Pros and Cons of Flying JetBlue Mint Suites to Europe for the First Time

While I only rate the bed on this flight as moderately comfortable, I liked numerous aspects about flying JetBlue Mint across the Atlantic for the first time.

From a roomy feeling in the suite to ample storage, solid dining options, a quiet cabin, and a fantastic flight crew, JetBlue earned positive marks for the most critical aspects of the flight. A few items could be improved, including the bed’s comfort level and adding music to the entertainment system, but these weren’t detrimental to the flight experience.

Here’s what I liked and disliked about a recent flight between Boston and Madrid on JetBlue’s A321LR aircraft, flying in Mint a week after JetBlue launched this route.

10 Things I Liked About Flying JetBlue Mint Suites to Europe

JetBlue launched flights between Boston and Madrid on May 22, 2025. My wife and I flew the route just 4 days later, departing Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on May 26 and arriving at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) on May 27.

JetBlue operates this route with an Airbus A321LR (LR stands for “long range”) aircraft. Our plane (tail number N4064J) felt very new, as it was only built in 2022. JetBlue names all of its planes, and ours was named “EleMintary, My Dear Watson.”

Aside from the fun name and newness of the route, there was much to like about our first time flying JetBlue Mint Suites over the Atlantic. Here’s what my wife and I enjoyed about this 7-hour flight.

1. Cabin Lighting and Sound

Have you been on a plane that felt really loud inside? Or maybe it was way too bright when you were trying to sleep? JetBlue got the lighting and sound quality inside the cabin just right on the A321LR planes.

When cabin lights were dimmed, there was still enough light — using soft blue and purple colors — to find what you needed without the lights being so bright they disturbed your sleep. Each suite in the Mint cabin had green backlighting for the seat number, which turned a soft blue color when “do not disturb” was activated by passengers.

Even as we approached our arrival time and everything moved into “day” mode, the cabin didn’t feel glaringly bright.

But the real winner was meal service at night, shortly after we reached cruising altitude. Cabin lighting had a setting between night and day modes, using warm lighting with oranges and yellows that created enough light for the crew to serve meals and talk to passengers without making the cabin as bright as the “day” setting.

I also appreciated the soft lighting inside the overhead bins that reminded me of stars in the sky. These light blue dots helped you find what you needed without rooting around in the dark and without blinding yourself.

Hot Tip:

Check out our full reviews of the JetBlue Mint Suite and JetBlue Mint Studio Suite on the A321LR planes JetBlue uses for transatlantic flights.

2. All Passengers Could Access Free Wi-Fi

JetBlue offered free Wi-Fi to all passengers on our flight, as it does with nearly all of its flights. As we boarded, a decal on the side of the plane advertised the carrier’s Fly-Fi service powered by Viasat.

While upload speeds were pretty bad at just 1 Mbps, download speeds were solid at 50.52 Mbps, and the connection was reliable.

Additionally, the entertainment screen offered instructions on how to connect to the onboard internet service.

3. The Suites Were Spacious

Space to move around in your seat and not feel cramped is essential. After all, you’re spending multiple hours trapped inside a metal tube hurtling across the sky. JetBlue did a good job making these Mint Suites feel roomy, though the armrest room could be improved for maximum comfort.

Space near the aisle, furthest from the seat itself, was the most generous, though the space near the forward-facing side of the body avoided a cramped feeling at the seat since there was a wall very close to the back side of the seat.

Also, the footwell was very spacious.

Near the entrance to the suite, there was also a large table surface with a natural wood look. This was a great place to put personal items in an open setting that furthered the airy feeling in the suite.

The only part of the suite that wasn’t roomy was the door. Some larger passengers had to turn sideways to fit through their suite’s door.

4. Flight Attendants Were Fantastic

The main flight attendant in the Mint cabin during our flight was awesome. She was super friendly and personable. We liked her a lot, and she truly made the experience better.

She greeted each Mint passenger individually before boarding and thanked each passenger individually before we landed. Additionally, she was friendly and efficient during meal service, taking drink orders, clearing dishes, and asking if we needed any drink refills.

