JetBlue is set to introduce its highly-acclaimed business class Mint cabin to three new destinations this summer and fall. The year-round Mint service will be available on routes between New York and Vancouver, as well as New York JFK and San Juan. Additionally, the airline will offer lie-flat cabins seasonally on flights from Boston and New York to Phoenix starting in late October. JetBlue will also utilize Mint-equipped Airbus A321 aircraft for flights between Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix during the winter season.
In an effort to enhance revenue by focusing on routes catering to leisure travelers, JetBlue announced an expansion of its Mint offerings from Las Vegas. The business class cabins will be available on twice-daily flights to and from Fort Lauderdale. This expansion complements the already existing Mint services from Boston and New York to Las Vegas.
JetBlue will introduce three Caribbean destinations this fall: St. Vincent, Bonaire, and St. Croix. Flights to St. Vincent and Bonaire will be available from New York JFK, making JetBlue the only airline flying to Bonaire from JFK. The carrier aims to compete against other airlines servicing the routes, such as Caribbean Airlines on the New York-St. Vincent route.
JetBlue will bring back the U.S. Virgin Islands destination of St. Croix into its network on December 12, restoring daily San Juan service that was last operated in January 2019. The airline will face competition from other carriers on this route, including Frontier and regional carriers like Silver Airways and Cape Air. St. Croix is just one of six new destinations that JetBlue will add late this year from San Juan in an effort to compete for market leadership.
In addition to the expansion of its Mint services and network in the Caribbean, JetBlue will launch new routes from San Juan to Providence, R.I.; Westchester County, N.Y.; Cancun; Medellin, Colombia; and Santiago, Dominican Republic in late October. The carrier plans to redeploy capacity from other routes in its network to accommodate these new services and Mint offerings.
As part of its strategy to optimize its network, JetBlue will scale back flying at New York LaGuardia Airport and reduce service on underperforming routes. The airline had previously announced plans to reduce service from Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles, as well as pull out of destinations like Kansas City; Bogotá, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.
Overall, JetBlue’s expansion of its Mint cabin to new destinations, introduction of new routes, and adjustments to its network reflect the airline’s commitment to enhancing its service offerings and capturing a larger market share in key leisure and business travel markets.