JetBlue – in a bid to fully refresh its competitively priced fully-flat bed Mint product – has announced its first major refresh of its JetBlue Mint service. While we know that the airline will be launching London flights in Q3 2021 with an all-new (and very exciting) new hard product, it was about time the airline injected some love in to its soft product to reflect this monumental change to the carrier.
The airline has adopted a highly-curated partner approach to its product offering. The carrier’s Mint brand partnership strategy will now expand to include a completely new lineup for the cabin class, including Delicious Hospitality Group, Tuft & Needle, Wanderfuel and Master & Dynamic. While some carriers might opt to tie in these enhancements inline with their new route launches, JetBlue has opted to bring out these new products on its existing routes in just 6 weeks-time.
“JetBlue’s reimagined Mint is turning the journey itself into a destination, offering the comforts of a premium travel experience at a more affordable price point,” said Elizabeth Windram, vice president of marketing, JetBlue. “This onboard refresh allows us to reset that high bar we set in 2014, with the very best in dining and hospitality, comfort and wellness at 35,000 feet. And for those who can’t wait to see what we have in store for our London flights, well let’s just say this is a little teaser for what we have in mind.
So to start with JetBlue tapped SoHo-based Delicious Hospitality Group – the team behind acclaimed New York City restaurants Charlie Bird, Legacy Records and Pasquale Jones – to bring each of the brand’s inventive culinary style to the skies. Good news, the much-loved Tapas style service – similar to Hawaiian’s approach – remains, but the rotating menu allows regular passengers to enjoy a variety of options, starting with Charlie Bird.
But it’s not just dining, the brands’ famous playlists will also be available to listen to on the aircraft’s entertainment system, enhancing and complimenting the dining experience. Which, thanks to Master & Dynamic will be a pleasure in itself.
Mint customers will now enjoy custom-for-JetBlue premium headsets from New York City’s luxury audio brand. These slick new Over-Ear headphones will enable travellers to enjoy noise reduction, a brilliant, genre-agnostic sound profile, and a vintage aviation-inspired design.
But, if entertainment isn’t your bag, and you are looking to get your heard down for some much needed shut-eye, JetBlue has also collaborated with Tuft & Needle, one of the digitally native mattress companies that pioneered the bed-in-a-box trend, to develop a cohesive sleep experience onboard. The new sleep-gear includes a convertible blanket with a built-in foot pocket, a memory foam lined pillow with a pillowcase and snooze kits that include a matching eye mask and ear plugs in a stylish grey colour.
Making a statement that they do things differently, JetBlue also is putting a fresh spin on the traditional airline amenity kit with the introduction of its new “wellness kit” concept – a very apt evolution for 2021.
Developed in partnership with Wanderfuel, the airline’s four wellness kits will pamper customers with a rotating selection of healthy snacks, supplements and personal care items designed to help customers feel their best throughout their entire travel journey which vary depending on the route and time of flight.
Travellers will receive one of a total of four kits: Awake, for breakfast and morning flights; Flow, for lunch and dinner flights; Sleep, for shuteye flights; and Renewal, for Caribbean flights.
While this latest news hints that there is even more to come with the launch of their 2021 trans-Atlantic city pairs, these current product refreshes will be welcome, especially against a backdrop of 2020, where so much of the passenger experience has been stripped back unfairly because of COVID-19 fears – although we think it’s more to do with cash conservation, albeit a worthy reason in itself.
It seems we are entering a honeymoon period of 2020, where airlines are now putting their best foot forward in trying not only to bring back the passenger experience we we’re once used to, but also enhancing it – where possible – to win back market share in 2021.
The Big ‘Mint’ Picture
TheDesignAir 