An Update on JetBlue’s Domestic First Class, Nonstop Flights to Anguilla, and More Airline News

It’s been like unwrapping Christmas gifts early this week in the world of airlines and aviation.

We’ve got updates on the timeline for JetBlue’s new domestic first class, Emirates will send its Airbus A350 to North America earlier than expected, a new airline has started nonstop service from the East Coast to Anguilla, and more.

Let’s get started.

More Details Revealed About JetBlue’s New Domestic First Class

More details have been revealed about the rollout of JetBlue‘s new premium cabin, which will be installed on its Airbus A220, A320, and A321 planes.

It’s being dubbed “Mini Mint” or “Junior Mint,” and it will be the first time JetBlue offers a domestic first-class product akin to its competitors, American, Delta, and United.

According to xJonNYC on X (formerly Twitter), the first prototype is scheduled to be installed in June 2026, followed by actual aircraft installations in August. JetBlue has gone for the classic Collins Aerospace MiQ, which you’ll find in domestic first-class cabins on other airlines.

To make way for the new seats, the pitch of JetBlue’s economy seats will be reduced from 32 to 30 inches, forgoing its title as having the most spacious economy seats in the industry. The pitch at the extra-legroom “Even More Space” seats will be approximately 35 inches, and the new first-class seats will be 36-37 inches.

JetBlue’s smaller Airbus A220s will be equipped with 8 first-class seats, while the larger A320 and A321 planes will feature 12.

In other JetBlue news this week, JetBlue opened its first-ever airport lounge at JFK, and it looks fantastic!

American Tests New Boarding Process in Dallas

You could be in for a slightly different boarding experience next time you fly American Airlines from Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW). The carrier is trialling a new eGate system, whereby passengers scan their own boarding passes, rather than having them scanned by a member of gate staff.

The new process is part of a larger project aimed at streamlining boarding, which was introduced in May 2025.

“We know the boarding process has a meaningful impact on our customers’ overall experience with us, and we’re excited for our DFW team and customers to be the first in our system to test the efficiency of the new technology,” said Jim Moses, senior vice president of operations at DFW for American Airlines.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the only gate with the new technology so far is A13. It may seem futuristic, but this kind of technology is not entirely new. For example, all gates at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 have used self-scanning boarding pass gates for years. There’s usually at least 1 member of staff present at the gate to help with any barcode reading errors or to congratulate lucky flyers who hear the upgrade “beep beep.”

This new boarding process at DFW for American is a significant step forward, but there is still a long way to go before U.S. airport technology reaches the levels found elsewhere in the world. In some major international airports in the U.A.E., biometric checkpoints throughout the airport, such as at immigration and boarding gates, have eliminated the need to use passports and boarding passes by simply scanning a passenger’s face through a camera.

Emirates’ Airbus A350 Will Debut in North America Sooner

Almost a year after Emirates debuted its shiny-new Airbus A350, the aircraft will be touching down in North America for the first time in January.

Initially scheduled for February 1, the aircraft’s inaugural flight to Montréal (YUL) from Dubai (DXB) has been brought forward to January 11, 2026. The A350’s arrival in Montréal will also mark the first time Emirates flies its premium economy cabin to Canada.

These planes feature Emirates’ most modern cabins, including its latest business class. The seat is nothing revolutionary, but it’s a marked improvement from the business class on 777-200s that currently fly to Montréal.

Emirates had to wait to take delivery of its first Airbus A350s with crew rest facilities to operate these longer flights. Now that they’re flying, we could see the A350 at more airports across North America soon.

New Texas Airport Signs Avelo as First Airline

Ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo is the first airline to enter into an official agreement with McKinney National Airport (TKI). The passenger terminal, which is still under construction, is scheduled to welcome its first commercial flights operated by Avelo toward the end of 2026.

After Avelo recently announced the closure of its Burbank (BUR) base and all operations on the West Coast, it has the capacity and the planes to see how it fares in the Texan market in 2026. As it stands, Avelo flies 2 routes to the Texas airports of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston (HOU) from New Haven, Connecticut (HVN) — the airline’s largest base.

At the time of writing, the destinations Avelo will fly to from McKinney’s new airport remain unknown. Given the nature of Avelo’s network, which primarily connects smaller regional airports with sunshine destinations, I’d expect at least 1 nonstop route to Florida from TKI to be announced.

Avelo is also known for being quick to make changes to its network. As TKI will be its focus airport in Texas, shifting its New Haven route from DFW to McKinney could also be a possibility.

Northeast Cities Get Nonstop Flight to Anguilla

A new airline took wing this week, albeit operated by another airline’s planes.

AnguillAir, the identical twin of fledgling carrier BermudAir, has officially begun operating its small network of 3 routes from Anguilla (AXA) to the Northeast. Seasonal service to Boston started on December 17, followed by Newark on December 18. The third route to Baltimore starts today, Saturday, December 19.

Until now, the only nonstop flight from Anguilla to the U.S. was with American Airlines from Miami (MIA). AnguillAir’s new routes will therefore make travel to the island from the Northeast quicker and easier than having to connect via Miami.

If Adam Scott, founder and CEO of AnguillAir and BermudAir, continues his streak of new airlines in British Overseas Territories, it might not be long before we hear of a MonserratAir. It certainly has a better ring to it than TurksAndCaicosAir.

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap for this week — and almost for 2025. Things to look forward to in 2026 include JetBlue’s new domestic first class, Emirates’ A350 coming to Montréal, and Avelo being the first airline to fly to McKinney — Texas’ newest airport. Until then, watch out for American’s new eGate at DFW, and remember you can now fly nonstop from Baltimore, Boston, and Newark to Anguilla.

We’ll be back next week with the last weekly news roundup of 2025.