Name: American Express® Gold Card
Brand: American Express

Ever since JetBlue unveiled its next-generation Mint Suite and Mint Studio and launched the new business-class products on 2021 transatlantic flights to London from both Boston and New York, I’ve been waiting for an excuse to test these stylish seats out for myself.

What makes JetBlue Mint Suites so special, you ask? They have plenty of up-to-the-minute features like sliding doors for privacy — an element quickly becoming de rigueur among the airlines competing for high-paying long-haul premium flyers. Additionally, they offer high-tech touches like Qi wireless charging surfaces and free high-speed Wi-Fi, as well as custom-designed comforts like Tuft & Needle mattresses integrated into the seat cushions.

JetBlue Paris CDG Inaugural A321LR Mint Core — ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Then there are the experiential elements like mix-and-match menus designed by the New York-based Delicious Hospitality Group restaurant consortium and made-to-order signature cocktails. Other offerings include do-not-disturb indicators, 17-inch adjustable screens with a large selection of on-demand entertainment (the larger Mint Studios have 22-inch ones), Tuft & Needle bedding and amenity kits from wellness company Wanderfuel with goodies like immune-boosting chews.

I finally got to fly JetBlue Mint across the Atlantic last week on the airline’s inaugural service from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG). Here are all the ways the seats and service impressed me, plus a few things to keep in mind if you intend to book it yourself.

Cozy cabins

Including the two Mint Studios up front and the following 11 rows of Mint Suites, there are just 24 business-class seats total in a 1-1 configuration on JetBlue’s A321LR.

That makes for an intimate experience flying up front. There are more opportunities for personalized (and quicker) service than on other airlines that operate larger widebodies with bigger business-class cabins on transatlantic flights.

Some folks might hesitate to fly a single-aisle jet across an ocean. However, the Mint cabin felt large and comfortable. Thanks to the seats’ privacy features that keep you cocooned in your personal space, you might not even notice the aircraft size after settling in.

There are also two lavatories at the front of the cabin for just 24 Mint passengers. So, you’re unlikely to encounter a wait except at typically busy times during the flight, such as just before the fasten seatbelt sign turns on before landing.

Speaking of the lavatories, these are virtually touch-free, which is fantastic, especially post-pandemic. There are panels by the toilet that you can wave your hand in front of to open and close the seat as well as flush. Also, the faucets just require you to put your hands underneath them to run.

The seat configuration feels extra private

In the race to make business class feel more like first class and to foreground privacy as a major selling point while still maintaining a high-density layout, many airline seat manufacturers have developed seats that face away from the aisle and toward the windows of the cabin (or toward each other in center sections of widebodies).

That makes seats like those on American Airlines or Cathay Pacific feel secluded. However, despite privacy shields, it also means you might be more sensitive to activity from the aisle since the seatback is right next to it.

With Mint Suites, though, JetBlue positioned the back of the seat against the cabin wall closer to the window and the ottoman toward the aisle. That makes it marginally harder to peer out the window in flight, but I felt much more insulated from aisle noise or movement than in reverse-herringbone seats.

JetBlue Mint Suite — ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

I also really appreciated the intuitive and easy-to-use seat controls.

While they don’t feel as high-tech as the touchscreens you’ll find on some newer seats like British Airways Club Suites, it was still easy to control the individual components of the seat as well as buttons for preset positions for takeoff and landing.

Roomy dimensions

Each JetBlue Mint Suite measures 22 inches wide at the armrests and up to 80 inches long in lie-flat mode; the airline touts this as the largest reclined surface area among U.S. airlines’ business-class seats.

I’m only 5 feet, 8 inches, though, and I found it easy to sleep on my back and both sides (and to roll over between them) without banging my shoulders, elbows, knees or feet on any of the seat’s fixtures.

I suspect taller flyers might find the footwell, which is just 13 inches high, constraining. If you have broad shoulders or hips, you might not have quite the same leeway as I did. But for my part, I snoozed quite comfortably.

Stylish finishes

While space and ergonomics might be the primary considerations when designing a business-class seat and cabin, JetBlue’s newer Mint experience takes style as seriously as substance with high-end but restrained finishes.

The overall look of the cabin is Space Age sleek thanks to the seats’ silvery gray vegan leather upholstery with slick stitching; the brushed-metal borders on the suites’ walls and the pearlescent tone of the door panels patterned with abstract mint leaf-inspired shapes also add to the vibe. The curving walls of the suites and the side table gave the space a certain flow that’s not common with other airline seats.

Providing both form and function, flannel-covered shells surrounding the seats absorb noise and bestow some texture to catch the eye. Concrete reading lamps (an homage to the airline’s hometown of New York City and its skyscrapers) and heavily grained wooden paneling on the side shelves and tray tables lend the suites a look that is equal parts clubby and industrial.

