By Alexander Britell
JetBlue isn’t just expanding across the Caribbean — it’s changing the Caribbean aviation experience, too.
In its latest move, the carrier announced the expansion of its Mint service to two new destinations.
JetBlue will be launching seasonal service on Mint from New York to St Lucia and from New York to St Maarten, the company announced this week.
“Mint’s curated offering and personalized service continues to win over customers who have grown weary of legacy carriers’ tired premium offering,” said Marty St. George, executive vice president commercial and planning, JetBlue. “Even better, these Airbus A321s with Mint offer a redesigned core cabin with enhanced entertainment features and more comfortable seating for every customer onboard.”
The carrier will also be launching new seasonal Mint service between Boston and Aruba.
The Mint expansion comes after JetBlue debuted its premium cabin on flights to New York to Barbados (which continue to operate year round), along with seasonal service from New York to Aruba and Boston to Barbados.
The move makes JetBlue the only US carrier offering lie-flat seats to the Caribbean.
Above: Mint cocktail service
The Mint cabin also includes a 15-inch flat screen, signature cocktails, tapas-style food, fresh espresso and amenity kits by Birchbox, among other perks.
JetBlue also offers locally-inspired small plates on its northbound Caribbean routes, along with welcome rum drinks.
The St Lucia and St Maarten flights will begin Nov. 5, operating every Saturday through Spring 2017.
It’s all part of what has been a massive expansion push for the carrier, both to its network and its in-flight experience.
The only question is, what can JetBlue’s Caribbean-network rival, American Airlines, possibly do to keep up?