In preparation for its first transatlantic fright from New York to London in 2021, JetBlue introduced a dramatic replace to its Mint enterprise class seats. Early images of the seat raised important considerations about accessibility for disabled passengers, a priority that JetBlue has not addressed publicly. Earlier this month, I lastly had the chance to check out the brand new “Mint Suite” on a flight of 6+ hours from Boston to Los Angeles.

Whereas I’ll make the argument that the JetBlue Mint Suite is the least accessible enterprise class seat flying immediately, I’ll nonetheless evaluate everything of the flight expertise, together with the meals & beverage providing which different reviewers have claimed actually stand out for a U.S. provider. Listed here are some primary flight particulars to get began with the evaluate:

Airline/Flight: JetBlue Airways, B6 810
Route: BOS-LAX — Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, California
Flight Date: August 2, 2023
Scheduled Departure/Arrival: 6:00 a.m. / 9:11 a.m.
Scheduled Flight Size: 6 hours, 11 minutes
Plane: Airbus A321neo
Registration: N2142J
Seat: 05F

The Airbus A321 is the core of JetBlue’s fleet, with an extended vary Airbus A321LR working on the transatlantic routes from Boston and New York to Amsterdam, London and Paris. Whereas this flight was not operated by an A321LR, the enterprise class seats are an identical to these discovered on the longer vary plane (and neither have an accessible bathroom!).

How I booked the flight

This flight was bought utilizing JetBlue TrueBlue frequent flyer factors that had been earned with the JetBlue Plus Credit score Card, with the whole price being 55,600 TrueBlue factors plus $5.60 in taxes and costs.

To be taught extra about how one can earn factors and miles by means of bank card sign-up bonuses, learn my information to the perfect bank cards for journey rewards.

JetBlue Airways Airbus A321neo with Mint Seating Structure

JetBlue has a number of variations of the Airbus A321 with Mint, in addition to airplanes with the legacy Mint seating product, and choose plane sorts with the up to date Mint Suite reviewed right here. The Airbus A321LR options 24 Mint Suites, nevertheless the home model used on my flight to Los Angeles had solely 16.

The economic system class cabin, situated behind the 8 rows of Mint Suites, consists of 42 “Even Extra House” seats and 102 “Core” seats. Economic system class makes use of the Collins Meridian seat product, which contains a 4-way adjustable headrest and particular person 10.1″ seat-back display. Even Extra House seats have 35 inches of pitch, whereas commonplace “core” seats have 32 inches of pitch.

Enterprise Class “Mint Suite” on the JetBlue Airbus A321neo

JetBlue’s up to date Mint Suite is an inward going through herringbone seat that was designed by Acumen and is predicated on the Thompson Aero Vantage Solo platform. It options retractable privateness doorways, nevertheless the one at my seat was not useful.

The herringbone seat faces away from the window and so, regardless of each Mint Suite being on the identical time each a window and aisle seat, it’s not simple to truly look out of the window. The design and place of the seat makes accessibility troublesome for wheelchair customers, however I’ll save that dialogue for later on this evaluate.

Listed here are a few selfies taken within the seat for good measure. You’ll discover how I used to be going through away from the window whereas seated. Why have a window in any respect?

As soon as I used to be seated within the suite, I took observe of a few of its options: a retractable tray desk, static cocktail desk, and an opulent bedding set from Tuft & Needle . The seat converts to a 77″ lengthy fully-flat mattress, which I put to the take a look at following breakfast service.

The Mint Suite contains a 17″ HD touchscreen inflight leisure show with a big selection of flicks and tv reveals. JetBlue has built-in some personalization into the IFE system, with the display pulling my identify from the passenger manifest. The system greeted me with “Hello, John,” which was a pleasant contact.

Learn in regards to the future alternatives for growing the accessibility of air journey by means of personalization of inflight leisure techniques in my article from the 2022 RedCabin Plane Cabin Innovation Summit.

Since this was a brief flight and I wished to get some sleep, I solely had time to look at one film — Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Sport. It was an amazing film, and I extremely suggest giving it a watch. Who knew Pinball was at one time unlawful in lots of cities across the nation?

A set of noise-canceling headphones is offered to every enterprise class passenger — whereas they’re actually an enchancment over these out there in economic system class, I wouldn’t wish to buy a pair for day by day use.

The seat is managed with a contact of a button, and might be reclined or positioned into a completely flat place for sleeping. Suite lighting can be adjusted from this management pad, which is situated to the left of the seat.

