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JetBlue didn’t have the winning bid to acquire Virgin America, but no matter — the airline is planning to put those funds toward something much more exciting! Over the next two years, JetBlue will launch its absolutely fantastic Mint service to a handful of new destinations, including the following transcon routes:
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Los Angeles (LAX)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and San Francisco
- Las Vegas and New York (JFK)
- San Diego and New York (JFK)
- San Diego and Boston
- Seattle and New York (JFK)
- Seattle and Boston
The airline will serve these new cities with its “made-in-the-US” Airbus A321s, with nine aircraft arriving in 2017 and additional planes hitting the JetBlue fleet in the following year. Once the new launch is complete, JetBlue will operate more than 70 daily Mint flights.
Not only are these cities getting lie-flat business-class seats — they’re getting the best business class in the market. So while American, Delta and United may respond with a lie-flat seat push of their own, they likely won’t be able to compete when it comes to in-flight experience.
JetBlue’s Mint cabin consists of 12 flat-bed seats arranged in pairs (2-2 configuration) and four individual suites with closing doors (in a 1-1 configuration). The product is currently available on flights between JFK and LAX/SFO, a few flights from Boston, along with a number of Caribbean routes. Fares typically start at $599 each way on transcon routes, and are sometimes available for a bit less on Caribbean flights.
While JetBlue hasn’t traditionally offered the most rewarding frequent flyer program, the airline is clearly making a big loyalty push, improving Mosaic elite status and offering exceptional perks through its new credit cards. With the JetBlue Plus Card and the JetBlue Business Card, you can earn an additional 6 points per dollar spent on airfare purchases, for example, in addition to generous sign-up bonuses, free checked bags, 50% discounts on some in-flight purchases and a fast track to Mosaic status.
If you’ve been on the fence about sending your airline loyalty to JetBlue, this new premium-cabin push may make the decision significantly easier.
Source: thepointsguy.com