To kick off my journey to Japan and South Korea, I flew from Burbank to New York on JetBlue onboard the Airbus A220-300 in “Core” economy class. JetBlue’s extra legroom and free high-speed internet made for a comfortable flight, though the A220-300 is not aging well and the flight attendants did not appear happy to be working a redeye flight.
JetBlue A220-300 Economy Class Review
(Curious why I would fly from Southern California five hours further away from Japan? See my intro to this trip report series here)
First, an admission. Somehow, I didn’t know that JetBlue was operating A220s…not sure how that escaped me. But when I saw an A2220 was operating my Burbank to New York flight, I was excited to try a new aircraft type on JetBlue.
The nice thing about Burbank Airport is you can show up 30 minutes before your flight departs and still comfortably make it onboard. I showed up 60 minutes early, which left plenty of waiting before boarding commenced.
JetBlue operates out of Terminal A at Burbank-Hollwyood Airport (BUR) and my flight to JFK operated out of the far gate at the end of the concourse. Burbank is not a particularly nice or comfortable airport, but new terminal construction is finally underway which should modernize the WWII airport that served as a critical facility for Lockheed when the entire area was once a mecca for manufacturing.
Boarding began slightly behind schedule and there are no jet bridges in Burbank: all boarding is via air stairs or ramp.
JetBlue 458
Burbank (BUR) – New York (JFK)
April 2024
Depart: 9:30 PM
Arrive: 5:52 AM+1
Duration: 05hr, 22min
Distance: 2,465 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A220-300
Seat: 10F (Economy Class)
Two flight attendants were standing by the aircraft door, but neither offered a greeting.
Seat
JetBlue (at least for now) is the most generous US airline when it comes to standard economy class pitch. Instead of 30 inches, you get two inches extra on JetBlue. Two inches makes a huge difference in a lot of ways…
The seat, a Collins Meridian, is 18 inches wide and reclines three inches. Every time I step onboard an A220 it reminds of the old MD-80 since the seating configuration is 2-3. There are 110 “Core” seats with 32 inches of legroom and 30 “Even More Space” seats with 35 inches of legroom (exit row 12 has 38 inches).
Each section of two seats includes a single universal charging port plus a USB-C charging port. In the section of three seats, there are two universal outlets with USB-C. Each seat has its own 10.1-inch screen and each screen also has a USB-A port. Air vents and a reading light are above each seat.
I chose a window seat in the section of three hoping the middle seat would stay open…and it did. The flight was not full and many passengers enjoyed open seats next to them.
Blankets ($10) and pillows ($7) were offered for sale, but I brought my own blanket and neck pillow and managed to sleep for a few hours.
Although these aircraft are new, I noticed that overhead bins are on the smaller side and a lot of people had trouble fitting their bags in them. I also noticed that many of the bins were extremely scuffed up, which is not a good look for a new aircraft.
Wi-Fi + IFE
JetBlue does a great job with in-flight entertainment, offering every passenger complimentary high-speed wi-fi (available upon boarding…it was not even necessary to wait for takeoff) and, at least on its newer plans, a rich library of movies and TV shows as well as live TV from DirecTV.
I had some work to get done and JetBlue is the only carrier I truly trust for working wi-fi every time. Internet speeds were fast and the connection was flawless during the first hour of the flight while I was awake.
Lavatory
Perhaps one downside to this aircraft is the lavatories—two in the rear—are quite small. Painfully small and I’m a skinny guy. In all seriousness, I don’t know how a larger person would even fit inside.
Food + Drink
A choice of beverage and snack was offered after takeoff. Complimentary snacks include:
- Chifles Plantain Chips
- Popchips Sea Salt
- Stellar Vegan Butter Pretzel Braids
Unfortunately, no Popchips were loaded, which is a shame because those are my favorite snacks.
JetBlue typically offers salads and sandwiches on its transcontinental flights but does not on overnight flights. However, snack boxes and a cheese plate were available for purchase, along with alcohol:
I’m still sad the Terra blue chips, which were one of my favorite things about JetBlue, seem to have disappeared.
Service
The ladies were not in the best mood…no smiles and they rushed through the beverage service and then disappeared for the remainder of the flight. No greeting when boarding or thank you upon disembarkation either.
CONCLUSION
We landed on time at JFK as the sun was rising and quickly pulled into the gate. I had several hours ahead of me before my connection to Tokyo.
I find the JetBlue economy product among the best. The extra legroom, IFE, and fast and free wi-fi really make for a much more pleasant flight. I also like the A220, which is a quiet and comfortable jet. Sure, the service could have been friendlier, but it was a very pleasant flight.
Sadly, what you described re service is my typical experience when flying JetBlue. I know they always advertise their “award winning service” (award from who?) but my experience going back years is that their crew (especially the New York based crew) is never especially friendly.
BOS crews are routinely fantastic, or at worst, above whatever I’ll get on AA/UA
I do wish you’d provide a genuine review of economy class one day. Get a middle seat on a full plane. Yes we know you can enjoy a flight sitting in biz class, effectively (by European standards) with a free seat alongside.
Genuine review of economy class? Come on now. On an A220, only 1/5 of passengers have a middle seat…and I wasn’t in an extra-legroom seat.
Middle seat!? Who else wants a depressing”worse possible scenario” review. Economy transcon tells him anything he needs to know.
But Harry might enjoy this classic!
https://liveandletsfly.com/lufthansa-last-row/
Speaking of small lavs. My family and I were flying to LAX on an E175, also with an extremely small lav in first class. My daughter, who was 2 at the time, needed to use the bathroom. I took her to the bathroom, but could not close the door due to my larger frame and also assist my daughter with the toilet. The flight attendant working first yelled at me to close the door, which was physically not possible. I had to show her that it wasn’t possible and she said something along the lines of “you need to shut the door next time.” I kinda had a laugh and just went back to my seat. She didn’t say much to me the rest of the flight.
In your opening paragraph, you write the following: I flew from Burbank to New York on JetBlue onboard the Airbus A220-200 in “Core” economy class. JetBlue’s extra legroom and free high-speed internet made for a comfortable flight, though the A220-300 is not aging well and the flight attendants did not appear happy to be working a redeye flight.
So which was it – A220-200 or A220-300?
Seeing that B6 has no -200s in its fleet, it has to be -300.
They have 200s. I flew in them recently on Jet Blue.
JetBlue has A220-300, not -200s.
This looks like an excellent inflight product. I would love to fly with JetBlue.
The a220 is not aging well? Small overhead bins? Tiny lavatory? Sounds like the a220 isn’t the miracle that so many people gush endlessly about.
Empty A220 on Transcon flight? I guess B6 has good reason to end Burbank service.
Empty? There were sverall middle seats open, but it was over 80% full.
Ok, I inferred it was emptier than it was. Thanks for the trip report!
The snooze kits for sale used to be given out for free as part of their “Shuteye Service.” They also used to pass around hot towels before landing on redeye flights. Sad to see both of those are gone.
Yes, indeed. JetBlue is in cost-cutting mode.
“Not aging well”
Then only mentions the scuff marks on overhead bins . How can anyone take this review seriously ?
The overhead bins are falling apart…I think that’s significant for a brand new plane.
Therefore, I don’t take your comment seriously.
LOL. Peter, I just took a jetBlue a220, and it’s still beautiful, even in late 2025. In core economy or Even More seats, it’s still modern, comfortable, clean, efficient, got all the IFE screens and reliable WiFi anyone could hope for. And, best of all, the 2-3 configuration is perfect for couples and families alike. (Matt, thanks for allowing comments years later; other sites like Gary’s close them after a few weeks. Psh.)