• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Reviews » Flight Reviews » Review: JetBlue A321neo Economy Class London – New York
Flight ReviewsJetBlue

Review: JetBlue A321neo Economy Class London – New York

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 30, 2023December 31, 2023 17 Comments

a plane parked at an airport

I finally took the opportunity to fly JetBlue in “Core” (economy class) on a transatlantic journey and while there was one huge disappointment, so much about the A321neo flight from London to New York was simply superb.

In This Post:

Toggle
  • JetBlue A321neo Economy Class Review (LHR-JFK)
    • Check-In
    • Seat
    • IFE + Wi-Fi
    • Lavatory
    • Food + Drink
    • Service
    • CONCLUSION

JetBlue A321neo Economy Class Review (LHR-JFK)

I’ve heard so many good things about JetBlue in economy class that I decided my family would try it for our journey home from London.

Round trip fares from London to Los Angeles were $568, about the same as a one-way ticket, so the good news is that I will get to try JetBlue again when we return.

Check-In

JetBlue operates out of Terminal 2 (“The Queen’s Terminal”) at London Heathrow, with daily flights to Boston (BOS) and New York (JFK). After checking in, we proceeded through security (lines were very long…the process took around 25 minutes, though it would have taken even longer had I not pivoted to the machines that do not require removing liquids or electronics), then to the Plaza Premium Lounge.

Boarding commenced at 11:35 am. The gate agent very nicely informed us that the flight was lightly booked and so she had moved us to separate rows, one behind the other, leaving the middle seat open in both rows. This set a great tone for the service we would experience onboard.

people standing in a line at an airport

a sign in a building

a man walking down a hallway with luggage

an airplane on the runway

a girl looking up at a door

JetBlue 20
London (LHR) – New York (JFK)
November 2023
Depart: 12:20 PM
Arrive: 3:32 PM
Duration: 8hr, 12min
Aircraft: Airbus A321neo
Distance: 3,451 miles
Seats: 16D, 16F, 17D, 17F (“Core” Economy Class)

It’s always nice to fly JetBlue and even nicer to fly on a flight that is less than half full.

Seat

Here’s where JetBlue really sets itself apart from the competitors. All seats in economy (Core) class have 32 inches of seat pitch…which is noticeably comfortable. The seat width is 18 inches and the set reclines  three inches. There’s also a comfortable 4-way adjustable headrest.

a seat in an airplane

seats in an airplane with seats and windows

There are two power outlets, which include both a USB-A and universal a/c power, for every three seats.

a close up of a power outlet

Core has 102 seats.

an airplane with rows of seats with monitors on the back

Meanwhile, rows 9-15 are “Even More Space” seats which have three extra inches of legroom and are located in the front of the economy class cabin.

Each seat was provisioned with a blanket and “snooze kit” (ear plugs + eye mask). I liked that the blanket was large.

a blue blanket and a blue package on a seat

a blue fabric with a label

a blue blanket rolled up on a white surface

a blue package with a moon and white text

I didn’t get up much during the fight and frankly was very comfortable for a daytime service. Going the other way might be a different issue, but I was quite content to be in these seats.

JetBlue Mint
Not Mint on this flight…

IFE + Wi-Fi

The other great thing that JetBlue has going for it is the complimentary wi-fi onboard, powered by Viasat, which you can switch on as soon as you board the aircraft (you don’t even have to wait until the flight hits 10,000 feet). This is revolutionary and also helped quickly pass the eight hours onboard.

a plane with a light on it

In addition to wi-fi, a comprehensive library of movies, TV shows, and games were available plus a moving map.

a screen on a seat

a screen on a device

a screen with text on it

a screen on a plane

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a device

a screen shot of a device

a screen of a device

a screen with a map of the earth

While there was no “remote” for the 10.1-inch tour screen monitor, you could hook up your phone via Bluetooth to serve as that handheld control unit.

a screenshot of a phone

Complimentary disposable headphones were distributed.

a blue earbuds and a paper bag

I watched the latest Liam Neeson movie (they’re actually all the same, right?) that came with a disclaimer about the violence in it.

a screen shot of a computer

Taxiing out of London Heathrow took about 30 minutes and during that time we were treated to many excellent aircraft views out the window:

an airplane wing in an airport

a plane parked in a terminal

an airplane on a runway

a white airplane on a runway

an airplane on the runway

an airplane wing on a runway

a plane on the runway

an airplane on the runway

a group of airplanes on a runway

an airplane wing and runway with many airplanes in the background

an airplane wing and a city

an aerial view of a runway and buildings

the wing of an airplane above the clouds

The kids spent most of the flight watching their screens…and eventually sleeping.

a child sitting in a seat with a television on the back of the seat

a child looking out of an airplane window

a man and two boys sitting in a plane

a person lying down with a book on their head

Lavatory

One lavatory was located in the front of the economy class section and two in the rear. The one I visited was clean, but there were no extra amenities.

a sink and toilet in a bathroom

a sink with soap dispenser and a bottle of liquid

Food + Drink

Perfect flight so far, right? Well about 24 hours before the flight I received an email that contained this provision:

a blue line drawing of a fork and spoon

I figured there was an aircraft swap and sure enough, we went from an A321neoLR to a A321neo. Those do not have ovens in the back meaning there is really no way to heat up hot meals for everyone in the Mint (business class) forward galley.

