No more Blade helicopter rides: JetBlue scraps unique Mosaic elite status perk
JetBlue made a major splash last week when it revealed that it will open its first-ever airport lounges in New York and Boston, a move that will bolster the allure of top-tier elite status in its TrueBlue loyalty program.
But there are also a couple of cutbacks coming to Mosaic status, JetBlue revealed, including the elimination of one of the more unique elite status perks currently offered by any U.S. airline.
The end of 2024 will spell the end of JetBlue's Blade helicopter benefit, the New York-based carrier said in an email to customers.
Plus, starting in 2025, JetBlue will remove some of the leniency afforded to Mosaic members traveling on a no-frills Blue Basic ticket, including free access to its extra legroom seats.
Here's what to know about the upcoming changes.
JetBlue Mosaic Blade perk to end
Currently, TrueBlue members with top-tier Mosaic 4 elite status receive credits for four one-way transfers on Blade's choppers between Manhattan and either New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The perk offers Mosaic elite members hundreds of dollars in annual value, and — as Northeast travelers know all too well — potentially hours of traffic avoided by taking the five-minute chopper ride.
But this perk will end after 2024, JetBlue said in an email to TrueBlue members.
If you have Blade credits, don't worry — but do read carefully: You can use your credits beyond 2024. However, you'll need to transfer those credits to your Blade account by Dec. 31, 2024, or they'll be forfeited.
A Mosaic 4 'give-and-take'
Removing the Blade perk seems to represent something of a give-and-take for the Mosaic 4 status tier.
While Mosaic 4 elite members will lose Blade as a perk of the status, they'll get complimentary access to JetBlue's forthcoming lounges at JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), which are slated for opening in late 2025. (Transatlantic Mint passengers and cardholders of a soon-to-be-announced premium JetBlue credit card will also get free lounge access.)
Related: A look at Chase's splashy Sapphire Lounge in Boston
Tightening Blue Basic rules
Also announced as part of JetBlue's TrueBlue program tweak: a few added restrictions for basic economy passengers — specifically, elite status members traveling on a basic ticket.
Beginning March 1, 2025, Mosaic members traveling on Blue Basic fares will lose some of their perks and flexibility.
Mosaic members will no longer be eligible for free Even More Space seats, free preferred seats or free same-day switches.
Those three benefits are signature perks for all Mosaic members. In the past, they've also offered Mosaic passengers an avenue to pay less for a Blue Basic ticket while still skirting some of the restrictions most customers face when flying on a basic fare.
That "loophole," of sorts, will end in 2025.
There's a give-and-take theme to this change, too: Just a few weeks ago, JetBlue loosened the Blue Basic restrictions for all passengers by allowing those customers a free full-size carry-on bag.
Additional Mint upgrade certificates
There was a bit of positive TrueBlue news beyond the new lounges last week.
Mosaic 4 members will earn two Move-to-Mint certificates for every 100 Tiles they earn beyond Mosaic 4 qualification.
That's in addition to the four certificates you get as a Mosaic 3 member and the two more you earn when reaching Mosaic 4.
Keep in mind, though, that JetBlue did shift to a dynamic redemption model for Mint upgrade certificates in 2024, so the number of certificates you'll need for an upgrade can vary from one flight to another.
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