The global health crisis has upended traditional norms of travel. For over a year, various airlines experimented with measures like blocked middle seats and masks became a part of the travel experience. However, one significant change in the airline world was the rise of premium leisure. Every airline has taken a different approach to premium travel, though JetBlue believes that staying the course it has set is the way to go.
JetBlue believes it is in a good position to capture premium leisure demand
JetBlue was asked about how it thought about its products in relation to capturing premium leisure demand. President and Chief Operating Officer Joanna Geraghty stated the following:
"At the end of the day, our product offering is far superior to what other carriers are currently out there offering with regard to sort of that premium core coach customer. Even More Space, the free WiFi, most legroom in coach, I mean we like to think that our Core offering really taps into sort of this leisure customer that's willing to spend a bit more for more in exchange."
Of course, this is barring JetBlue's Mint cabin, which is comparable to business class on other carriers. However, Mint is not widespread throughout the JetBlue fleet. It is found on select aircraft and primarily reserved for travel on transcontinental flights, select longer leisure routes, and, of course, for flights to London on the Airbus A321LR.
Premium leisure demand exists in a wide array of markets. JetBlue highlighted Florida, where it believed it had a strong holiday period and believes it offers a product for this array of customers. Note that JetBlue also offers seatback entertainment screens at every seat for all passengers across its fleet.
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Mint performs well
The flagship premium product that JetBlue offers is called its Mint cabin. This cabin includes lie-flat seating and is reserved for a select number of JetBlue's routes. Note that the airline has two different Mint hard products. One is a newer product with an all-aisle-acccess configuration, while the other is in a staggered configuration with alternate paired and throne-style seats.
Mint has been performing well for JetBlue. The airline is waiting on some of the larger, higher-yield business traffic to come back, but it is, overall, performing well in the JetBlue system. Mint is also part of the airline's long-term strategy when it comes to entering premium markets. CEO Robin Hayes indicated that Mint was one of the shining reasons that JetBlue's New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) has performed well, and post-Mint, JFK to LAX went from one of the lower-tier performing routes in the carrier's network to one of the best.
No other first class product for now
For most of JetBlue's routes, the top product available is the carrier's "Even More Space" offering, which is broadly comparable to extra-legroom economy on other carriers. Unlike other airlines, JetBlue does not offer a recliner-style domestic business class product like American or Delta. Based on these comments, JetBlue feels relatively secure in its offering.
JetBlue is not going after the same kind of premium traveler that other airlines are. Its corporate exposure is mostly centered around the New York and Boston consumer, and it is not yet targeting connecting traffic where a premium offering on an entire itinerary is more important. Mint is available on many of those most premium routes, namely San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. However, on many of JetBlue's shorter routes, this is not necessarily a huge drawback. Time will tell if JetBlue thinks it has to revamp its strategy, though for now, it is planning on sticking with its offerings.