Review of JetBlue Airways flight F. Lauderdale → Los Angeles in Business

This was my first time trying JetBlue's Mint cabin, so I was super excited since I've now flown on premium cabins on AA, DL and UA. I can confidently say that based on my experience, JetBlue's hard and soft product shines the brightest.

I was traveling back from Fort Lauderdale on a business trip and found availability on this flight using my American Airlines AAdvantage miles. These are some of the most useful miles in the industry, in my opinion. The cost of the redemption was 65,000 miles plus a $5.60 fee. Considering you can sometimes pay 40 - 50k for transcon business I may have overpaid a bit, but the flight lived up to the cost!

The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area features three airports, with FLL being a major hub for JetBlue and Spirit. I arrived about 2 hours before departure and briskly walked through TSA Precheck with no issues. The one thing JetBlue lacks is a lounge, even some sort of makeshift space would be nice. The airport was packed with travelers given the busy 4th of July weekend, and delays impacted quite a few flights including my own. We ended up departing about 40 minutes late.

Mint, Mosaic and AAdvantage elite members were invited to board first, and I got my first glimpse of this cabin. JetBlue has already introduced a new seat in Mint, but this one has held up quite well. The blue mood lighting really set the tone for the experience, and the seat was ample and comfortable. The monitor, while not high definition, was good enough for watching movies and could be controlled via touch.

While no pre-departure beverage was offered, there was a bottle of water available in a small nook to the left of the seat. Speaking of the seat, JetBlue has been very thoughtful with their storage options. Below the monitor is a small mesh pull-out pocket, and to the left of the seat is a cubby where you can store larger devices. Not one, not two, but 3 (!!) power outlets are provided in this seat, which is actually the Mint Studio (I had no one sitting next to me). There was also a door that the flight attendants closed in between service. 

Pulling out the tray table was easy, and controlling the seat was also a breeze (note: the massage function does not work). Overhead, an air nozzle and lighting were also available. The button to call the flight attendants was behind the seat itself.

Overall, this was a very thoughtfully designed hard product and possibly the best way to fly between the coasts. There were 2 flight attendants working in Mint and service was always excellent. One final note about the Mint Studio - it features two windows as well!

I liked how the menus were presented (separate ones for drinks and food).

I ended up going with the white wine, Notte Salata Falanghina 2021. I couldn't find the exact bottle online, but it had a great mouthfeel.

The pour was generous, and the wine was served with salted Marcona almonds which were amazing, and almost filled me up before the meal.

JetBlue's approach to catering is fantastic because you can pick 3 dishes from a selection of 5, and each dish can be slightly customizable. I went with the tomato and cucumber soup, the cavatelli, and the pork shoulder.

Everything was served all at once. I chose to start with the cavatelli, then the pork shoulder and then the soup since it was served chilled. Included with the dishes was a ramekin with olive oil, Maldon salt, and Calabrian chili oil (which I added to the cavatelli). Everything tasted restaurant-quality. This was probably the best meal I've ever had on a plane, to be honest. It really puts other US carriers to shame. The cavatelli had a wonderful tomato ragu (I skipped the parm), the pork shoulder was divine (with the red pepper sauce's sweetness contrasting with the saltiness of the pork) and the soup was a perfect conclusion since it refreshed my palate. I also appreciated the warm bread and dipped it in the oil and the tomato ragu. Bravo JetBlue, I was truly floored with this dinner! 

After dinner, I went with dessert which was a vanilla gelato served with preserved blueberries and almond crunch. Again, divine taste and a perfect way to finish off the meal! I'm so used to chocolate for dessert so this was a welcome respite. It would be amazing if they could offer an alternative dessert for vegans. 

I do want to commend JetBlue for their bedding from Tuft and Needle. The blanket and pillow were quite comfortable and I appreciated that they weren't wrapped in plastic! 

Here's a quick snapshot of the different seat functions.

After dinner, I watched The Whale featuring Brendan Fraser, one of the best films I've seen in the last few years. I took a short nap afterwards and soon enough, we landed at LAX about 30 minutes after our estimated arrival time. It was quite foggy that night!