Passengers can also adjust their individual suite’s mood lighting between soft yellow and blue tones to complement the cabin’s ambience for just a little extra touch of customization.

The overall effect makes it feel like flying in an ultra-cool lounger or mini rec room with subtle branding touches rather than your bland, run-of-the-mill airline seat.

My one quibble is with the placement of the tray table. It swings out from the armrest easily enough, but its fixed position is quite close to the seat, so you have to be almost completely upright not to feel jammed in.

The food is excellent, and not just for an airplane

My colleagues who have flown JetBlue Mint since the airline’s switchover to DHG catering have raved about the variety of options, the fun ways you can customize your meal with multiple-choice small plates and the general level of quality. DHG’s Charlie Bird in Soho and wine bar Parcelle provided the catering and beverages on this flight.

Even going in with high hopes, the meals still exceeded my expectations.

The first thing that impressed me was that passengers could place food orders directly through the entertainment system rather than wait for flight attendants to come through the cabin. This saves time on relatively short transatlantic flights.

On the inaugural to Paris, the airline served a menu that included a choice of three of the following:

Farro salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, radish, pistachios and Parmesan cheese
Chilled English pea soup with mint oil and puffed wild rice
Cavatelli with Sicilian tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese
Chicken with eggplant caponata, pine nut crumble and mint

For dessert, there was a choice of:

Vanilla gelato with blackberry preserves and almond granola
A cheese plate with English cheddar, Stilton, dried fruit and nuts
Various other snacks

The main meal was all served on a single tray, with dessert following shortly after.

I tried the farro, the pea soup and the chicken, and all were delicious. The farro tasted healthy but filling, the soup was refreshing, and the chicken was flavorful and hearty.

You could also choose an express menu served ahead of other passengers that included just the farro, pea soup, cavatelli and gelato. I had the gelato for dessert, and it was a delicious way to end the meal.

Breakfast was served about an hour before landing and featured a choice of two out of three plates, including:

Watermelon with Espelette peppers and lime
Coconut yogurt with passion fruit puree and almond crunch
Asparagus frittata with goat cheese, Parmesan and herb salad

I ordered the yogurt, which was sweet and satisfying, and the frittata for something more savory and substantial. Both were very good. If you wanted to sleep in, you could also order your breakfast to go in a handy sack.

Passengers also had their choice of espresso and iced or cold americanos and cappuccinos; Dunkin’ drip coffee and a variety of Teapigs tea flavors like chamomile and lemon ginger were available.

I didn’t fly JetBlue back to the U.S., but I was able to peek at the menu on the return from Paris to New York on JetBlue’s site. It listed options like avocado toast and crepes with ricotta and caramel for breakfast, plus light bites like gazpacho and a croque monsieur sandwich for lunch (since it’s a daytime flight).

While it might not have the panache of Qatar Airways’ dine-on-demand service or Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” menus, this is some of the most innovative catering I’ve seen in business class on any airline. The only downside is that you’ll want to stay up to enjoy the full meal service rather than go straight to sleep on this short overnight flight.

Craft cocktails and wine

The airline also takes its selection of wines and cocktails seriously, and flight attendants will mix seat-side to your specifications.

On this particular flight from New York to Paris, the cocktail menu included some of JetBlue’s signatures like:

Mint Condition: with Bombay Sapphire gin or Tito’s vodka, ginger, lime, cucumber and mint
Venetian Spritz: with house-made aperitivo, sparkling wine and grapefruit
Black Maple Old-Fashioned: with Bulleit Bourbon, maple, bitters and orange

I sampled the Old-Fashioned, which was strong and sweet but not overly so.

The beer and spirits selection included:

Stella Artois
Blue Moon
Bud Light
Corazon Tequila Blanco
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Bacardi Rum
Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
Dewar’s White Label Scotch Whisky
Bulleit Bourbon
Baileys Irish Cream

Among the wines, passengers could select from:

Champagne Bergere Origine
Notte Salata Falanghina
Triennes Rose
Vineyard Project 004 Gober & Freinbichler Blaufrankisch
Condello Romagna Sangiovese Predappio
Dalia Maria Maris Ramandolo

The Champagne was toasty and well-rounded rather than crisp. The Falanghina had a nice punch of acidity, while the Sangiovese was rich and fruity.

Nonalcoholic offerings included a usual selection of water and sodas as well as two mocktails:

Mint (Under One) Condition: with seltzer, ginger, lime, cucumber, mint
Limitless Spritz: with house-made non-alcoholic aperitivo, sparkling water, grapefruit

I didn’t try those, but they looked refreshing and delicious.

Deluxe bedding

After many (many!) long-haul flights, I’ve learned not to underestimate the importance of good business-class bedding. No matter how comfortable the seat is, if you have subpar mattress pads, pillows and blankets, you probably won’t get a great snooze.

