State Mint?

Putting JetBlue's business class to the test

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BACK IN 2014, JetBlue burst onto the domestic market with a fresh business class cabin, marketed as Mint. It was introduced to much fanfare, and after years of acclaim, JetBlue came out in 2021 with an enhanced version for their upcoming Airbus A321neo deliveries. Titled Mint Suites, the introduction coincided with the launch of transatlantic service for the airline, and the rave reviews continued to pour in. Recently, I needed to travel from Orlando (MCO) to Los Angeles (LAX) and thought it was the perfect opportunity to put Mint to the test.

Booking and Check-In

Securing my tickets via JetBlue's website was easy and problem-free. I was able to preselect my seat at the time of booking without any issues. Accessing my reservation through the app—and making any necessary changes—was also a breeze. I checked in at MCO, an airport that doesn't offer Mint service, which meant no special counters were available for premium passengers. Nonetheless, I printed off my boarding passes from a kiosk, which was a swift process. Of note, despite my connecting flight in Boston being ticketed in Mint, there was no priority boarding for my first leg. This is something I normally get with other airlines if I am on the same ticket. So, while not a dealbreaker, it is something small that the airline could do to help improve the experience, as a lot of passengers are connecting to Mint from various domestic cities in the U.S. JetBlue does not currently offer a lounge for Mint, but thankfully there was a Chase Sapphire lounge right by the gate in Boston, which made the wait for my flight very pleasant.

Boarding