I also really appreciated her hands-on demonstration of the suite’s features when we said we hadn’t flown on this plane type before (which she asked every Mint passenger during boarding). This included showing us how to select meal preferences on the screen, recline the seat, and open the suite’s door when it was latched.

Bottom Line:

Flight attendants can make or break a flight. While multiple flight attendants were on the plane, the main employee we interacted with scored 10/10 during our flight.

5. Vegan Options Were Abundant

Be gone, rice cakes and fruit cups. JetBlue hit a home run with the dinner on our flight. My wife and I requested vegan meals in advance, and JetBlue delivered them without issue. Beyond a meager fruit cup or pile of lettuce someone pretended was a salad, we had multiple high-quality items on our trays. There was a southwest salad, a tomato-cucumber-onion salad, falafel, a fruit cobbler, and ice cream. It was a lot of food, and all of it was delicious.

Passengers ordering from the flight’s menu had options like wedge salad, orecchiette pesto dish, and roasted chicken, as well as gelato for dessert. There was also an express option to maximize sleep during the flight.

I loved the concert poster style for the menu.

Breakfast wasn’t as exciting as dinner, though it was still decent. We received fruits and a chia seed pudding, which was OK.

6. There Was Ample Storage

Some flights don’t have anywhere to put your phone charger, laptop, or purse. That wasn’t a problem on this flight. The most interesting storage space was this drawer under the entertainment screen. It was ideal for a laptop, phone, and charger.

Next to the seat was a triangular storage area with a flip-open mesh lid, and passengers had a wireless charging pad.

On the floor, there was also a small cubby with a basket. The basket held slippers for each passenger, and putting my shoes in this basket during the flight was great for keeping them out of the way.

7. The Amenity Kit Was Unique

Simply having an amenity kit isn’t unique in business class these days. Sure, some airlines have better kits than others, but nearly all have at least something. JetBlue’s Caraa amenity kit was really interesting, though. It had a rubbery mesh feeling on the outside.

I found lip balm, lotion, an eye mask, a toothbrush, and more inside — a fair number of options.

Then, I found some strings inside my amenity kit and started pulling on them until I realized the kit opened into a drawstring day bag with a water-resistant outer shell. I was impressed.

8. Watching Movies With Friends Was Possible

I enjoyed the multiple positions available with the entertainment screen, tilting it down or rotating it to put it in the ideal spot for my current position during the flight. However, the ability to create a “watch party” with others was a nice touch. Passengers could invite up to 5 other travelers to watch a TV show or movie together, rather than needing to do it the old-fashioned way: everyone trying to push the play button simultaneously.

TrueBlue program members could also sign in to their accounts and access entertainment items saved in their favorites or resume a movie or TV show they didn’t finish on a previous flight.

9. The Bathrooms Had Free Feminine Products

Mint passengers had access to 2 lavatories, both on the left side at the front of the plane. The bathrooms had an interesting blue tiled look on the wall and large mirrors. However, they didn’t have much space or unique amenities beyond this. What made them remarkable, though, was the fact that the lavatories were stocked with complimentary sanitary pads.

10. Mint Customers Had Priority Baggage Delivery

When we arrived at baggage claim in Madrid, we didn’t wait long for our luggage. Passengers in Mint — and those with JetBlue Mosaic elite status — enjoyed priority baggage delivery. This helped us spend less time waiting around the airport, which I always appreciate.

6 Things I Didn’t Like About Flying JetBlue Mint Suites to Europe

When crossing the Atlantic, I liked numerous aspects of our flight experience on JetBlue’s A321LR. However, there’s always room for improvement. Here are the aspects of the trip I didn’t like, or at least thought could be better.

1. The Suites’ Walls Weren’t Very Tall

The suite walls felt short. I’m 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and I could see over the top of my suite. Multiple passengers’ heads were visible above the walls, as well. The suites would feel more private with even a few inches of extra height.

2. There Was No Lounge Access

JetBlue is working on opening its first-ever airport lounges in Boston and New York City. While the lounges at BOS and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) will welcome travelers flying in Mint business class, they weren’t open during my flight and aren’t expected to open until the latter portion of 2025.

Until then, there are a few options for lounges at Boston Logan, including The Lounge in Terminal C near gate C19, though it’s rather unimpressive. Boston’s Chase Sapphire Lounge is near gate B39, so it’s not the most convenient place to go before a Mint flight out of the C terminal.

