I think it's safe to call me a bit of a JetBlue fangirl: I fly the airline regularly, have the JetBlue-branded American Express card to get more points, and even the coveted frequent-flier "badges" to prove it. But on November 7, I had my first chance to experience JetBlue's "Mint" service, its slightly more democratic way to say first or business class. The airline has been using Mint for more than a year on flights going from New York to either Los Angeles or San Francisco, but it now offers Mint class on flights from New York to Barbados and Aruba. I had a chance to test the new seats on a four-and-a-half hour flight to Barbados—a lie-flat, movie-filled trip I'd be happy to repeat.
JetBlue is based in New York City, as are many of its partners. Meals in Mint are catered by trendy New American restaurant Saxon + Parole—guests get a list of five available plates on board, and can choose up to three. Since it was early in the morning and I'd skipped breakfast in my rush to JFK airport, I went big: pancakes with pomegranate seeds, poached pear, and crème fraîche; spicy eggplant shakshuka with feta; and creamy scrambled eggs with ratatouille and grilled sourdough. (The first two items are both Saxon + Parole specialties on the ground as well.) The dishes were served side by side in sleek white dishes, followed by a seasonal fruit plate and "spiced cider" sorbet from Brooklyn's Ample Hills Creamery that tasted like chilled, exquisite applesauce.
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I was so distracted by all the food options that it was nearly an hour into the flight before I began to notice all of the seat features. JetBlue has to build its own custom planes (I was on an aircraft named Never a Dull MoMint) to accommodate a seat configuration like nothing else in the premium economy/business class world: Its two-one-two seat arrangement means each Mint passenger can stretch their legs out without bothering the person in front of them. The 15-inch TVs have a map of the seats from each angle, with every part labeled: There's a hidden spot to store a bottle of water and a mesh pouch near your feet to stash your shoes if you take them off mid-flight; a blue button near your shoulder indicates whether you want crew members to wake you up for food service if you fall asleep ("on" means "yes"). Like at the nail salon, there's a button for "massage"; unlike at the nail salon, you do not get to choose between kneading or rolling.
One popular amenity on JetBlue is its satellite TV service: At this point, I know that in-air flying time from New York to my hometown of Raleigh, N.C., is roughly the length of one Law & Order rerun. But satellite TV isn't feasible once the plane is out of coverage range, and nearly all of the flight to Barbados was out of said coverage range. JetBlue's solution was to offer half a dozen movies for free (they normally cost $5) and to create the "Fly-Fi Hub," a package of newspaper articles, TV episodes, and book samples that were available for free via the cloud of JetBlue's Fly-Fi in-air internet service. I opted for Far From the Madding Crowd, some Wall Street Journal articles, and the blue button being on. The flight attendant handed out gray blankets about the size of my duvet at home, and cozy matching pillows. I wrapped myself in a comforter cocoon and turned on the rain-soaked British romance. Through no fault of Thomas Hardy, I was out cold. By the time we landed in Bridgetown, I was relaxed and full. Only then did it hit me—the vacation part hadn't even happened yet.