JetBlue will add a first class cabin on its short-haul fleet. The Wall Street Journal confirmed the plans, with CEO Joanna Geraghty and President Marty St. George describing the 2-2 cabin layout as part of a cabin refresh starting in 2026.
When JetBlue launched Mint a decade ago it was a product that transformed the market. Mint 2.0 with the Vantage Solo seat and the Studio bulkhead offering brought about similar advances. It is very hard to say that of the short-haul premium cabin based on what we know so far. As with JetBlue’s prior announcement of rebranding the EvenMore cabin, the news here leaves more questions than it answers.
How large will the cabin be? The WSJ report implies 2-3 rows is likely. An internal memo to crew suggests two rows on the A220 fleet and three on the A320/A321.
How long will the conversion take? Realizing the full revenue value depends on being able to guarantee the seats will be in the market, which means hitting a critical mass of converted planes quickly. The new seats won’t start shipping until 2026, and the last fleet-wide interior retrofit for JetBlue was an operational mess, taking years longer than planned. Hopefully we won’t see a repeat of that experience with this smaller effort.
What amenities will be added, along with the larger seat? Free drinks seems a given, but will JetBlue revamp onboard experience to offer more substantive food? Will the galleys be retrofit with ovens for hot food? Maybe this is not necessary, but the carrier runs enough 2+ hour trips that if it wants to compete with the legacies it probably needs to do something here.
Will the new cabin come at the expense of regular economy or EvenMore rows? Again, no indication there, but it is hard to believe sacrificing premium seating would be part of the play. Or maybe it is, as Frontier is swapping its just recently announced UpFrontPlus “EuroBiz” offering for bigger seats starting next year. But if the goal really is keeping the total “premium mix” comparable to today, that likely means EvenMore rows get sacrificed for first.
Can JetBlue keep its more spacious economy class layout while accommodating the new first class cabin? Maybe, but for now the airline is only committed to maintaining pitch “at or above” competitor offerings, not keeping the existing levels. The airline is clear it does not want to reduce seat count on board as part of the move, which will be tough given the new layout loses one or two seats per row. And pitch will vary by row and aircraft as the interiors are adjusted. That’s at least slightly worrisome for folks who are flying in the back.
And, perhaps the biggest question of all: Can JetBlue continue to differentiate itself in a market where its offerings trend more and more towards the large airlines it is trying to chip away at? JetBlue is no longer the only US airline offering in-seat screens and free Wi-Fi on every flight. And its operational reliability continues to lag.
It is trimming its route map, refocusing on core markets, while also shifting its product offering to expand its market appeal. Oh, and it still has to figure out where to put its Mint planes in the winter, with Europe’s seasonality proving a tough go.
That’s a lot going on in a very busy industry. And we’re still more than a year out from seeing what the new product really delivers in the skies.
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