JetBlue to bring ‘Junior Mint’ first class to domestic flights in 2026

JetBlue to bring ‘Junior Mint’ first class to domestic flights in 2026


Silhouette of passenger in front of the JetBlue Airbus A321neo aircraft spotted on the apron tarmac docked at the passenger jet bridge from the terminal of Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport AMS EHAM in the Netherlands. 

Nicholas Economou | Nurphoto | Getty Images

JetBlue Airways plans to add domestic first-class seats in 2026 on airplanes that don’t have its top-tier Mint class, the latest initiative to win over higher-paying customers and get back to profitability.

All of JetBlue’s Airbus aircraft without Mint, the airline’s lie-flat seats, will have two or three rows of domestic first-class seats, Marty St. George, JetBlue’s president, said in a note to employees.

“Since launching Mint over a decade ago, we’ve explored the idea of expanding a version of it across the fleet, often playfully calling it ‘mini-Mint’ or ‘junior Mint,'” St. George said. He said Mint “can’t be duplicated on shorter flights,” so the carrier had to come up with a solution for passengers willing to pay for more space on shorter flights.  

“We’re keeping the rest of our ideas under wraps for now while we prepare for a 2026 launch. Let’s keep our competitors guessing,” St. George wrote.

St. George, JetBlue’s former commercial chief, returned to the New York-based airline earlier this year to help new CEO Joanna Geraghty return JetBlue to profitability and cut costs. The airline is focusing more on its core markets in Florida and the Northeast.

JetBlue has been a pioneer in the U.S. airline industry since its first flights almost 25 years ago, adding comforts like seat-back entertainment and a business class that sought to make flying at the front of the plane more affordable for customers compared with large carriers that dominate U.S. air travel.

Read more CNBC airline news

The airline has become more focused on finding ways to increase sales since its bid to acquire Spirit Airlines was blocked by a U.S. judge in January and its partnership with American Airlines in the Northeast was ruled anticompetitive by another judge.

JetBlue is cutting a host new cuts of unprofitable routes, CNBC reported last week. It is also tweaking its European service, announcing a new flight between Boston and Madrid on Tuesday.

The focus on seats that fetch a premium to standard coach has become a focus of the airline industry as many leisure travelers after the pandemic have shown they are willing to shell out more for roomier seats, or other perks like airport lounges.

On Tuesday, Alaska Airlines said it would evaluate its premium seat offerings and upgrade some of its planes following its merger with Hawaiian as part of plans for a global expansion.

JetBlue earlier this year said it will build its first lounges.

Why airlines are investing millions on bigger and fancier seats



Source

Hamptons summer rentals down 30% compared to last year
Travel

Hamptons summer rentals down 30% compared to last year

ShareShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email Squawk on the Street CNBC’s Robert Frank joins ‘Squawk on the Street’ to discuss why rentals in the Hamptons are piling up. 04:25 8 minutes ago Robert Frank Source

Read More
Caviar and privacy: Airlines’ business-class wars are here
Travel

Caviar and privacy: Airlines’ business-class wars are here

American Airlines new business-class suite. American Airlines DALLAS — Armed with dollops of caviar and handfuls of Bang & Olufsen headphones, U.S. airlines are duking it out for international business-class dominance. There are even differences between seats in the same cabin. Next week, American Airlines plans to start flying its upgraded business-class “suites” that feature […]

Read More
The trade war is rattling global business travel — 4 charts show how
Travel

The trade war is rattling global business travel — 4 charts show how

Optimism in the global business travel sector has dropped by more than half this year, according to a report published by the Global Business Travel Association. Positive sentiment fell from 67% in November 2024 to 31% in April 2025, according to the report which surveyed more than 900 business travel professionals on the affect of […]

Read More