Before this flight, I wasn’t familiar with Tuft & Needle (apart from knowing it partnered with JetBlue to provide cushioning and bedding for the new JetBlue Mint). I found the materials the airline uses to be of excellent quality.

The full-size pillow was soft and fluffy but not too squishy, thanks to a memory foam lining. The blanket was lightweight but substantial (and large) enough to make curling up very comfortable. It even had snaps that you could use to create a built-in foot pouch.

The seat's breathable cover and proprietary foam padding were both cool and ergonomic, so I got a few hours of much-needed napping in overnight.

The one omission is that no extra seat covers or fitted sheets come as part of the bedding set. You don’t really need them for comfort because of the Tuft & Needle padding incorporated into the seat. However, seat covers would be nice since they could provide a clean surface for each new passenger to sleep on rather than just the seat itself.

Innovative amenities

Rather than your average amenity kit with some low-quality plastic items, JetBlue provides Mint passengers with two amenity kits, though you have to request one of them.

Inside the standard one you'll find:

Dental kit with toothbrush and toothpaste
Ear plugs
Eye mask

The specialized ones are courtesy of Wanderfuel, a wellness company that makes high-end health and beauty items. I requested a Wanderfuel one and found it stocked with:

Scentuals vanilla tangerine “lip conditioner”
Vacation SPF 30 “Classic Lotion”
Jubel Naturals Cool Aloe intensive repair cream
Recess deodorant wipes
Golde Pineapple Debloat gut support powder

Although not standard, the kit inclusions felt like fun and thoughtful extras to help travelers deal with jet lag from such a short flight.

Passengers also receive Master & Dynamic noise-canceling headphones for use on the flight. They were high quality, blocking out almost all ambient noise.

Free Wi-Fi

Like on its flights within North America, JetBlue offers transatlantic passengers fast and free Wi-Fi. For most of the route across the ocean, flyers can connect to Viasat-2 before the system switches over to a European network.

Testing out Viasat’s speeds, I clocked them at nearly 39 Mbps download speed, which was more than enough to get work emails and even upload some photos.

A positive charge

Each Mint Suite has a power point embedded in the wall next to the side table. It includes a universal AC plug and both USB-A ports for charging various devices. Opposite and beneath the window-side armrest, there’s a second AC plug and a USB-C port. Moreover, the Mint Suite has a Qi wireless charging pad by the window.

I have an iPhone 13 Pro and tried charging it with the wireless pad but could not get it to work. Other passengers noted they were having difficulties, too, though some had no issues. In short, the wireless pads seem finicky, so pack a USB cord as a backup.

Crisp entertainment

At 17 inches diagonal, Mint Suites’ Thales Avant seatback screens are bright and crisp. They also tilt up and down for optimal viewing, whether sitting upright, lounging in a relaxed position or in full lie-flat mode.

The entertainment options were also diverse and numerous, including recently released features like “Creed III” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.” As for TV shows, options included “Abbott Elementary” and “Hacks,” as well as live TV on channels including CNN International and Sky News.

Storage galore

Although the best business-class seats aim to optimize personal space, one of the areas many tend to skimp on is personal storage. You might find a pocket or compartment for small items like a wallet or glasses, but it can be a challenge to tuck your laptop somewhere convenient for takeoff, landing or mealtimes.

JetBlue solved that problem with its Mint Suites, which have a plethora of easy-to-reach storage options. These include a triangle-shaped compartment for small items by the window and a small shelf that’s great for phones just below the armrest.

On the other side of the armrest, next to the wireless charging pad, is a large surface area for a laptop or other items (though not for takeoff and landing).

You can stow your shoes in a small cubby next to the seat’s leg rest. There’s also a space beneath the ottoman to stow a personal bag or your shoes for the flight. (Don’t worry, you get a pair of slippers to use on board, so you won’t be walking to the lavatory barefoot.)

Perhaps most innovative, there’s a shallow tray that slides out from under the entertainment screen. At 14 by 10 inches, it's big enough to stow small laptops and a cable or two.

Superlative service

Of course, the crew for this inaugural was likely handpicked to represent the brand and its friendly service ethos. Still, even taking that into account, the flight attendants in Mint – Amanda, Vanessa and Hector – were phenomenal. They took the time to get to know each passenger, confirming orders and maintaining a swift service flow that got meal service finished in just over an hour so flyers could rest.

Priority handling

As you’d expect from a premium flight product (and its price tag), Mint customers have access to priority check-in lines and security lanes at the airport. They can also take advantage of boarding before economy passengers and receive priority baggage handling, all of which can make the airport experience that much easier and faster to navigate.

Some downsides

It’s not necessarily all aces flying JetBlue Mint across the Atlantic. Here are some things to keep in mind that might persuade you to book an alternative.

