JetBlue launches Mint business class (2014)
JetBlue surprised the industry in October 2014 by launching Mint, a lie-flat business class on its New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco routes. The airline, known for cheap fares, charged premium prices for the product and sold out quickly.
Mint became a hit, and JetBlue expanded it to more routes and aircraft types. Rivals responded with their own premium transcontinental products.
Mint proved a low-cost carrier could win premium customers, setting the stage for BlueFirst across the rest of the fleet.
BlueFirst extends the same logic Mint established: sell premium seats on a budget airline, now applied to shorter domestic routes.
