New York-based JetBlue has today revealed the stunning seats it will offer its passengers between the US and Europe onboard its A321LRs. The airline, set to arrive in London for the first time this summer, has upped its game with suites for its premium passengers, complete with a sliding privacy door. Even better, for those passengers in row 1 of the cabin, a brand new Mint Studio will offer more real estate and a bigger bed than any other US airline has today.

JetBlue’s transatlantic Mint cabin revealed

At long last, JetBlue has finally revealed the styling of its highly anticipated Mint cabin for its new transatlantic services. The airline has gone with the Thompson Aero Vantage SOLO for the seat, a reverse herringbone cabin layout for maximum capacity, and a gamechanging ‘studio’ up front. Every passenger in the Mint cabin will be welcomed with more privacy, more space and lie flat comfort at every seat.

But the real gamechanger is that studio. In the first row of every A321LR, passengers can enjoy the biggest lie-flat bed and more real estate than any other US carrier. The product looks stunning, and at JetBlue’s affordable premium prices, it’s sure to become the best way to cross the Atlantic by far.

Mint Suite - Front View
A suite for everyone, complete with a door. Photo: JetBlue

Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer at JetBlue, commented on the new seat, saying,

“Mint was an idea to make premium travel across the U.S. less stuffy and more affordable, and its performance has exceeded even our most optimistic expectations of going beyond New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“It’s remarkable how Mint’s thoughtful design has resonated with customers as we successfully grew it to more than 30 routes. We put our heart into this redesign of Mint and were inspired by our original vision of offering customers an exceptional experience at a lower fare – which is what JetBlue is all about.”

The reimagined Mint is the first major overhaul of JetBlue’s popular premium product, and was undertaken in partnership with Acumen Design Associates. The 24 seat cabin will take flight on JetBlue’s transatlantic flights this summer, and a smaller layout will just 16 seats will appear on a limited selection of New York to Los Angeles services later this year.

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Let’s tour the seat

The original concept for the Thompson Aero SOLO seat was developed some years ago by Factorydesign, the UK based design house that brought us the Delta One Suite and China Eastern’s ‘Air Living Room.’ The concept was picked up by Thompson for production, but JetBlue has taken the product and delivered its own twist on the solution.

The original concept from Factorydesign is in production with Thompson Aero, but JetBlue has put its own unique twist on the design. Photo: Factorydesign

For passengers flying the A321LR between North America and Europe, every seat will now be a suite. In JetBlue’s current Mint cabin, only four seats are a true 1-1 suite, with the other 12 arranged in a 2-2 layout. For transatlantic, JetBlue has given every passenger a seat to themselves, complete with a fully flat bed and a door for optimum privacy.

Mint Suites - Aerial
The cabin will have 24 Mint Suites in a 1-1 layout. Photo: JetBlue

The seats themselves are arranged in a reverse herringbone layout, with 24 in each cabin. In line with the refresh of its Mint soft products revealed last year, JetBlue has gone with Tuft & Needle for its sleep experience. Each seat is layered with T&N Adaptive foam and a breathable cover for a cool and comfortable rest. Accompanying this is the convertible blanket with foot pocket, a memory foam-lined pillow, and a snooze kit with eye mask and earplugs.

Mint Suite - Tuft & Needle Sleep Experience
Tuft & Needle bedding completes the sleep experience. Photo: JetBlue

For a truly premium experience, the bulkhead row offers a significant upgrade from the already exemplary seats further back. This first row, dubbed the Mint Studio, offers a ridiculous amount of space and privacy, with an additional bench seat for a guest to join you for dinner and a movie or simply for the passenger to enjoy a change of position.

Mint Studio - Seated View
The Mint Studio offers a ridiculous amount of real estate... remember, this is a narrowbody aircraft! Photo: JetBlue

As well as additional space in the studio, passengers can enjoy a larger 22-inch tilting Thales AVANT seatback screen and an extra side table for added productivity. With only two onboard each of the A321s, these seats are going to be in high demand, so get your booking in early!

Throughout the cabin, JetBlue has added its own custom touches to improve the experience and bring light into the environment. Pattered door shrouds with the signature Mint leaf create brand authenticity, while residential touches such as concrete lampshades and vegan leather-covered seats take homely comforts to the next level. The airline also teases a ‘first of its kind’ mood lighting, which we can wait to see in practice.

Mint Studio - Tuft & Needle Sleep Experience
JetBlue says the Studio offers the biggest bed of any US carrier. Photo: JetBlue

A revolution in single-aisle comfort

A spacious, full length lie flat seat is usually the preserve of the widebody passenger. However, with more long-range narrowbody aircraft entering the market, and even more capable aircraft in the future, making passengers comfortable on smaller planes is a challenge seat manufactures are keen to delve into.

We’ve already seen a solution from STELIA Aerospace, with its ‘Opera’ seat offering another take on the premium narrowbody cabin. However, in our opinion, the SOLO product with its aisle facing convenience has the edge, and is a top choice for JetBlue’s transatlantic launch.

Stelia OPERA seat
Stelia OPERA has a similar herringbone design, but with seats facing the windows. Photo: Stelia Aerospace

Factorydesign, creators of the original concept for the Thompson SOLO, told Simple Flying,

“From the moment back in 2014 when we realised there the opportunity to create a bespoke, lie-flat, direct aisle business class seat, optimised for narrowbody aircraft, we were confident it would fly one day. 

"We are delighted that Thompson Aero shared our vision and brought SOLO to market, and excited that JetBlue have selected it for their transatlantic service.  We have no doubt that JetBlue have created their own distinctive version of SOLO, and can’t wait to experience flying in this unique, ground-breaking cabin.”

JetBlue will debut the seat on its transatlantic service to London later this year. With a promise of optimal comfort, exemplary services and rock bottom prices, JetBlue looks set to disrupt the transatlantic market in a way we’ve never seen before.

Excited? We are! Let us know what you think about the new seat in the comments.