Full disclosure: writing a JetBlue Mint Suites review is pretty much as good as it gets for an airline reviewer such as myself. I apologize in advance for any childish displays of excitement from this point forward. With that out of the way…

I’ve always been a really big fan of JetBlue Mint. As a matter of fact, I named it the best domestic first class product of all time. I’m happy to report that the next iteration of JetBlue Mint solidifies their position as being numero uno in my book.

< immature commentary > The Suites are totally sweet! < / immature commentary >

B6424
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – New York, NY (JFK)
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Aircraft: A321neo
Registration: N2105J
Duration: 5 hours 31 minutes
Seat: 7A (Mint / business class)

JetBlue A321neo side view illustration by Norebbo.com

B6424 flight track — Our route from Los Angeles to New York today as B6424

The video

The problem with making a video about the all new JetBlue Mint Suites is that it’s hard to capture everything in less than 15 minutes. I tried my best, and this is the result:

As you can see, it was an incredible experience. It sure didn’t feel like it at the time though. I walked off that flight feeling like I only captured a fraction of what I wanted to. Oh well.

A full review of the JetBlue Mint Suites from Los Angeles to New York (JFK)

Launched in the summer of 2021 as their first international business class product, the all new JetBlue Mint Suites are a fantastic evolution of the domestic Mint product. The seats are more private, the food is better, and the onboard service is just as good as it’s always been. But enough of me yappin’. Let’s just get into it:

Does JetBlue offer lounge access at LAX?

No. They don’t. As a matter fact, that’s one of the biggest negatives about flying JetBlue Mint. However, if you’re flying out of LAX like I did, I have a solution for you:

Go hang out in the all new West gates at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. This is a lightly-used terminal at the moment, and you’ll find more peace and quiet over there then you will in any lounge. There’s no food though. You’re gonna have to bring your own.

West gates Tom Bradley International Terminal — The all new West gates at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (the unofficial JetBlue Mint Lounge at LAX). If you can keep this a secret, I’d highly appreciate it. Thanks.

SANspotter selfie west gates TBIT LAX — The only thing that have could made this better was a minty-flavored drink in my hand (I had to settle for dreaming about one instead). By the way, I had nearly 3 hours to kill. If you read my post explaining why 1 hour layovers at LAX are easy, you’ll know that this was slightly excessive. And boring.

What terminal does JetBlue use at LAX?

JetBlue currently uses Terminal 5 at LAX. Which is weird to me considering that it’s always been the home of Delta Air Lines (to me anyway).

Terminal 5 is noisy, crowded, and it’s really hard to find any amount of peace and quiet. The following pictures describe my experience waiting for this flight to New York to board.

Terminal 5 skylight LAX — Back to reality in Terminal 5. Saying that I was a hot sweaty mess after walking here from the International Terminal is an understatement. Sheesh.

walking to gate terminal 5 LAX — That heartbreaking moment when you realize that there’s still a bit of walking to do to reach your gate.

Gate 55A Terminal 5 LAX — Gate 55A. I made it! What do you suppose JetBlue’s policy is on sweaty passengers? I need to go find a fan to sit in front of…

I wasn’t able to find a fan, but I did find this: my ride to JFK this morning. *A NEO Mintality!* Clever – and it makes me think how awesome it would be to hire the JetBlue branding team to caption my trip report photos.

waiting for JetBlue flight at LAX terminal 5 — Dear JetBlue: please (pretty please) consider offering lounge access for Mint customers in the future. Preferably one with ice-cold air conditioning.

The boarding process for flight number 452 to New York

The departure gate for today’s flight was 55B. It’s located at the far end of Terminal 5, wedged so far back into a corner that you’ll never find without doing a bit of jungle-like exploration (with machetes and all). Seriously – you can’t even see this gate from the main (center section) of the terminal.

JetBlue Mint Suites mobile boarding pass — The anticipation here is next-level serious. I’ve waited a long time for this moment!

small LAX jet bridge — I’ve never thought about it before, but these jet bridges have to be absolute torture for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. I couldn’t care less though. The only thing on my mind is how freaking awesome the next 5 and a half hours are going to be.