Both lounges are available for those with a Priority Pass membership, but you can only visit a Chase Sapphire Lounge once per year with a Priority Pass membership. However, you’ll enjoy unlimited visits to these lounges with the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® in your wallet.

Hot Tip:

Consult our guide to the best credit cards for lounge access to help you relax more comfortably before a flight.

3. The Bed Was Only Moderately Comfortable

The seat in JetBlue’s Mint business class went completely flat, letting me stretch out and get some sleep on this transatlantic flight. That said, the comfort and padding can’t be described as anything above “medium.” Adding a mattress pad for passengers to use would improve the comfort rating.

4. The Check-In Team Wasn’t Friendly

JetBlue has a large check-in area that’s mostly a help-yourself system in Terminal C.

However, those with Mosaic elite status or flying in Mint can use a dedicated check-in station. When arriving at the check-in area, turn right to find these desks.

Unfortunately, the 3 employees here were all trying to avoid helping customers. The employee who lost had to check us in, and the fact that he didn’t want to talk to us was clear. He mumbled as few words as possible and didn’t mention the location of our gate, and we had to pry information out of him, like whether we could use the priority security lane nearby.

Maybe you don’t love your job, but you can at least be polite to passengers while checking them in.

5. The Priority Security Option Didn’t Offer TSA PreCheck

After confirming that we could use the priority security line, we headed that way. An employee controlling access to it saw that our tickets indicated TSA PreCheck and told us that it wasn’t available in this line. We asked her to confirm, and she said that using the priority security line would require taking off our shoes, removing our laptops, etc., and we had to choose between priority security or the TSA PreCheck line on the other side of the checkpoint. We chose to go to PreCheck instead. Integrating these would be a nice feature for JetBlue’s elite members.

As JetBlue and United link their rewards programs and offer reciprocal elite benefits, United elite members may soon enjoy access to these priority security lines.

6. The Entertainment System Didn’t Offer Music

The entertainment system on our flight offered numerous movies, TV shows, and even audiobooks. However, there was no option to listen to music — something I often do on flights.

7. No Premium Alcohol Options

I don’t drink alcohol, and it’s worth pointing out that Mint passengers on our flight had several options for complimentary alcoholic drinks if they wanted them. At boarding, passengers had a wine list at their seats.

There was also a card with a list of cocktails, mocktails, beers, mixers, and liquor.

However, there were no premium alcoholic drinks or Champagne offerings — something many passengers consider a part of the premium experience when flying at the front of the plane.

How To Book JetBlue Mint Using Points and Miles

JetBlue was selling Mint tickets on our flight at $2,682 per person. Luckily, you don’t have to pay that.

Redeeming JetBlue TrueBlue points might be the first option you think about, and seats were available for 132,500 points per passenger. However, there were options with fewer digits in the number of points required.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers JetBlue flight redemptions, and our flight was available at 78,000 Avios per person for a one-way booking. When confirming award space — and before sending points to Qatar Airways from my credit card — the website never displayed the cash portion for taxes and fees, just spinning a wheel endlessly.

I was glad I didn’t send my points, as a Qatar Airways phone agent informed us that taxes and fees on this ticket would be over $1,000 per person. No thanks!

Instead, we paid 80,000 Etihad Guest miles and just $32.34 per person in taxes and fees. I’ll pay 2,000 extra miles to save $1,000 every day of the week.

Even better, there was a 20% transfer bonus from Amex to Etihad Guest when we booked our flights, though this has now expired, and it further reduced our expenses.

Hot Tip:

JetBlue offers a more spacious Studio Suite in the first row of Mint on this plane, but you’ll need to pay an extra $299 for these seats. Booking a flight with cash or points will give you a standard Mint suite on the plane, and the only way to move into the Studio in row 1 is by paying for the upgrade.

Final Thoughts

JetBlue Mint provided a solid way to fly across the ocean, offering a roomy suite, excellent service, and several unique features I enjoyed. It could be even better with a more comfortable mattress and some music options, but those wouldn’t deter me from flying transatlantic with JetBlue Mint Suites again.