Is the JetBlue Studio the best transcontinental business class product (Spoiler: It is)? Read on to hear my thoughts.
In June 2021, JetBlue launched a new configuration for their Airbus 321 NEOs and Airbus 321 LRs in preparation for their new transatlantic service, connecting New York and Boston with major cities in western Europe. While these aircraft typically fly on JetBlue's European routes, you'll find once daily service from JFK - LAX and 3x weekly service from JFK - SFO.
These aircraft feature a new, refreshed Mint cabin (which is much needed, as the old Mint product is certainly showing its wear & tear), where they launched all-aisle access "Mint Suites" in a 1:1 herringbone configuration. JetBlue also sells the first row, which has some extra space, and brands it as "Mint Studio", which they sell for $199 - $399, depending on the route. This isn't a separate class of service, but rather Mint, with a larger seat.
On my recent red-eye from SFO to JFK, I was lucky enough to find one of the 3x weekly availability on this A321NEO, and was fortunate enough to get a complimentary upgrade at the gate from a regular Mint Suite to the Mint Studio on account of my JetBlue Mosaic 4 status. Here are my thoughts.
My seat was 1F, on the right side of the aircraft. The bench to the side of the main seat, has an extra seatbelt (and fold-out tray table), so a fellow passenger can join you for a meal if they'd like. Unfortunately, I was flying solo today, but on the plus side, the extra space was all mine. This is great if you need some privacy while checking your email or giving instructions to your virtual assistants.
The first thing that struck me, when I boarded was just how much space you got in the Mint Studio. While I've never flown an international First Class, this would certainly rival, and likely beat (in some cases) the space of an international first class product.
A very nice amenity to the Mint Studio is a 22" TV that folds out and adjusts vertically so you can comfortably be entertained while reclined or in lie-flat mode. This was undoubtedly the largest TV I've seen on an airplane. Additionally, there's an amenity cabinet to the right of the TV featuring a small mirror, and a space to put your shoes.
The mounted dimmable lamp lighting was also a very nice touch. The foam of the seat is from Tuft & Needle, which perfectly complimented the Tuft & Needle blanket and pillow that were provided upon boarding. Also, waiting at the seat was one of the new amenity kits provided by Caraa with Dr. Dennis Gross, Plusultra and Tuft & Needle products inside. This amenity kit was certainly an upgrade from the old 'disposable' ones, but can still be improved compared to other carriers. Passengers in the Mint Studio are also given pajamas and slippers, although neither were available since they weren't loaded on for this flight.
Unfortunately, given my 6'4" frame, it's tough to find a business class seat that I can fully stretch out in. When the Mint Studio bed was in lie-flat mode, I could not fit my body head-to-toe. While in the legacy Mint product I just fit, it's a bit tight in the Mint Studio for anyone over ~6'2". Luckily, I had plenty of room to curl up my legs to the side rest for a comfortable nights sleep.
As this was a red-eye, service on this flight was limited. Typically when you fly west to east, the flight can range from 4 hours and 10 minutes to nearly 6 hours, depending on how fast the Tradewinds are blowing. Fortunately for me, our flight time was 5 hours and 49 minutes, which meant more time in the Mint Studio (and more time to sleep).
I've learned (by taking enough of them) that alcohol isn't the key to sleep on a red-eye, so as much as I would have liked to enjoy a glass of wine (including a Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc - which retails for over $150/bottle), I passed this time.
While I ate a full meal before heading to the airport, I wanted to have a light meal before bed. I opted for the Brodo Italian Broth, along with the Gelato. I requested JetBlue's famous Chilli Oil, however, I was informed that it wasn't stocked on this flight. In true JetBlue fashion, the meal was great -- the broth had a kick, and was equally relaxing as a midnight cup of tea before bed. The gelato, of course, was delicious, however, given the eclectic & fruity flavors, I'm certainly more partial to an ice-cream sundae cart that they bring around on other airlines.
Instead of having a morning meal service, about 20-minutes before landing, the cabin crew came around with a "to go" bag of morning goodies. The bag included a bottle of Natalie's Orange Juice, La Colombe Cold Brew, a fruit-based granola bar, and the parting pleasantry, Hu Chocolate Covered Cashews.
