including with the introduction of dynamic pricing), dropped some unprofitable routes (like New York to Milwaukee and Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale), and expanded service in Europe (such as new routes from Boston to Madrid and Edinburgh). The new first class, coupled with the opening of its first-ever lounges at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) in 2025, indicates that JetBlue is hoping to attract passengers who are willing to pay a bit more for an elevated travel experience.
Across the industry, carriers have been expanding the number of premium seats offered in recent years as customers’ desire for roomier seats has grown. In 2023, Emirates added premium economy seats for the first time, and earlier this month Frontier Airlines shared plans to add first-class-style seats to its aircraft. Similarly, airlines like United and Alaska have increased the number of premium economy, business, and first-class seats across their fleets.
