JetBlue Airbus A321LR Mint Studio Business Class Review [CDG to JFK]

The author was traveling as an invited guest of JetBlue. All opinions are the author’s own and the airline had no input in any part of this review.

Airline: JetBlue
Aircraft: Airbus A321LR
Flight #: B61408
Route: Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK)
Date: June 30, 2023
Duration: 7 hours and 34 minutes
Cabin and Layout: JetBlue Mint — 2 Mint Studios, 22 Mint Suites
Seat: 1A

Following the success of JetBlue’s first long-haul route to London, the New York-based carrier wasted no time in adding Paris as its second European destination.

The inaugural date was set for June 30, 2023, and I was lucky enough to be invited along for the ride.

It was an early start to be at the airport in time for the press event, though I was nowhere near as tired as those who’d flown in on the airline’s first inbound flight from New York, which landed at 6:09 a.m.

The brand-new aircraft that performed the historical flight, registered N4074J, was unveiled at the Paris Airshow only the week prior.

After the celebratory events at Charles de Gaulle, the aircraft headed back to New York and I was lucky enough to be sitting in seat 1A for the journey.

I hope you enjoy reading about the experience as much as I did flying it!

Booking JetBlue’s Mint Studio

As I was a guest of JetBlue on this flight, I didn’t go through the normal booking process. However, here’s how to go about booking the Studio for yourself.

At the time of writing, the cheapest return from New York to Paris in JetBlue Mint was around $2,490.

At the flight selection stage of booking, you’re only given the option to choose between Core (economy) and Mint (business class).

It’s not until you move through the booking process and arrive at the seat selection stage that you’re presented with the option of paying an extra $299 for 1 of the 2 Studio seats on the aircraft.

If you were to pay for this additional upcharge for both segments on JetBlue’s cheapest business-class ticket, you’d pay a total of $3,088 for a round-trip.

Hot Tip:

If you’re going to spend that amount of money (or any amount of money for that matter), on a JetBlue flight, then it’s worth considering using one of the best credit cards for JetBlue flyers or one of the best travel credit cards to make the purchase.

At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

Paris Charles De Gaulle is connected to the city via a transit system called the RER.

Line B connects both terminals of the airport with several important hub stations in the city, including Gare du Nord and Gare de L’Est where it’s possible to connect to France’s highspeed rail system — the TGV.

A one-way ticket will cost you $12.50 for a journey of around 30 minutes.

Once at Terminal 2, a quick check of the departures board showed JetBlue’s check-in area as 2B.

Charles de Gaulle is known for its nonsensical layout (and endless walking) which I was reminded of as I walked the length of the seemingly never-ending Terminal 2 to get to JetBlue’s check-in desks.

JetBlue’s check-in area is situated in Zone 1, at the last set of counters in the terminal.

As my flight was the inaugural service to New York from Paris, the gate area was decorated with balloons in JetBlue’s color scheme.

Checking In

There are self-service check-in kiosks for economy passengers. These are shared with American, Air Canada, Norwegian, and Royal Air Maroc who also use this part of the terminal.

As I was flying in Mint, I used the dedicated priority check-in lane for TrueBlue Mosaic status holders and Mint passengers.

There seemed to be a bit of a hold-up with the passenger checking in in front of me, so I was invited to the neighboring counter.

The agency staffer who checked me in shared my excitement about the inaugural flight, which meant for some great chats while he processed my details and boarding pass.

I had my shiny JetBlue Mint boarding pass in hand after just a couple of minutes and made my way to security.

Signposted (and clear) directions pointed me to the entrance of security where boarding passes were checked before being allowed to enter.

After heading up the escalators, I arrived at the large security hall where JetBlue Mint passengers can use the Accès No.1 priority lane.

Lounge Access

Unfortunately, JetBlue’s Mint passengers don’t get lounge access. In fact, the airline doesn’t have any lounges — its own or contract.

As a fan of airline lounges and being able to eat, relax, and work before a flight, I’m hopeful that lounge access is something that JetBlue might eventually incorporate into the Mint experience.

Hot Tip:

Important to note: The area of Paris-CDG’s Terminal 2B where JetBlue departs does not have a lounge that is eligible for access to those with Priority Pass or any other form of lounge membership.

Boarding

My flight was to depart from B21 — the last gate at this part of the terminal.

Like at check-in, the gate was adorned with lots of JetBlue and New York-themed decorations to celebrate the inaugural flight.

There are only a few gates in this area as only flights to non-Schengen countries depart from here. As is often the case in Europe, passport control sits between the main departures area and a separate section of gates.

Once you pass this checkpoint, the only food and drink outlet is Pret à Manger. This isn’t anything to do with JetBlue, of course, but I find it weird that an airport in a land that’s known for its bread and bakeries would choose a very standard café chain as its sole food establishment.

That said, make sure to stock up on snacks and drinks before clearing passport control.

