JAL Award Availability, JetBlue Mint Changes, United Club’s Largest Terrace, and More Airline News

Making the headlines this week, we’ve got a new domestic Mint route and a menu update from JetBlue, confirmation of a huge new United Club lounge space at San Francisco (SFO), as well as a new safety measure you might notice onboard your next American Airlines flight.

We’ve also got some disheartening news about JAL’s loyalty program, and more news you might have missed.

JetBlue Expands Premium Mint Flights, Introduces New International Dining

From November 19, 2026, JetBlue will launch a new route between Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Florida, and San Diego (SAN), operated by its Mint-equipped Airbus A321 aircraft. Additionally, JetBlue will add more Mint flights from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). While these seats are lie-flat, they’re not the same as the private Mint Studios and Suites you’ll find on its transatlantic flights.

Speaking of, passengers in Mint on transatlantic flights from July 31, 2026, will enjoy reimagined dining. JetBlue will bring popular dishes from New York’s Birdee and Crown Shy restaurants to the skies. Dishes from Red Hook Tavern and Hometown Bar-B-Que are scheduled to debut in early 2027.

United Club With a Terrace To Open in San Francisco

Work is well underway to construct a huge new United Club at San Francisco (SFO). The new location at the carrier’s most important West Coast hub will feature a huge 4,000-square-foot outside terrace, the largest open-air space in its lounge network. It’s currently scheduled to open in October 2026 and will be United’s fourth location at SFO, situated beneath the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Terminal 2.

American Joins Southwest With Cockpit Barricades on Some Planes

This week, American Airlines debuted an increased security feature. The so-called Installed Physical Secondary Barrier (IPSB) is pulled across the galley when a pilot uses the restroom at the front of the aircraft. This replaces the use of a trolley to deter would-be intruders from accessing the cockpit. The IPSBs are only installed on some of American and Southwest’s newest planes, so don’t expect to see this on every flight.

Japan Airlines Quietly Removes Award Availability

Now is not a good time to transfer your Bilt Points or Capital One miles to JAL Mileage Bank. Without warning, average-price and Award Plus redemptions have all but disappeared from the airline’s loyalty program. If this isn’t a glitch, it looks like it could be the end of the runway for the sweet-spot 55k-mile redemptions in business class from the U.S. to Japan.

KLM’s First 2 Airbus A350s Won’t Have Business Class

Dutch flag carrier KLM will debut its Airbus A350 on its Toronto (YYZ) route in September. However, due to certification issues, KLM isn’t able to sell seats in its most premium cabin. Rather than waiting, the carrier has decided to fly the planes anyway, only selling economy and premium economy tickets. Certification delays are common, but it’s rare for an airline to fly a brand-new plane with a completely empty business class cabin.

Air Canada Opens Only Premium Lounge at Québec City Airport

Canada’s eighth-largest city just got its first airport lounge. The newly opened space is Air Canada’s Café 7th, part of its Café lounge concept. The lounge, which is in partnership with Plaza Premium, offers complimentary access to eligible passengers departing on Air Canada and United Airlines flights. Paid access is also available for $63 for 3 hours.

Notable Route Additions and Updates

After American was the first U.S. airline to resume flights to Venezuela in April this year, it’s now adding a second route to the country, this time from Miami (MIA) to Maracaibo (MAR), starting July 14, 2026.

As of December 2026, Delta will launch Detroit’s only nonstop service to Aruba (AUA). Additionally, Delta will continue to grow its presence at Austin (AUS) with a new service to San José (SJC), California, starting on October 6, 2026.

The Midwest is also getting a new connection thanks to Contour Airlines’ service between Kirksville (IRK), Missouri, and Dallas (DFW).

Final Thoughts

From new onboard meals and lounges to reduced award availability and long-haul flights without business class, this round-up was about as varied as it gets. We’ll be back next week with more news you might have missed.