Lack of lounges

Unlike legacy carriers operating across the Atlantic, JetBlue does not have any of its own airport lounges in Paris. It doesn't partner with other airlines or an operator like Plaza Premium to provide Mint passengers with a lounge option.

While this isn’t a make-or-break proposition for me, having lounge access before a long journey can be key for some flyers.

Perhaps you need to recharge your devices and catch up on work with free Wi-Fi. Maybe you just need a quiet place away from ever-more-crowded terminals (especially this summer). If those are major considerations for you, then you might want to ensure you have a credit card that gets you lounge access to supplement your JetBlue transatlantic experience.

Limited connectivity in Europe

Flying JetBlue’s transatlantic routes to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and now CDG (and eventually Amsterdam) can be fantastic if those European cities are your destination.

However, if you want to get farther afield, you’ll likely have to purchase a separate connection on a different airline or take a train. The airline does not have routes beyond those hubs nor does it have partnerships that make it easy to purchase mixed onward tickets.

That said, if you’re starting your journey in London or Paris and want to connect through New York (or Boston in the case of London), you’ll have access to JetBlue’s extensive route network here in North America once you arrive in the U.S.

If you’re traveling with someone

Though I appreciated the privacy of the suites, they are better for folks who prefer alone time while aloft. There are privacy doors to shut yourself away from the activity on the aisle. However, since there is just one aisle and a single seat on either side of it, there’s not really a great option for couples traveling together. Couples might instead enjoy various reverse-herringbone configurations on widebody jets where the center seats are angled toward one another.

One member of a traveling pair could always buy up to the Mint Studio and invite their companion to dine with them (assuming the buddy seat is operable). However, if you want to conduct an ongoing conversation during your flight without shouting across an aisle, Mint Suites might not be your optimal onboard product.

Redeeming JetBlue True Blue points for Mint Suites is exorbitant

JetBlue’s True Blue program can be extremely useful thanks to attributes like free points pooling, the fact that its points are tied to a specific value range and the fact that you can redeem them for pretty much any seat that’s on sale. However, it also has a few downsides.

The primary one for folks wanting to use their points to fly Mint is that redemption prices can be very expensive.

For instance, I found one-ways from New York to Paris over the next several months starting at $3,082 … or 305,000 True Blue points. Round-trip journeys are slightly less expensive — as low as $2,610 or 241,600 points.

Considering some of the other recent mileage devaluations we’ve seen lately, 240,000 points isn’t truly astronomical. However, it’s still a substantial number of points to burn through for a single transatlantic round-trip flight. Chances are most folks will wait for some well-priced paid fares to book.

That said, you can transfer various credit card points to JetBlue True Blue at the following rates including:

American Express Membership Rewards, 1:0.8
Chase Ultimate Rewards, 1:1
Citi ThankYou Rewards, 1:1 (1:0.8 for non-premium cards)

So if you’ve been building up a stash of transferable points by using your various credit cards, this could be a fresh, fun way to use some of them. Just aim to make transfers at a 1:1 ratio rather than anything lower to maximize the value of your points.

You can’t earn partner miles easily

JetBlue partners with various other carriers, including American Airlines, and allows you to earn miles with other frequent flyer programs on many of its flights.

However, you cannot earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles on JetBlue’s transatlantic flights. You can earn Qatar Airways Avios on them (though not on some other flights within the U.S.).

If you’re dabbling with JetBlue but hoping to earn miles with another frequent flyer program you participate in more fully, take a careful look at your program’s earning rules to ensure you’ll be crediting your flights properly.

Beware the wear and tear

As noted by my colleague Zach Griff, JetBlue Mint Suites and Studios are already beginning to display a surprisingly high degree of wear and tear, despite only being two years old.

He found cracked seat lights, peeling finishes and damage to the suite doors that had to be taped around the sides. He also noted cracked seat lights and peeling surfaces on the wireless charging pads, which didn’t function properly.

Though still functional, the footwells and ottoman cushions were also scuffed and smudged, which doesn’t make a great impression.

All that said, since this particular plane, dubbed “By Appointmint Only,” operated its first flight under two months ago, according to Airfleets, its seats and cabins were still in tip-top shape. This made my experience testing out Mint Suites entirely enjoyable.

Bottom line

JetBlue Mint Suites are among the best ways to cross the Atlantic these days. Roomy and high-design suites with closing doors provide a touch of sophistication and more than a modicum of privacy so flyers can enjoy a restful crossing.

The innovative culinary offerings, tempting cocktail list and high-end amenities like Tuft & Needle bedding and Wanderfuel kits also provide a thoughtful sense of elegance to the experience. Add in the warm but professional service, and JetBlue has a winning combination I’d recommend to any East Coaster looking to get to Europe.

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