JetBlue A321neo boarding door — I dare you to yank on that handle.

My first impressions of the all new JetBlue Mint Suites

If you’re wondering, yes, the JetBlue Suites look just as great in person as they do in pictures and video. I had been drooling over the seats online in the weeks leading up to this flight, and stepping aboard this A321neo featuring the all new JetBlue business class was just as good as I hoped it would be.

JetBlue Mint Suites first impression — You just know it’s going to be a good flight when you can actually feel the mood lighting seeping into your skin. You’re not going to experience this in United 767-300 business class!

Jetblue mint suite seat 7A — Seat 7A. The guy in 8A has obviously heard about me wants no involvement in this review. I don’t blame him.

Jetblue mint suite privacy — This is what you’ll see (and can’t see) in a seated position. The privacy is spot-on – though not as private as the Delta One A330-900 Suite IMHO.

Jetblue mint suites cabin — You’ll have to pop your head up to see over the walls, and even then…you still can’t see anything (or anyone). Introverts rejoice!

Jetblue mint suite storage bins — Now that I’ve confirmed that nobody can see me acting like a total dork, I can confidently start taking pics of all the bins and containers.

Jetblue mint complimentary water bottle — Complimentary full-size bottles of water. None of that half-bottle **** that you’ll get in American Airlines 787-9 business class.

Jetblue mint suite seat controls — Buttons. Buttons and switches galore.

Jetblue mint suites power outlets — Check out the cord-wrap thingy on the main power port panel. Somebody was using their noggin’!

Jetblue mint suites leg room — Much better leg room than the old Mint seats. But not enough room to fully man-spread (which is a good thing). Have I convinced you that business class is absolutely worth it sometimes?

SANspotter selfie jetblue mint suites — This is going to be a good flight.

Jetblue mint suites cleanliness — It wasn’t perfect though. If these crumbs weren’t disgusting enough…

Dirty jetblue mint cabin — …I present to you the dirty sock wedged between my seat and the sidewall.

Dirty jetblue mint seat — Seriously – with all they tell us about disinfecting aircraft between flights, this pretty much proves that we’re being fed a line of horse ****.

Despite all the gunk in and around my seat, it was really difficult for me to be critical of anything. I mean, the seats are amazing, and light years better then the next best domestic US premium seat (United 777-200 domestic first class).

What kind of amenities will you get with the JetBlue Mint Suites?

JetBlue has always been generous when it comes to amenities in Mint business class. The noise canceling headphones are usually excellent, and the amenity kits are always stuffed with useful goodies. Here’s what we got on this flight:

Jetblue mint headphones — Master & Dynamic noise canceling headphones. With a stern warning not to walk off with them. Or else! (At least that’s what it *should* say)

Jetblue mint environmentally friendly amenity kit — Finally! Environmentally friendly amenity kit packaging. I thought it was a cookie at first, but whatever.

Jetblue mint amenity kit contents — The contents of the amenity kit. No cookies to be found, but everything else looks great. JetBlue socks are awesome by the way (I still have the pair from my last Mint flight).

How are the JetBlue Mint Suites different from the old seats?

The biggest difference is that the new seats are far more private than the old / original seats. When I first flew JetBlue Mint in 2016, I thought it was the most private and exclusive domestic business class seat that I had ever experienced. Which was totally true. However, things are different now. In a good way. Check this out:

The new JetBlue Mint Suites feature a wireless charging mat for your mobile phone. The previous version did not.
The video screens in the suites are much larger.
There’s more ambient mood lighting in the new Suites (which you can turn off if you find it to be annoying).
The privacy door is taller.
Leg room is better. You’ll no longer have to rest your feet on an inclined surface like you did in the old seats.
The seats angle inwards, away from the windows. Honestly, I found this to be slightly annoying even though it was still impossible to see any other passengers while in a seated position.

SANspotter thumbs up jetblue mint suites — Visual confirmation from your boy SANspotter that the new Suites are the best JetBlue seats yet. It’s precisely why you didn’t see me give this sort of enthusiastic thumbs up in my United 787-8 business class review. It’s reserved for special occasions!

