JetBlue Airways Boarding Groups & Process — Everything You Need to Know

Key Takeaways

• JetBlue’s boarding process is divided into groups based on ticket type, loyalty status, and whether you’ve purchased additional services like Even More Space.
• Mosaic and Mint passengers and those with disabilities board first, followed by groups A through E.

Many Americans make an effort to fly JetBlue whenever they can. If the price is comparable and the schedule fits with what you need, it makes sense to choose JetBlue for a better experience.

But as the JetBlue flight network expands and more and more people begin to fly with them, boarding has become more of a challenge.

The combination of increased flight traffic and more passengers on each flight means a whole lot of people need to know how to board their JetBlue flights every day.

Luckily, that’s just what we are going to show you how to do. We will explain all the details of the JetBlue Airways boarding process, so you’ll be prepared the next time you need to board one of their planes.

JetBlue Airways Boarding Groups

Beginning operations in 2000, JetBlue used a fairly simple boarding process for their first 17 years of existence. They boarded their elite members and those needing special assistance first, and then they boarded all other passengers by their row number.

Starting from the back of the plane and moving forward, the idea was that nobody would have to wait behind someone else and boarding would be completed faster.

But in October 2017, JetBlue decided this was no longer the best way to board a plane and completely switched their boarding procedures.

For occasional JetBlue passengers who haven’t flown with them since before then, what we are about to go over will come as a surprise. But for those used to flying other American carriers, things will look fairly similar.

Like many other airlines, JetBlue now uses a mix of named boarding groups and “numbered” boarding groups. They do it a bit differently by giving their groups letters instead of numbers, but the idea is still the same.

(Why they don’t just give a letter to each group of passengers we will never know, but that doesn’t seem to be the way airlines work!)

As it is, with their mix of letters and names, here are the detailed groups that JetBlue uses in their boarding process, and which passengers are eligible to board with each group.

Pre-Boarding

• Customers with disabilities

Mosaic and Mint Customers

Even More Space Customers

• Group A

Courtesy Boarding

• Active military personnel
• Customers traveling with children in car seats or strollers.

General Boarding by Group:

• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E (n/a for E-190 aircraft)

All Remaining Customers

• It’s unclear which passengers would be in this group, and why they would not be assigned to one of the general boarding groups.

Our only thought is that this designation is used so that there’s an official place in the boarding procedure to accommodate standby passengers waiting on available seats, or JetBlue employees who are flying non-revenue flights.

Boarding Notes

If unaccompanied minors arrive at the boarding gate prior to the start of the boarding process, they will be allowed to board first with the pre-boarding group. If they arrive after the start of boarding, unaccompanied minors will board at the end of the process, after other passengers are all on the aircraft.

This is done so that there is no confusion and no danger of the unaccompanied minors being mixed with other passengers or being separated from their JetBlue escort.

In 2023, JetBlue introduced a Family Seating Guarantee, ensuring children 13 and under can sit with at least 1 adult traveling with them on the same reservation.

JetBlue’s boarding procedure assigns groups for general boarding based on the number of passengers on the plane and where they are seated.

Your boarding group is based on the specific seat you are assigned to (not the row), and it’s designed to stagger passengers in each group so everyone has enough space to get settled.

Because of the way they do this, it is not possible to choose a seat to get yourself into an earlier boarding group. For each flight, the same seat may be in a different boarding group depending on the other passengers and their seating locations.

Hot Tip: The general boarding group assignments seem somewhat confusing when you read about it, but in practice, you have nothing to worry about. Just pick the seat you want to sit in and board in whatever group they assign you. If you really want to get on the plane early, choose an Even More Space seat and you will board with group A.

How to Build Up Your JetBlue TrueBlue Points Balance

If you want to try out the JetBlue Airways boarding procedure, a great way to do that is by using your JetBlue TrueBlue points to book a flight.

There are plenty of ways to earn lots of JetBlue TrueBlue points — the simplest probably being paying for flights and flying around the country with them.

If that’s not what you want to do though, and you want to book a flight with points like we mentioned above, you can still earn plenty of points through these great credit cards.

JetBlue Credit Cards

JetBlue and Barclays offer 1 business and 2 personal co-branded credit cards that allow you to earn TrueBlue points.

On the personal side, The JetBlue Card is a no-annual-fee card with limited additional benefits besides earning TrueBlue points and discounted inflight purchases.

The JetBlue Plus Card carries an annual fee of $99, but it comes with higher TrueBlue points earning potential and several additional benefits (like free bags and discounted inflight purchases).

The JetBlue Business Card is perfect for your business spending and mirrors the JetBlue Plus card in benefits, earning, and its annual fee of $99.

With both the personal and business cards, you will be well on your way to booking your JetBlue flights with points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio.

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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Pros

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Cons

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• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
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Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.74% - 27.74% Variable
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U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

21.74% - 28.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options out there.

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Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

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Pros

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025

Cons

• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
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• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
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• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.74% - 28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Chase Ultimate Rewards

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Citi ThankYou Points Credit Cards

You can transfer Citi ThankYou Points to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio.

You’ll need either the Citi Prestige^® Card or the Citi ThankYou^® Premier Card to transfer at that ratio. Citi ThankYou^® Preferred cardholders, which otherwise cannot transfer points to airline miles, can transfer to JetBlue at 1:0.8 ratio.

Amex Membership Rewards Credit Cards

You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards to JetBlue at a rate of 1:0.8. Sometimes you can take advantage of promotional periods that bump up the transfer rate to 1:1.

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

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Cons

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
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Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
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Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

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This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$325

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The American Express^® Gold Card is a game-changer.

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Pros

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
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Cons

• $325 annual fee (rates and fees)
• No lounge access

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards^® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Business owner? See our list of the best Amex business credit cards.

Final Thoughts

JetBlue Airways started out as a lower cost carrier, and their fares are still consistently pretty low. What we didn’t expect to see from them, however, is the excellent level of service and hard product that set them a step above most other airlines based here in the United States.

As more people began to fly with JetBlue and their flight network increased, they needed to update their boarding procedures to deal with it. Their major change in October 2017 brought them more in line with the way most major airlines do things.

The current procedure is a mix of named and lettered groups that can be quite confusing at first glance, but once you understand the method behind the madness, it begins to make more sense.

We’ve done our best to give you all of the details of the current JetBlue Airways boarding procedures, and we hope this will help get your trip off to a stress-free start the next time you fly with them. See you in the air!