JetBlue Put a Mattress Company in Charge of Its First Class

JetBlue has revealed the details of BlueFirst, the domestic first-class cabin it expects to put into service later this year. It is the airline’s first true first-class product for its mainline domestic network, and the most visible piece of a strategy that has already brought lounges and a premium credit card to a carrier that spent two decades positioning itself as the friendly disruptor rather than the premium option.

The seat is the headline. BlueFirst is arranged two-by-two, with five inches of recline and up to seven inches of additional legroom compared with JetBlue’s economy seats. The cushioning uses T&N Flex foam supplied by the mattress company Tuft & Needle, an unusual choice of partner that JetBlue chief executive Joanna Geraghty said was meant to make the cabin feel different from the moment a passenger sits down. Each seat gets a 13.3-inch seatback screen with Bluetooth pairing for wireless headphones, plus USB-A, USB-C and 110-volt AC power.

The service is where JetBlue is trying something genuinely new. Passengers order food and drinks through the seatback screen, and an interactive mixologist mode lets them build a cocktail by choosing a spirit, a mixer and flavorings before sending the order to the crew. Meals arrive in a bento-inspired box under a program JetBlue calls FirstFare; on flights of 899 miles or longer each selection includes an entree, a side and a dessert, with options such as sweet or savory crepes and sesame noodles with beef or tofu. Overnight flyers get a blanket and a snooze kit.

What JetBlue has not said is where any of this will fly. Initial routes and booking availability have not been announced, and the cabin will roll out aircraft by aircraft rather than fleetwide on day one. The first BlueFirst-equipped jet is expected to enter service before the end of the year.

Sources: Travel Weekly, The Points Guy