The departure sequence out of Los Angeles

For as large of an airport that LAX is, taxi times are relatively short. The total time from pushback to take off was less than 10 minutes, which is typical of most other flights I’ve been on out of LAX.

I think I found the fan I was looking for earlier. A321neo Pratt & Whitney engines are **beefy!**

Jetblue mint inward facing seats — It’s a good thing that these suites are so beautiful. Otherwise, I’d be miffed about inward facing seats that make looking out the windows difficult!

Jetblue A321neo taxiing for departing at LAX — Cranking my head around to bring you hot LAX taxi action. This is hurting my neck though, so I’d recommend watching the full takeoff video below:

What is video entertainment like in the new JetBlue Suites?

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I don’t have the required attention span to focus on the video entertainment system while sitting in a seat like this. I may look calm and cool on the outside, from the inside, my mind is racing at 200 miles an hour trying to soak everything in.

That being said, I want to make this JetBlue Mint Suites review as thorough as I can. Let me show you what I discovered about the entertainment system in the brief few minutes I played with it…

Jetblue video entertainment home screen — I like the new home screens! Everything seems fairly well organized, but you know me…

Jetblue video entertainment in flight map — …this is what I came here to see.

Jetblue Picture in Picture video entertainment — For those of you who can’t decide between watching the in flight map or a movie, JetBlue has the ultimate solution for you: a floating map that can be placed anywhere on the screen.

Jetblue live TV menu — This picture might imply that I’m browsing the live Direct TV offerings, but…we’re about to cross over the Nevada state line and there’s no way I’m gonna miss that.

Jetblue mint suites video entertainment remote control — Based on the dirty sock and piles of crumbs I found around my seat…was it a good idea to hold this remote with my bare hands?

How good is the food in JetBlue Mint these days?

Not only are the seats new, but JetBlue has totally reconfigured the menu for Mint business class. Yes, the food was really good before, but now it’s nothing short of spectacular.

As usual, they present you with a list of five entrées in the menu. You can pick three, along with a dessert.

Jetblue mint suites menu — The menu for today’s flight. It’s hard to read because of the deep blue mood lighting, but it doesn’t matter. I’m fairly certain that everything on this menu is phenomenal.

Jetblue mint suites drink menu — The drink menu. Again, hard to read, but equally hard to make a bad choice.

Jetblue mint condition drink — I went with the Mint Condition. Along with what I assume are the source of the crumbs I found earlier.

SANspotter eating snack jetblue mint — *“We meet again…”*

Jetblue mint suites lunch — Now THAT’S how business class food is done. Bravo!

Jetblue mint suites food — The fact that this is domestic business class food is what’s most impressive to me. I’ve had international business class food that wasn’t anywhere near this good.

Jetblue mint suites food close up — I lack the vocabulary to eloquently describe how this tasted. “Holy ****” is all I’ve got. This is easily on par with the food I showed you in my Starlux Airlines business class review.

SANspotter eating jetblue mint suites — If I had one complaint, it was that they served the ice cream with the meal (they didn’t do that when I flew JetBlue Mint in 2017). You gotta eat fast if you want solid ice cream for dessert.

Are the JetBlue Mint Suites good for sleeping?

If there’s one thing that didn’t quite live up to my expectations with the all new JetBlue Mint product, it was the comfort of the seats in a lie-flat position. I had a bit of a hard time getting comfortable. The seats felt somewhat narrow, and it was hard to move around while laying down.

In comparison, Delta One 767-400 seats are better. American Airlines 777-200 business class seats were far better. Neither of those two are as private as the JetBlue seat, but they are better for sleeping in my opinion.

Relaxing in jetblue mint suites — An added benefit of a suite with a door is that nobody can judge you for your poor taste in movies. I would have preferred not to admit that I watched “You’ve Got Mail” in it’s entirety on this flight, but the pics prove otherwise. Dang.

JetBlue mint suites bed — This is not a seat for those who tend to thrash around in their sleep. It so tight in here that you may just end up with a black eye (or two).

SANspotter sleeping jetblue mint suites — At least nobody can see me taking sleep selfies. Because that would be embarrassing.

