Review of JetBlue Airways flight from Bridgetown to New York in Business

Intro

Oh no, it's time to leave the Caribbean🥴. Well, after a lovely time exploring the countries of Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados, I had an absolute treat waiting for me on my return to New York. Jetblue primarily serves transcon routes and a few transatlantic with their A321s that feature mint. However, with business demand low on Saturdays, Jetblue is able to add some mint routes down to the Caribbean, and that is what I would be on today🙂.

The Palms Resort Barbados: 

This flight was nothing short of impeccable and shows why, on a good day, Jetblue might be one of the best ways to cross the US in a premium cabin. With an unbelievable lead flight attendant, local food from the Caribbean, an early arrival, free-flowing booze, and a comfy throne seat, my only complaint is that it didn't last longer. 

How I Booked

If you have been following along this journey throughout the Caribbean, you might have gathered that this was supposed to be a mother-and-son outing to Grenada. That was until my mum got COVID before departure, and I had to shift everything around. Originally, we had both booked economy to head back from Grenada to New York for 500$ per person, and since we canceled, I just used that credit to book this flight in Mint for 828$. 

Ticket can be found for as low as 611, and if you are thinking about using miles: unfortunately, this falls just over the 2000 NM threshold (boo). 

Check-In

Following a lovely lunch at Bean n Bagel, it was time to embark on the long drive to the airport, taking in the scenes of Barbados.

Eventually, I arrived at this very large and commercial airport (in comparison to POS and GND). Having never flown out of Bridgetown, I thought it would be smaller and right in line with Port of Spain as an example. I was very wrong…

BA flies twice daily Dreamliners to Bridgetown, including a First Class. There must be quite the market!

The Jetblue counter is located tucked away in the back corner. For passengers traveling in Mint, there is a separate check-in line with far fewer people. 

The agents asked me for all of my details, and eventually, my boarding pass was issued!

The Airport Fiasco

Immigration and security were extremely efficient at this hour, with both VS and BA operating flights, so I was through to have a beer in no time at all.

Oh, how relaxing life was, enjoying a beer in the Caribbean and laughing with those around me. That was until the fire alarm went off🥴, and the whole airport was taken to the far corner of the terminal and some outside🤦‍♂️.

All of the shops closed their windows as it was mandated, and I made my way over. After 15 minutes, the fire alarm stopped, thankfully. Apparently, there was a problem with the airport's electrical system, and there wasn't actually a fire going on, but who really knows what the cause was…

BA 78X

Boarding

Everything is very laid back in the Caribbean (it's really island life and I love it), and this also applies to boarding this Jetblue bird, apparently. At about 4:40 pm local time, I headed over to the gate, walked up, and scanned my boarding pass. While I don't think they had begun boarding, they somehow let me on the plane😅.

From my recollection, all gates at BGI are remote gates. That meant a beautiful look at our aircraft, "The EleMint of Suprise," up close and in person. 

Stepping onboard, I was greeted by one of the most amazing flight attendants, Jordan. 

The Seat/Cabin

Flights to the Caribbean are a bit different than transcon tickets. A lot of the customers are traveling with someone else, and therefore, most of the dual pairs of seats are booked. When booking (3 days prior), I found the option of either 4A or 4F and selected 4A. Weirdly, the whole first row went out empty…

Finally, I am the first one onboard, so I can get some great cabin shots, or so I thought😅.

Seats on the older configuration are laid out in a 2-2, 1-1 configuration across 5 rows, totaling 16 seats. Solo travelers will want to opt for an even-numbered seat, while the opposite applies to couples/families.

Waiting upon my seat were all of the amenities I could ever dream of for a 4-hour flight. I love that Jetblue seems to stock all mint flights the same, no matter the distance…

The seat itself is quite decent. On the right-hand side is the tray table, seat controls, a small table for a drink, and a compartment for storage. 

On the left, in these so-called "throne seats," is a large table where a laptop or such can be stored. Note: bags must not be stored on this small table during taxi, takeoff, and landing. 

For those curious, the footwell is quite tight in these footwells, and the taller you are, the worse it gets…

Departure

Jordan came around to properly introduce himself while the other passengers were boarding and offered me a pre-departure beverage. Jordan also asked if I had flown Mint before and offered to show me the features of the seat. The small details go a long way🙂. He also offered headphones on the ground which I liked instead of in the air…

I had no other choice but to go with a mint condition. Note: they have switched from Tito's vodka to a different one now. 