Energy retailers are situated to the left and proper of the seat, and there may be additionally a wi-fi charging pad for smartphones and different succesful gadgets.

The suite’s footwell, situated adjoining to the aisle and the suite entrance, is small and never fitted to the storage of carry-on baggage. This was considerably irritating, because it required me to name a flight attendant to retrieve my backpack from the overhead bin. Storage was one of many challenges on this suite, along with its compact measurement and slim profile.

Meals & Beverage Service in JetBlue Mint Enterprise Class

JetBlue has acquired widespread reward for its meals and beverage providing within the Mint cabin and, whereas I discovered the meal parts to be satisfactory, for my part it left one thing to be desired.

This being an early morning flight, breakfast was served. I began with a glass of orange juice and a croissant, which was tasty.

Mint prospects are introduced with a selection of small plates, with the choice to pick as much as three from the next checklist:

• Blueberries with thyme syrup, mint
• Greek yoghurt with strawberries, walnuts
• Avocado toast with goat cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, crostini
• French toast on brioche with roasted raspberries
• Frittata with roasted potatoes, pink peppers, herb & parmigiano salad

I selected the blueberries, French toast and frittata, and likewise opted for the facet of bacon.

The presentation was nice, however the meal itself wasn’t to my liking. The French toast was the stuff of a child’s sugar dream, submerged in a syrup that was so candy it proved inedible. The frittata was unremarkable, even bland, although the blueberries had been a deal with. If I had been to take a future JetBlue Mint flight, I’d play it protected and produce my very own meal onboard.

My disappointment within the meal was compounded by what proved to be an extremely sluggish service — the primary programs weren’t served till almost two hours after departure. On a transcontinental flight the place most vacationers purpose to sleep in preparation for a 9 a.m. Los Angeles arrival, that’s inexcusable.

What Makes the JetBlue Mint Suite the Most Inaccessible Seat in Air Journey

Essentially the most inaccessible seat in air journey? That’s a giant declare, I do know.

I’ve flown on greater than 1,000 flights as a wheelchair consumer, with greater than 50 airways — and I’ve by no means seen something worse. By no means earlier than have I encountered a seat that I couldn’t switch into independently. That features different seats that I’ve derided for his or her inaccessibility, together with the Qatar Airways QSuite and British Airways Membership Suite.

Once I provided my perspective on the definition of accessibility (maximizing the independence of disabled folks to the best extent potential), I used this seat as a main instance of a product that is known as accessible however most actually isn’t. I wrote that “even wheelchair customers with distinctive higher physique power should now undergo being bodily lifted by poorly educated employees” to entry the seat. “The provider’s assault on the independence of disabled vacationers,” I continued, “is an appalling affront to human dignity and it’s certainly proof of lowered accessibility.” Once I wrote these phrases, I used to be solely responding to the airline’s promotional images of the seat — now, having skilled the product for myself, I can attest to the truth that I used to be proper on the cash.

With the seat set towards the airplane’s fuselage, surrounded by an immovable wall and set distant from the aisle, non-ambulatory passengers don’t have any hope of transferring from the aisle wheelchair to the seat independently or safely.

Upon boarding the plane in Boston, two contracted help employees remarked that they’d “by no means achieved this earlier than” and admitted that JetBlue had offered no specialised coaching for serving to wheelchair customers out and in of the brand new Mint suite. A JetBlue supervisor subsequently got here aboard, and the trio of individuals lifted me awkwardly into the seat, grabbing my legs and arms and stretching muscle groups that I by no means knew existed. The supervisor admitted that the seat wasn’t accessible, promised to make a remark of it, and stated that I used to be solely the second wheelchair consumer to fly within the JetBlue Mint Suite from Boston. That different passenger’s switch was equally perilous, I used to be informed.

Through the flight, regardless of desperately needing to make use of the toilet, I used to be caught. Flight attendants might provide no assist in getting me out of my Mint jail, and there was no accessible bathroom on the plane anyway. I couldn’t assist however surprise, what would occur to me within the occasion of an emergency evacuation?

Upon arrival to Los Angeles, I used to be introduced with a wholly totally different switch method, this time utilizing 4 or 5 contracted employees and JetBlue staff. I used to be requested to sit down on a switch sling, which wrapped beneath my backside and round my legs. The staff members every grabbed a deal with and lifted me (one every from the suite on both facet and two in entrance from the aisle). The sling’s straps dug into my legs, proscribing circulation to the purpose that it turned extremely uncomfortable and my legs started to really feel numb.

