You know how most premium airline products tend to get worse over time? It’s annoying. However, I recently flew from New York (JFK) to San Diego in JetBlue Mint, and I’m happy to report that it’s every bit as awesome as it was 11 years ago. Maybe even better.
As a reminder, Mint is JetBlue’s premium seating product. They only offer it on a handful of select routes.
The seats are spacious. The food is nothing short of incredible. And the drinks? They are as creatively named as they are delicious. It’s basically the kind of experience you can admit to having a crush on (without feeling weird about it). Like, a bad crush.
B61189 New York, NY (JFK) – San Diego, CA Tuesday, January 23, 2024 Aircraft: A321-231 Registration: N993JE Duration: 5 hours 41 minutes Seat: 4A (Mint)
My full review of the JetBlue Mint experience from New York (JFK) to San Diego
Wait! Those of you who are looking for a full review of the JetBlue Mint Suites (their international business class product) are in the wrong place. What you’re about to read is my review of their domestic business/first class product (which, confusingly enough, is also called Mint).
Arrival at Terminal 5 at the John F Kennedy International Airport
Never in all my years of traveling have I walked into T5 at JFK and seen it so empty. Not only was it extremely weird, it was refreshingly satisfying. It took less than five minutes to get from the front door, through security, and into the terminal. Hell yeah.
The boarding process for B61189 to San Diego
They kicked off the boarding process exactly on time – but that just wasn’t soon enough for for some folks. The gate agent wasn’t even finished making the announcement for pre-boarding when a handful of younger able-bodied individuals strolled up to the gate attempting to board. With a flight time of nearly 6 hours, let’s just say that I wasn’t as tempted to test the patience of that stern-looking gate agent.
The seats
I’ve flown Mint on the A321 four times prior to this flight. Still, after all that experience, it was still very exciting to see these seats again. There are five rows of mint seats on the A321. Rows 1, 3, and 5 are arranged in a 2-2 configuration. Rows 2 and 4 are arranged in a very spacious 1-1 configuration. I can’t recommend those individual seats highly enough.
The departure out of JFK
When you’re sitting in a seat as nice as this, you tend not to notice the departure process. At least not in great detail. Thankfully I was conscious enough to take pictures of our taxi out to the runway. As you’ll see in the following pics, it was more interesting inside the plane.
In-flight entertainment
Those of you who read my JetBlue A320 Even More Space review will find the following bit of information to be somewhat familiar. Not only are the video screens nearly the exact same size, the user interface is 100% identical. It’s the same selection of live TV, movies, music, and TV shows. Podcasts too!
One of the other things that I really like about JetBlue is the fact that Wi-Fi is not only free, but very fast. I say again: why can’t all airlines be like this?
The food
The food in JetBlue Mint is far superior to any food you will be served on any other airline in the US. Not only on domestic flights, but international as well. It’s that good.
You’ll be presented with five entrée choices. You get to pick three, along with a dessert. Portions are large, and the quality is excellent. The food in JetBlue is consistently better than the food I’ve eaten in many other international business class products.
Testing out the lie flat seat
Honestly, I’ve got nothing to criticize about the seats when converted into a lie flat position. Sure, maybe it’s a bit narrow. Yeah, the foot well is a little tight. But you know what? Having a door that shuts out the world (combined with the high-quality blankets and pillows) makes this one of my favorite lie flat seats in the history of the airline industry.
The descent (and arrival) into San Diego
I probably don’t even need to tell you how fast those six hours flew by. It was quick. More importantly, every minute of it was spectacular. Well, maybe not the bathroom part.
We touched down on Runway 27 one minute ahead of schedule. How unfortunate. I mean, of all the times that I’ve experienced a horribly tardy arrival, why couldn’t it have been today? I’ll take nearly any excuse to sit in a seat like this for as long as I can.
Pros and cons of the JetBlue A321 Mint experience
Every time somebody asks me about which airline to fly in the US for the best first class experience, I always tell them JetBlue. Always. That’s surprising to a lot of people. I mean, they’re not exactly the first airline most people think of as being luxurious and opulent. The fact of the matter is that Mint is as good as it gets. Period.
Pros
The single seats (rows 2 and 4) are some of the most private airline seats in the US.
After all these years, the seats still look (and function) like new. They’ve been very well-maintained.
Food quality is every bit as good (and often better) than what you’ll get in international business class on some of the world’s best airlines.
Cons
The in-flight entertainment UI is somewhat dated.
Those of you with large feet are likely to find the footwell cramped when the seat is in a lie flat position.