JetBlue Announces First Class Domestic Seating Starting In 2026

JetBlue has published their Q3 2025 results, revealing somewhat mixed results.

Available seating capacity is up 0.9% while Cost per Available Seat Mile (CASM) went down 0.1% year over year. Even though the earnings per share is still in the red at -$0.40, it was slightly better than the predicted -$0.43 per share.

While it is good to see that they are getting a handle on their expenditure, they noted revenue of $2.3 billion, which is 1.8% less than what was logged for the same period last year. It’s going to take JetBlue some time to get out of the trenches, but with that said, there are two interesting developments to note.

First class domestic seating is coming in 2026

In December, insiders suggested that JetBlue was exploring the possibility of including a domestic first class cabin on its non-Mint aircraft in hopes of capitalizing on the shift towards premium travel.

Almost a year later and we finally have confirmation as JetBlue has announced that it will launch first-class domestic recliner style seating starting in 2026. They plan to outfit 25% of its non-Mint aircraft by the end of 2026, with the expectation of finishing the majority of the remaining non-Mint aircraft by the end of 2027.

JetBlue hasn’t provided additional details, but they will outfit these cabins with Collis Aerospace MiQ recliner seats. Many airlines use the MiQ line either to outfit business class cabins on narrowbodies or premium economy cabins on widebodies.

Credit: Collins Aerospace

“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away”, or will it be “the airline taketh away” because JetBlue does not plan on reducing its seating capacity to accommodate these roomier seats. While not officially official, they are looking to trim seat pitch in their economy cabin to make room for these new recliners.  

Economy seating will go down from 32 to 30 inches. That’s a major blow for the airline as JetBlue has built its name on offering slightly more comfortable economy cabins. However, 30 inches is within the industry standard and I don’t foresee passengers bailing en masse over two inches.

Here’s what the before and after could look like.

More focus on Ft. Lauderdale

Over the years, JetBlue’s presence in Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) has seen some shrinkage. Now it looks like they’ll be doing a 180, with plans to introduce 17 new flights out of the sunshine state’s hub by the end of 2025.

Credit: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked

They will also increase frequency on 12 high-demand routes by the end of the year as well, with overall plans to increase capacity by more than 35% year over year. Ft. Lauderdale will also see an increase in Mint business class capacity, with plans to offer over 25 daily flights daily. This is being made possible as the carrier is also establishing a Mint crew base in the FLL area, creating more jobs for South Floridians.   

Besides these two points, JetBlue has also confirmed that they will open lounges at both its New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS) hubs, with plans to offer access to Mint customers traveling to Europe, as well premium tier JetBlue credit card holders, Mosaic 4 and higher status members, and those who buy yearly membership.

Unfortunately, Mint customers flying within the United States still won’t have complimentary access. This most likely due to limited space at the lounge, and inconsistencies with no lounge access at its other major Mint locations.

Add as preferred source on Google Follow on WhatsApp