While typically the cabin crew on JetBlue is by & far the best out of any US-based airline, this trip, unfortunately the crew was not very attentive, and claimed that they didn't have certain items (specifically seltzer and pretzels) which were available in the mid-cabin snack-bar when I went to look. Off days happen, and for JetBlue this was certainly one of them.
I was lucky enough to snag this flight for 11,500 TrueBlue (JetBlue) Miles. I applied 3 Move to Mint certificates (which are granted to me as a part of my JetBlue Mosaic 4 Status) to move to a Mint fare which was selling for 174,100 TrueBlue Points. I found this availability using movetomint.com, which helped me find the best way to maximize my Move To Mint certificates.
Once you're booked in the Mint cabin, you have the opportunity to book one of the two Mint Studios for a cash upgrade (unfortunately, they don't let you use points for this upgrade, only cash). On this route, the Mint Studio upgrade was selling for $199. I'd been monitoring the flight before, and saw that 1A was occupied, but they were still selling 1F, up until boarding. Right before boarding, I went up to the gate agent and asked if he'd be able to assign me 1F, as I'd love to experience the Mint Studio if it'd otherwise be flying empty. He gladly processed the complimentary upgrade, and printed out a new boarding pass and sent me on my way.
In essence this flight, including the Mint Studio upgrade, would have cost around $2,000 cash, but I paid about '~$179' worth of TrueBlue miles to make it happen.
The JetBlue Mint Studio was a phenomenal product -- one that blew away my expectations. Flying solo on a domestic route, I'm not sure if I would have paid for the $199 upgrade, however, I could see it being valuable for couples who are traveling together or people with larger (or taller) frames flying on a red-eye.
The JetBlue Mint Studio is my favorite domestic Transcontinental Business class, beating out all of the legacy carriers: American Flagship Business, United Polaris, and Delta One. I would really appreciate, however, if JetBlue added lounges for their premium passengers (or even negotiated lounge access with a partner lounge), as that's certainly an area of the experience that's lacking.
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In June 2021, JetBlue launched a new configuration for their Airbus 321 NEOs and Airbus 321 LRs in preparation for their new transatlantic service, connecting New York and Boston with major cities in western Europe. While these aircraft typically fly on JetBlue's European routes, you'll find once daily service from JFK - LAX and 3x weekly service from JFK - SFO.
These aircraft feature a new, refreshed Mint cabin (which is much needed, as the old Mint product is certainly showing its wear & tear), where they launched all-aisle access "Mint Suites" in a 1:1 herringbone configuration. JetBlue also sells the first row, which has some extra space, and brands it as "Mint Studio", which they sell for $199 - $399, depending on the route. This isn't a separate class of service, but rather Mint, with a larger seat.
On my recent red-eye from SFO to JFK, I was lucky enough to find one of the 3x weekly availability on this A321NEO, and was fortunate enough to get a complimentary upgrade at the gate from a regular Mint Suite to the Mint Studio on account of my JetBlue Mosaic 4 status. Here are my thoughts.
My seat was 1F, on the right side of the aircraft. The bench to the side of the main seat, has an extra seatbelt (and fold-out tray table), so a fellow passenger can join you for a meal if they'd like. Unfortunately, I was flying solo today, but on the plus side, the extra space was all mine. This is great if you need some privacy while checking your email or giving instructions to your virtual assistants.
The first thing that struck me, when I boarded was just how much space you got in the Mint Studio. While I've never flown an international First Class, this would certainly rival, and likely beat (in some cases) the space of an international first class product.
A very nice amenity to the Mint Studio is a 22" TV that folds out and adjusts vertically so you can comfortably be entertained while reclined or in lie-flat mode. This was undoubtedly the largest TV I've seen on an airplane. Additionally, there's an amenity cabinet to the right of the TV featuring a small mirror, and a space to put your shoes.