On the plus side, you’ll find ample seating and even gaming consoles to keep kids and big kids alike entertained.

Onboard JetBlue’s Airbus A321LR

Despite the celebrations at the gate, the JetBlue team still managed to get us boarded and ready to go promptly.

However, we didn’t push back until 10:43 a.m. (50 minutes later than our scheduled departure time) due to a small operational delay.

After passing by the very familiar American Airlines Dreamliner, I spotted this Algerian Boeing 737 belonging to Tassili Airlines.

After a lengthy taxi (another thing CDG is famous for), we were up and away soaring over Paris’ Le Bourget Airport where the Paris Airshow had ended just days before.

The Cabin

The cabin windows were shut, and the mood lighting turned up high which made for a very blue welcome as I stepped inside the N4074J-registered Airbus A321LR that would be flying me to JFK.

Up front in Mint, there are 24 seats in 12 rows. Despite being on a single-aisle jet, the seats are arranged in a 1-1 configuration with the first row dedicated to the exclusive Mint Studio.

There’s a divider after row 12 that separates the Mint cabin from the economy cabin that JetBlue calls “Core.”

The Core cabin comprises just 90 seats in a 3-3 configuration.

Despite coming with more legroom, the seats in the first row at the bulkhead do not belong to the 24 Even More Space seats. I’m guessing this is owing to the fixed armrests.

The following 4 rows are home to said Even More Space seats which boast up to 38 inches of legroom. That’s really quite remarkable for economy.

Mint Studio

Now, back to the star of this show: the Mint Studio.

I’d read about the Studio and have even seen it with my own eyes, but it wasn’t until I spent more than 7 hours in one that I realized just how spacious it is.

Despite what some might say about narrow-body aircraft not being suitably comfortable for a long-haul flight, the seat has far more space than some business class products on widebodies that operate the same transatlantic routes as JetBlue.

I’m a huge fan of small features and details; this elongated seat is a prime example.

Most business class seats only have a footwell or footrest, one that isn’t always within reach, when seated during takeoff and landing.

This is not the case when sitting in a Mint Studio where I was able to stretch out fully before we’d even taken off thanks to the extended seat which runs perpendicular to the fuselage.

In fact, when you turn the seat into lie-flat mode, even more surface area extends from underneath the extended seat to make for a huge space to spread out and get comfortable when sleeping.

Looks cozy, right?

The addition of the sliding door gives an added bonus of privacy.

We’re not done with the bonus of the extra seating area just yet.

Another purpose (not just for resting your legs) is to provide a second seating arrangement. I sat there and did some work for an hour or so.

The best part is, should you be traveling with a companion, you can invite them to join you to eat or hang out as long as they’re also traveling in Mint.

There’s even a power outlet for each person: the first (which also has a USB port) is located by the armrest, a little further along from the seat control panel.

There were a couple of times when I thought my seat had a mind of its own when actually I’d just caught the seat controls with my elbow.

You’ll find the second power outlet, complete with a USB-C port, underneath the IFE monitor and storage compartments.

Speaking of storage, there’s no shortage here.

A bonus of the Mint Studio seat is that passengers get their own personal mini wardrobe-like compartment.

Inside you’ll find a clothes hook, a net pouch, and a large vanity mirror.

I officially name this compartment “the gadget drawer” as it’s where I stowed my laptop, AirPods, and other bits and bobs when I wasn’t using them. You’ll also find this at the 22 regular Mint seats.

As usual, there’s a thin document compartment where you’ll find the safety manual and a sick bag. This is also where the manual TV remote is (which I had no reason to use), and additional buttons for turning the seat into lie-flat or take-off/landing mode.

The practicality, functionality, and comfort of the Mint Studio is complemented beautifully by the modern and sophisticated JetBlue design.

Food and Beverage

My flight attendant, Cesar, started service off with a pre-takeoff drink of either orange juice, sparkling wine, or a mimosa.

If you prefer good old H2O to keep hydrated when flying (like me), all Mint passengers will find a small bottle at their seats.

Before takeoff, passengers in all cabins are requested to use the IFE screens to select their preferred inflight meal choices that included a couple of French-inspired dishes. While this slightly reduces rapport building with the customer, I’d expect this a far more efficient process than having the crew take individual orders.

I was served breakfast (the main meal for this morning flight) about 30 minutes after take-off.

I could choose up to 3 choices out of a possible 5 and I went for a bowl of fresh strawberries, a ricotta crèpe, and a spinach and goat cheese frittata. The other 2 options available were avocado toast or Greek yogurt served with peach jam.

I also opted for a side of sausage.

The strawberries tasted fresh and the frittata, while small, was cooked well and tasted great. The ricotta crèpe was surprisingly delicious. I’d highly recommend the meaty sausages, too.

For the pre-landing meal, we had the choice of a wedge salad, tomato gazpacho, or a croque monsieur.

While I like the idea of keeping to a French theme for some of the meal options, unfortunately, the croque monsieur was quite stale and didn’t have much taste.

