JetBlue launches lounges in premium push

More than a decade after introducing Mint, its business class offering, and four years after expanding it to transatlantic markets, JetBlue is finally adding lounges to the experience. The carrier will add premium passenger facilities at its hubs in Boston and New York City (JFK) from late 2025.

Customers love the JetBlue experience, so we’re pulling through those thoughtful touches you find on board our flights into the lounge experience. – Marty St. George, JetBlue President

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JetBlue promises a premium experience for guests, including “mixologists” at the bar and barista-made coffee drinks. Food will also be on offer, with a variety of seating areas for individuals and groups of travelers.

While JetBlue’s inflight dining offering is one of the better offerings in the air, the option to have a proper dinner on the ground and sleep the whole way to Europe is compelling, especially given the shorter routes flown.

While not specified by the airline, the club sizes (8,000 sf in JFK, 11,000 sf in BOS) should offer capacity for ~125-175 passengers.

Limited(-ish) access

JetBlue says the lounges will remain an exclusive enclave for travelers, “avoiding the overcrowding and long lines at other airline lounges.” To that end access will be granted only to the top tier Mosaic 4 members, holders of a soon-to-be-announced-with-more-details premium credit card offering, or passengers traveling in the carrier’s Mint cabin on transatlantic routes. The airline also intends to sell an annual pass and single-entry access.

JetBlue’s 2024 transatlantic schedule topped out with 176 nightly premium seats from JFK and 112 at Boston. That market is unlikely to grow much over the next few years, as the carrier announced A321LR deferrals to the end of the decade. Investing in opening the clubs just for that would be a questionable move.

Excluding the shorter-haul Mint passengers will cut down on crowding, but also means the carrier’s transcon and other international offering still trails competitors who typically allow premium cabin passengers into their lounges. Granting Mosaic 4 members access on all flights, not just international puts the carrier ahead, though that’s a much smaller population for JetBlue than other airlines. Particularly at the very top tier where this benefit applies.

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Fitting into the new model

Since the collapse of its planned merger with Spirit Airlines earlier this year JetBlue has made clear that a shift in the business is necessary. It is doubling down on its core geographies in the Eastern United States, including Puerto Rico. That includes a strong focus on the premium leisure market.

The carrier’s base product offers comfort on board, but it comes up short of selling a true premium product. Mint is a compelling offering in most of its markets, but less broadly available. And while the new lounge product boosts Mint, it skips the vast majority of the carrier’s routes. It seems unlikely that just passengers buying qualifying tickets will be sufficient for the product to succeed.

The credit card access angle is the most interesting. Co-brand partnerships are, of course, massive money makers for everyone involved. And JetBlue’s current premium card is not particularly premium (though that’s also reflected in the relatively low annual fee). There’s certainly room to grow there.

At the same time, most of the crowding at other airline lounges today seems to come from customers gaining access via premium credit cards. Yet the airline explicitly says it will avoid that problem. Either JetBlue believes its passenger base is less likely to buy up to the premium card, or that those cardholders will travel less than they do on other airlines. Or something else, but it certainly has similar potential for crowding issues if the credit card situation gets out of hand.

A bit of bad news, too

Amid the lounge excitement, JetBlue is also removing two notable Mosaic benefits. First, the carrier’s partnership with Blade, offering discounted helicopter transfers to and from Manhattan, will terminate at the end of the year.

Mosaic members will also lose the ability to access key elite status benefits on Blue Basic fares. These include free same-day changes and complimentary access to Even More Space or “preferred” seats on board. Those changes take effect on 1 March 2025.