Boarding was wrapped up by 5:10 pm local time when the captain came on to announce our short flight time of 4 hours and 12 minutes.

We pushed back ahead of schedule at 5:22 pm. 

Bridgetown has a single runway, so it wasn't much of a run to get to our takeoff position. As it turns out, we were second in line for takeoff behind an InterCaribbean ERJ.

10 minutes later, we were wheels up, departing to the East. Bye-bye BA 787-10😉.

For real, bye BA, while you are a good airlines B6 is shining on this flight so far!

Bye Barbados.

It might have looked a little cloudy on the ground, but once we were airborne, I knew it was going to be a sunset to remember. 

IFE+WIFI

Once in the air, I decided to check out the in-flight entertainment on the seatback screen in front of me. There were some good options, but the touchscreen feature isn't very responsive on these old aircraft 🥴. The only downside about these Caribbean flights is that no live TV is available. 

Decent selections

Another aspect where Jetblue shines is that they offer free wifi to all passengers on the plane. Considering I had plans that night once I landed in New York, this really helped on the flight. 

Amenities

Additionally, I also found that it was the right idea to check out the amenities provided. The amenity kit was beautiful, and featured plentiful supplies.

In terms of bedding, Jetblue stock a pillow and a comfortable blanket inside the package. 

Also, Jetblue has finally updated their headphones!! They come in this black case, are modern, and much more comfortable!

Note: these are given out either at the gate or in the air; 30 minutes before landing, they are collected. 

What was offered on this flight was the opposite of the new Mint Suites I flew the other day. No amenity kits, no headphones, no nothing, horrific. 

Meal Service

Shortly after takeoff, it was time to dine. Jordan (the FA) took meal orders on the ground, but here is what the menu read for today: 

And the food…

30 minutes after takeoff, my drinks order came out, in which I chose sparkling water and sparkling wine (lots of bubbles). Additionally, I was happy to find this yummy breadstick instead of nuts (thanks to my learned aversion/allergy). 

Jordan was so attentive that he saw my breadsticks and champagne were finished, so he offered to get me more. Instead, I switched to a red wine for the main.  

50 minutes after takeoff, the man came out. For dinner, I chose the jerk lamb and crusted red snapper. Ordinarily, mint passengers can choose one of the colder starters as well as two of the hot dishes.

Both were absolutely delicious, although the jerk lamb was a tad spicy for me (Doritos are spicy to me😂). 

Once the main course was finished, Jordan asked if I wanted any dessert. I was surprised to see no ice cream, so I chose the carrot cake. As I awaited the dessert, I observed an unbelievable sunset. HOLY SMOKES!

15 minutes later, Jordan brought out my carrot cake. It was alright, nothing to write home about 🙃.

Rest Of The Flight

By the time the meal service was done, I decided to sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight. The views were simply surreal. 

A nice aspect of the throne seat on mint is that you are able to shut the door for added privacy. It was a perfect way to relax as I viewed the last of Mean Girls😂.

Some time went by when Jordan came over to ask if I needed anything else. He mentioned that while there wasn't any food left in mint, he could grab something from the back for me and tell me what was on offer. He brought out two premium cheese plates that were delicious! 

Considering I had to be awake until about 6 am the next morning, I asked for a champoffee. Can we make this a thing, please?? My friend messaged me during the flight, and the feedback has been amazing! 

Arrival

Right before we started descending, I asked for one more sparkling wine on the flight, and instead, he brought out two little cans to take for the night out (Memorial Day weekend in New York…). A very kind gesture!

Soon enough, we were on final descent into JFK, and we touched down on 13L at 9:57 pm, 35 minutes early…

13L landings are incredible due to the pattern in New York. The last-minute right bank reminds me a bit of Kai Tak airport, but that was a million times more challenging😅.

So much fun.

We pulled in 4 minutes later next to this beautiful-looking A321, and it was off to an event. 

Oh New York…

Thanks for tuning into the Caribbean tour, I hope you enjoyed it, and next up is the great African adventure! With that I leave you for the next while as I embark to countries 103 and 104, Ukraine and Slovakia.