Felicity Long
Like any frequent traveler to Europe, I have a good sense of which airlines I like for which destinations, which ones have proven more or less reliable, which ones belong to which codesharing partnerships and so on.
But — true confession — until recently I’d never flown to Europe on JetBlue.
That changed on March 13, when I joined a group on the carrier’s inaugural direct flight from JFK to Dublin.
Thanks to the airline’s long-standing tradition of kicking off the launch of a new service with a celebration before the flight, there were Irish step dancers, music, speeches and culinary treats at the gate before takeoff.
I learned that the carrier doesn’t usually launch two routes simultaneously, but in this case, JetBlue also inaugurated its Boston-Dublin route the same day — complete with matching festivities at Logan airport — and both timed to arrive in Ireland in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
Our itinerary included transatlantic flights to Dublin in a Mint Suite and the return in Core class, the carrier’s terminology for economy.
Mint class traditionally has two options, a Mint Seat, comparable to a business-class seat on many airlines, with lie-flat seats and extra amenities, and Mint Suite, which offers a lot of the perks I would expect in first class.
Either way, the Mint experience includes a dedicated Mint check-in aisle, which bumps you to the head of the TSA security line, although it’s not the same at TSA-PreCheck in that you still have to remove laptops, take off your shoes and all the other rigamarole of today’s international flying experience.
Once onboard, my Mint Suite was its own pod with a sliding door, direct-aisle access and a host of bells and whistles.
What it’s like to fly JetBlue’s Mint Suite
Since JetBlue has always been ahead of the curve with in-seat entertainment, I wasn’t surprised by the 17-inch TV loaded with TV series and films, including recent Academy Award nominees, and there were so many wireless charging options that it took me awhile to find them all. Ditto amenities like various lighting options, a noise-minimizing headset, foam cushions and pillows and a toiletry kit with Dr. Dennis Gross skincare products in a bag from Caraa that doubles as a small backpack.
Mint class also offers elevated dining options, including small plates for dinner and breakfast and a curated wine selection.
Because flights from the Northeast to Ireland are so short, I appreciated the Savor & Sleep evening meal option, which basically just gets your dinner to you faster so that you can get a jump on dozing off, and the flight attendant confirming with me whether I wanted to be awoken for breakfast.
Return flight in Even More Space Core Preferred seat
The return flight was in an Even More Space Core Preferred seat, which I would compare to economy plus in terms of legroom — up to seven inches — priority boarding and a location toward the front of the plane.
The seat comes with multiple USB charging ports, including one in the TV screen, an adjustable headrest and the option to use your phone as the remote, a feature also available in Mint class.
The food in Core was just OK, but the service was generous. When my seatmate slept through the meal service, for example, the flight attendant brought her meal on request when she woke up, and we both took advantage of the snacks in the drawers toward the front of the plane, which are free and frequently resupplied.
First-timers from Dublin to North America should be reminded to arrive at the airport on the early side to allow time to go through U.S. immigrations. There are Global Entry kiosks to speed the process, but on my flight there were no Mobile Passport Control lines for those of us who use that service.