As employees tried to maneuver me to the aisle, they realized that their arms weren’t lengthy sufficient to achieve over the wall. I started to slide, my head was close to the plane ground and my legs had been lifted excessive up into the air — I used to be the wrong way up! A JetBlue worker climbed over the wall and jumped onto the seat, grabbing me my the collar of my shirt, which restricted my respiration. I used my hand to seize the entrance of my collar to revive air circulate.

As my physique was turned right-side up and I used to be thrust into the aisle chair, I seen the flight attendants hiding within the ahead galley with their eyes averted. They too had been embarrassed by this chaotic, harmful and dare I say probably lethal switch method. It was, undoubtedly, probably the most undignified and distressing expertise of my life.

The Division of Transportation and the Secrecy of “Equal Different Determinations”

The Air Service Entry Act requires that fifty% of seats function a moveable aisle armrest to allow protected, unbiased transfers from an aisle chair into the seat. The JetBlue Mint Suite doesn’t have a moveable aisle armrest and as an alternative has a wall, which required the provider to use for a regulatory waiver from the U.S. Division of Transportation. That waiver is known as an “Equal Different Dedication” and requires the airline to submit proof that it “offers considerably equal accessibility to passengers with disabilities” that’s similar to compliance with the rule in query.

On Might 20, 2019, JetBlue utilized for an EAD to alleviate itself of the requirement to offer a moveable aisle armrest on its up to date Mint Suites. In its software, the airline said that it might “prepare staff on find out how to correctly switch prospects into the Mint seats in a protected and dignified method.” To assist its software, the airline said that it was “sending a staff of crewmembers to go to the [seat] producer as a way to put together a video demonstrating the benefit with which passengers with mobility impairments can switch (self or assisted) into the Mint seats.” That video was in the end submitted to the DOT, nevertheless it was given “confidential therapy,” which prevents its disclosure by means of Freedom of Data Act requests. JetBlue argued that “public disclosure” of the video “would trigger substantial hurt” to the airline.

Blane Workie, the DOT’s Assistant Basic Counsel for the Workplace of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, granted JetBlue’s request for an EAD, on the situation that JetBlue present “specialised coaching to its staff and contractors, in addition to staff and contractors of every other entity that will probably be transferring individuals with a mobility impairment to or from the Enterprise Class seats.” By granting the waiver, Workie certifies that JetBlue’s switch course of offers “considerably equal accessibility to passengers with disabilities.” With out entry to JetBlue’s video demonstration, the general public can not absolutely assess the Division’s determination, nevertheless I can attest that my expertise within the JetBlue Mint cabin was not even loosely equal, a lot much less “considerably equal,” to any of the 1,000+ flights that I’ve beforehand taken as a wheelchair consumer.

Previous to touring within the JetBlue Mint cabin, I made a number of requests to the airline for details about the permitted switch course of. I submitted a FOIA request to see the video submitted as a part of the EAD software, however the authorities refused to launch it. After experiencing inconsistency within the switch method and encountering employees who had been unfamiliar with the airline’s coaching on find out how to correctly switch disabled passengers, it’s crucial that the video be disclosed publicly. I intend to discover different routes, by means of the courts if essential, to achieve entry to the video and coaching supplies.

Given my expertise, and the latest instance of what can go incorrect throughout a failed switch (learn my reporting on the case of NJ Foster, whose respiration tube was dislodged whereas deplaning from a United Airways flight), it is probably not lengthy earlier than a disabled passenger faces severe harm by the hands of JetBlue.

Greater than a month in the past, and previous to publishing this story, I reached out to JetBlue’s company communications staff with questions in regards to the switch course of for disabled passengers and the coaching offered to staff members and contractors. My request for remark was ignored.

Closing Ideas

For wheelchair customers flying in JetBlue’s Mint enterprise class, the danger of considerable harm shouldn’t be missed — clear gaps in coaching and the applying of (wildly) inconsistent switch strategies at departure and arrival airports might actually depart vacationers blue within the face.

JetBlue launched an inaccessible premium cabin seat that strips disabled folks of independence, dangers severe harm, and leaves many disabled vacationers unable to entry the toilet throughout flight. Whereas no airline seat presents excellent accessibility, JetBlue’s Mint Suite on the Thompson Aero Vantage Solo platform is especially inaccessible in comparison with enterprise class seating provided by different airways. For disabled passengers wishing to fly in security, consolation and with their dignity intact, I strongly advise towards the JetBlue Mint expertise.

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