NEW YORK — Fares for JetBlue’s new premium transcontinental service, Mint, will start at $599 one way, said CEO Dave Barger on Monday. The new premium class will go into service in June.
Barger said customers will pay for the premium product, and that travelers were booking away from JetBlue on transcontinental routes because it lacked a premium product and inflight WiFi.
Jet Blue will start rolling out WiFi on its new A321s, the first going into service in December, and will gradually install WiFi fleetwide. Barger said that JetBlue will deliver as much broadband to a single seat as other airlines do to an entire plane with its new "Fly-Fi."
Barger showed off the new seats for Mint in an event on the top-floor deck of JetBlue’ headquarters in New York. The six-foot, eight-inch seats are the longest lie-flat beds on transcontinental flights, he said.
JetBlue also will offer private suites with doors. These seats have a massage function, air cushions with adjustable firmness, 15-inch flat screens, dual power outlets with two USB ports, and shoe storage space.
There will be 16 Mint seats on the transcontinental flights; four will be enclosed.
Besides introducing premium service, JetBlue is revamping its core service with a more comfortable seat that has a 10.1-inch screen, in-seat power outlets accessible to all customers and a drink holder.