Jetblue mint suites footwell — **Good news:** The footwell is much larger than it was in the old seats. **Bad news:** I’m not wearing my new JetBlue socks.

Jetblue mint suites and video screen — Now if only the people in the last two rows would shut their window blinds, this would be perfect.

Final thoughts about flying the JetBlue Mint Suites from Los Angeles to New York

Flying time between Los Angeles and New York was just a tick over 5 hours. Despite being somewhat disappointed with how comfortable these seats are to sleep in, it was a fantastic experience overall.

The cabin crew was extremely attentive, the food was restaurant quality, and the privacy of the Suites are unmatched on any domestic US airline. JetBlue Mint is still my favorite transcontinental business class product in the United States.

And now let’s bring this bad boy home to New York…

Jetblue mint A321neo lavatory — You wanted to see the toilet, didn’t you?

Jetblue mint A321neo lavatory SANspotter selfie — *“Ta-daaa!”*

Jetblue mint suites view from front — A look straight down the aisle of this A321neo on the way back from the forward lavatory. And I still can’t see anyone! By the way, if you’re curious what basic economy is like on these airplanes, do be sure to read my JetBlue A321neo basic economy review. It’s better than you might think it is…

Jetblue mint windows A321neo — If it wasn’t obvious by now, there are two windows for every suite. Yes, you’ll have to crank your head around to see them, but they are there.

Jetblue A321neo engine and wing — I hurt my neck to get you this pic. And it was totally worth it.

Jetblue mint suites pre landing snack — Just a pic of my nuts (this was our pre-landing snack).

Full moon over New York City — Check out that moon over New York City!

Jetblue A321neo landing at JFK airport — Twisting and turning our way into JFK through light rain showers. Be sure to watch the video to see this landing in motion…

Jetblue mint landing at JFK — Yes. This flight was too short. And my neck still hurts.

Jetblue A321neo engine and wing JFK airport — That view! And…my neck!

Jetblue mint suites interior — And there we go. What a flight! The only way I can think of ending this is to say: RIP Delta One. Ain’t nobody doing it as good as JetBlue is these days.

Pros and cons of the JetBlue Mint Suites

Taking this flight from LAX to JFK was a real eye-opener for me. I knew it was going to be a great experience, but it helped me to expose some of the things that aren’t so great about the Suites. Things I hadn’t even considered from just looking at pictures of it online:

Pros

The seats are extremely private. In a seated position, it’s impossible to see any other passenger in the cabin.
The wireless charging mat for mobile phones is extremely convenient.
The food! JetBlue Mint food has always been very good, and I’m happy to report that it’s even better in this new update. There’s no airline in the US doing food better than JetBlue right now. Period. For proof of this (with pictures) I dare you to check out my JetBlue vs United comparison.
The new video screens are a huge upgrade from the old screens. These are larger, brighter, and much more responsive.
Service from the cabin crew was nothing short of spectacular. They were up and about for the entire flight, refilling drinks and making sure that everybody had what they needed. Stuff like that is why I rank JetBlue so highly on my list of the best domestic airlines.

Cons

All seats in the Mint cabin face inward (similar to what I experienced in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class in 2016). You’re going to have to crank your head around pretty far to look out the window.
The seats felt extremely narrow to me. They are not as horizontally spacious as the old (original) single-suite seats.
Although this will vary from flight to flight, the cleanliness of the cabin was questionable. There were cookie crumbs and drink stains everywhere around my seat. I even found a dirty sock crammed between the seat and the sidewall. Eww.

JetBlue Mint Suites review: “wow” doesn’t even begin to describe it!

Airline Reviews Scott (SANspotter)

Comments (2)

Miguel

October 11, 2021


Any comparison to American Airlines a321T , Flagship First or Business on the same route?
- Scott (SANspotter)
  
  October 11, 2021
  
  
  It’s been a few years since I’ve flown on the AA A321T in Flagship First, but from what I recall, I think the new Mint Suites are better (mostly because they are far more private). And there’s no comparison when it comes to food – JetBlue has always been better than AA in that regard. The only thing where I think AA does it better is the ground experience. Their Flagship lounges are nice!