The cocktail you see in the photo above is a Venetian Spritz which I thought I’d try since it was well into the afternoon in the U.K.

I can imagine some people would love this, but I’m too much of a fan of an Aperol Spritz to be able to enjoy any quirky take on the original to enjoy this properly.

If I hadn’t been working for most of the flight, I probably have tested out the other cocktails which which included 2 standard Mint offerings, the Mint Condition and Black Maple Old Fashioned. There were 2 alcohol-free cocktails as well.

The below drinks menu is the same for Studio and regular Mint passengers.

Instead, I stuck to my trusty soda water, of which I drank about 6 or 7 cans.

In between meal times, I got a little peckish so I treated myself to a pack of mini pretzels followed by Palets Bretons biscuits — the perfect American-French snack combo on offer from JetBlue.

Amenities

The first thing at the seat I noticed was the whopping IFE screen which measures 22 inches (56 centimeters) — a whole 5 inches bigger than in the regular Mint seats in the cabin.

And now, thanks to this new service to France, French has now been added as the third language option in the IFE (“Quoi de neuf?”).

It will be great to see the addition of a Dutch (“Hoe gaat het?”) when the Amsterdam route starts on August 29, 2023.

Here’s a picture with my (smaller than average) hand for scale.

There’s no lack of amenities as a Mint Studio passenger, either.

From left to right we have the Master & Dynamic noise-canceling headphones, the grey amenity kit (on request only and made from kraft paper), a beige paper amenity kit (with a sleep mask), and some other fun additional amenities like stain remover and a lint brush which are on-request items just for Studio passengers.

It makes me so happy when airlines show they are conscious of sustainability with the design of their amenity kits. The irony of the lint brush wrapped in plastic is not lost on me though.

Inside the sustainable Tuft & Needle amenity kit were an eye mask, ear plugs, a toothbrush, and a first for me onboard a plane: toothpaste in tablet form rather than in a tube.

Inside the larger, on-request amenity kit, were a bunch of branded potions and lotions, albeit in less sustainable packaging.

Contents included flight socks, Jubel moisturizer, a tube of SPF 30, lip balm, a sachet of pineapple-flavored de-bloating powder, and a Recess deodorant wipe.

It was a big thumbs up from me on the sound quality of the headset, too.

Lastly, but by absolutely no means least, additional on-request items for Studio passengers include Mint Studio-branded pajamas and playing cards to enjoy with whoever you invite into your Suite.

The jammies were very comfortable and a great perk to have, especially when flying a pesky red-eye across the Atlantic.

A final checked box for JetBlue in the amenities category goes to its high-speed Viasat Wi-Fi which is free for every single passenger no matter the cabin class.

As is often the case with inflight Wi-Fi, the upload speed was the slower of the 2 at just 0.59 Mbps. Even still, I was able to upload photos that I’d just taken at the press event in Paris.

Bathroom

Mint passengers have exclusive use of 2 lavatories located at the front of the aircraft. There are 2 more at the rear of the Core cabin.

There’s nothing fancy about them and they’re small and compact, but what else would you expect from a narrow-body aircraft?

Service

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the fine crew you see below.

From left to right, we have Cesar, Leanne, Jess, Trevor, and Eric. I had the pleasure of speaking with each and every one of them at some point during my flight.

There is no doubt about it; JetBlue’s transatlantic crew is up there with the best in the business. The airline handpicked the crew for this inaugural flight, but even on regular operations, JetBlue generally has above-average service.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Eric and Trevor up front, as well as being reacquainted with Cesar, who I met on my first transatlantic JetBlue flight back in February 2022.

Passengers sitting in Core were in the very capable hands of Leanne (who I’ve also had the privilege to fly with) and Jessica.

Overall, service was slick and professional, and this crew’s love of their job shone through.

Arrival

We touched down onto runway 22L a whole 4 minutes ahead of schedule at 12:17 p.m. despite the slight hold-up on the ground in Paris.

Even with the haze caused by the Canadian wildfires, it was a great feeling to be back in New York for the 15th time.

The good things certainly came to an abrupt end with a 1+ hour wait at border control. Let this be a reminder to you to stop putting off your Global Entry application like I have been doing.

Final Thoughts

I would advise anyone looking to travel between New York/Boston and London/Paris to give JetBlue’s Mint Studios a try.

Admittedly and understandably, the lack of lounge access could be a deterrent for some, but I would happily get to the airport later than usual and wait to enjoy the hospitality onboard instead of indulging in a lounge beforehand.

For me, standout aspects of this experience include the huge surface for spreading out to sleep, the delicious breakfast, the first-class “‘lite” amenities, and the incredible JetBlue service.

Yes, there is some room for improvement, such as a stale croque monsieur, but it’s small in the grand scheme of things.

I cannot wait to fly JetBlue’s Mint Studio again and I hope to see you across the aisle when I do!