JetBlue Announces New “BlueFirst” Domestic First Class Product

It’s finally coming together. Two years ago, leaked documents suggested that JetBlue was interested in expanding its premium offering, with plans to include recliner domestic first class-style seats on their fleet of non-Mint aircraft.

Over time, those rumors were confirmed to be true via a number of earnings calls. Even though specs about the actual seats are still scarce, we finally have name for the new fare class. Dubbed “BlueFirst”, JetBlue once again confirms that these recline seats will be installed on all its non-Mint aircraft.

They have also announced a simplified two-step booking engine. In the first step, users will be given the option to choose from one of the three experiences (Main, EvenMore or BlueFirst on non-Mint and Main, EvenMore or Mint on Mint aircraft). From there, they will choose a corresponding fare type, whether it be Base, Standard or Flex. For instance, Base does not include seat selection, and has a separate change/cancellation fee. You also earn just one TrueBlue point per $1 spend.

“With the introduction of BlueFirst and our recently improved EvenMore experience, we want to make sure customers can easily find the JetBlue experiences they are looking for,” said Marty St. George, president of JetBlue. “In two simple clicks, customers will be able to book what’s right for them. First, the onboard experience, and then the fare option depending on their preferences around seat selection and refundability.”

According to the rumor mill, JetBlue should start rolling these seats out from the second half of 2026, with plans to outfit around 20% of its non-Mint fleet by the end of the year, and covering the vast majority of its aircraft by the end of 2027.

JetBlue is also expected to utilize the very popular Collins Aerospace MiQ recliner seats, featured on a truckload of carriers across the globe in both the business class (and first class domestic) cabins on narrowbodies, and in Premium Economy cabins on a number of widebody operators.

Credit: Collins Aerospace

The carrier also plans to keep its seat count as similar as possible to the present configuration, meaning both Main (or Core as it’s currently called) and EvenMore will see some loss in seat pitch. JetBlue is known for its more spacious economy cabins, but the airline will most likely end up offering the same space like other U.S. legacy carriers, taking away that advantage.

However, I think the move is a good one as the airline has been bleeding money since the start of the pandemic. They’ve also had to deal with multiple aircraft being grounded as a result of the Pratt and Whitney PW1000G engine issues. The market has generally shifted towards wanting more premium offerings, so it fits in perfectly with this trend. Will it be enough to curb the loss? Only time will tell.

Sign up for the free Gate Checked newsletter here sent three times weekly.

View All and Comment