The mounted dimmable lamp lighting was also a very nice touch. The foam of the seat is from Tuft & Needle, which perfectly complimented the Tuft & Needle blanket and pillow that were provided upon boarding. Also, waiting at the seat was one of the new amenity kits provided by Caraa with Dr. Dennis Gross, Plusultra and Tuft & Needle products inside. This amenity kit was certainly an upgrade from the old 'disposable' ones, but can still be improved compared to other carriers. Passengers in the Mint Studio are also given pajamas and slippers, although neither were available since they weren't loaded on for this flight.
Unfortunately, given my 6'4" frame, it's tough to find a business class seat that I can fully stretch out in. When the Mint Studio bed was in lie-flat mode, I could not fit my body head-to-toe. While in the legacy Mint product I just fit, it's a bit tight in the Mint Studio for anyone over ~6'2". Luckily, I had plenty of room to curl up my legs to the side rest for a comfortable nights sleep.
As this was a red-eye, service on this flight was limited. Typically when you fly west to east, the flight can range from 4 hours and 10 minutes to nearly 6 hours, depending on how fast the Tradewinds are blowing. Fortunately for me, our flight time was 5 hours and 49 minutes, which meant more time in the Mint Studio (and more time to sleep).
I've learned (by taking enough of them) that alcohol isn't the key to sleep on a red-eye, so as much as I would have liked to enjoy a glass of wine (including a Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc - which retails for over $150/bottle), I passed this time.
While I ate a full meal before heading to the airport, I wanted to have a light meal before bed. I opted for the Brodo Italian Broth, along with the Gelato. I requested JetBlue's famous Chilli Oil, however, I was informed that it wasn't stocked on this flight. In true JetBlue fashion, the meal was great -- the broth had a kick, and was equally relaxing as a midnight cup of tea before bed. The gelato, of course, was delicious, however, given the eclectic & fruity flavors, I'm certainly more partial to an ice-cream sundae cart that they bring around on other airlines.
Instead of having a morning meal service, about 20-minutes before landing, the cabin crew came around with a "to go" bag of morning goodies. The bag included a bottle of Natalie's Orange Juice, La Colombe Cold Brew, a fruit-based granola bar, and the parting pleasantry, Hu Chocolate Covered Cashews.
While typically the cabin crew on JetBlue is by & far the best out of any US-based airline, this trip, unfortunately the crew was not very attentive, and claimed that they didn't have certain items (specifically seltzer and pretzels) which were available in the mid-cabin snack-bar when I went to look. Off days happen, and for JetBlue this was certainly one of them.
I was lucky enough to snag this flight for 11,500 TrueBlue (JetBlue) Miles. I applied 3 Move to Mint certificates (which are granted to me as a part of my JetBlue Mosaic 4 Status) to move to a Mint fare which was selling for 174,100 TrueBlue Points. I found this availability using movetomint.com, which helped me find the best way to maximize my Move To Mint certificates.
Once you're booked in the Mint cabin, you have the opportunity to book one of the two Mint Studios for a cash upgrade (unfortunately, they don't let you use points for this upgrade, only cash). On this route, the Mint Studio upgrade was selling for $199. I'd been monitoring the flight before, and saw that 1A was occupied, but they were still selling 1F, up until boarding. Right before boarding, I went up to the gate agent and asked if he'd be able to assign me 1F, as I'd love to experience the Mint Studio if it'd otherwise be flying empty. He gladly processed the complimentary upgrade, and printed out a new boarding pass and sent me on my way.
In essence this flight, including the Mint Studio upgrade, would have cost around $2,000 cash, but I paid about '~$179' worth of TrueBlue miles to make it happen.
The JetBlue Mint Studio was a phenomenal product -- one that blew away my expectations. Flying solo on a domestic route, I'm not sure if I would have paid for the $199 upgrade, however, I could see it being valuable for couples who are traveling together or people with larger (or taller) frames flying on a red-eye.
The JetBlue Mint Studio is my favorite domestic Transcontinental Business class, beating out all of the legacy carriers: American Flagship Business, United Polaris, and Delta One. I would really appreciate, however, if JetBlue added lounges for their premium passengers (or even negotiated lounge access with a partner lounge), as that's certainly an area of the experience that's lacking.