While I did consider changing to fly out of Gatwick or taking the early flight out of Heathrow, we did not want to be rushed in the morning. I also figured this would be a good opportunity to find out what kind of food may be served to Dublin and Edinburgh next year, since JetBlue will use this aircraft without oven.

After takeoff, a beverage was served (whole can offered).

a can of soda and a cup of ice

Next came lunch, which was either a chicken warp or vegetarian wrap. It was served with a side of pickled broccoli with pomegranates and some sort of pudding for dessert.

a food in a container

a wrapper with a label on it

a tray of food on a tray

a bowl of food on a black surface
The only good part of the meal

a pan of food on a table

Wraps can be okay. Usually everything Do&Co caters is okay. But this was not. This was ice cold and tasteless. What a missed opportunity.

a hand holding a burrito

Snacks were available in mid-cabin galley and I know I was not the only one who got hungry during the flight.

a tray of food in a drawer

a group of cans and bottles in a refrigerator

a bag of chips on a table

Prior to landing (about an hour out of New York) a final service commenced. The snack? A breakfast bar. Pathetic. Totally pathetic.

a can of soda and a cup of ice

Whatever JetBlue ends up doing in terms of catering for its new Scotland and Ireland flights, I hope it won’t serve this.

Service

The flight crew was excellent and quiet apologetic about the catering issue. They did not make rounds through the cabin except during the first meal and beverage service and again prior to landing, but passengers were encouraged to use their call button light if they needed anything…how’s that for service?

CONCLUSION

No doubt the meals were a huge disappointment for me and a critical part of the JetBlue experience that was lacking. But even with rather a deplorable meal service onboard, it was still a very nice flight with functioning and free wi-fi, a nice assortment of movies, plenty of legroom, and friendly service. Next time, I look forward to the full meal service, but even without it JetBlue is still a great product.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article The 10 Most Popular Live And Let’s Fly Posts Of 2023
Next Article My Top 10 Flights In 2023

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Delta Air Lines A321neo Economy Class Review

    Review: Delta Air Lines A321neo Economy Class

    May 14, 2025
  • a construction site with a few buildings and a blue sky with clouds

    Flying JetBlue At New York JFK Just Became Even Harder

    May 6, 2025
  • JetBlue Pilots Angry

    The Real Reason JetBlue Pilots Are Angry (It’s Not Over United Airlines Partnership)

    May 3, 2025

17 Comments

  1. Emil Padilla Reply
    December 30, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    Im shocked they haven’t retrofitted the aft galley’s with ovens, considering these have been doing Europe turns for quite a few months now.

    I wonder if the newer deliveries will have ovens aft, or if they’ll continue with this inconsistency. I’ve heard great things of long haul Jetblue catering, and its made me want to go out of my way to fly them, but the non LR meals look pathetic.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      December 30, 2023 at 2:18 pm

      I had not heard that B6 was considering ovens on the non LRs. I hope that is the case…

      • mike Reply
        January 3, 2024 at 9:49 am

        the planes are a short term fix until the XLR. however the company is doing a deep dive to revamp the food with dig to offer better meal options during this short term solution

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          January 3, 2024 at 10:09 am

          Good to hear. How often do these swaps happen?

  2. PM Reply
    December 30, 2023 at 3:12 pm

    Over the years, I have had plenty of decent, and quite a few actually good, cold airline meals, in both Y and premium classes of service. A wrap as a main meal on an 8-hour flight is ridiculous, particularly when the airline knew about the aircraft swap with notice that had been more than sufficient to arrange something with the airport caterers,

  3. lavanderialarry Reply
    December 30, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    Nice review and from the looks of it, indeed, it is a cut above the legacy carriers in economy, just with the 32 inch seat pitch, never mind the rest. But JetBlue will never regain my business. Too many delays, operational issues, and plenty of snafus. Never judge a book by its cover.

  4. Stuart Reply
    December 30, 2023 at 7:58 pm

    That’s dismal they use a plane with no ovens from LHR.

    I do though love that their boarding gate in T2 is literally right there after security. In the area usually reserved f0r European flights. I am jealous as I walk past for the long schlep to the UA gates.

    • PM Reply
      December 30, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      At least you hopefully have access to one or more decent lounges – B6 pax have to make do with the gate area.

  5. Joe Chivas Reply
    December 30, 2023 at 10:15 pm

    The meal service sounds as deplorable as Trump’s supporters.

  6. MeanMeosh Reply
    December 31, 2023 at 12:12 am

    While that meal looks terrible, B6 does get extra credit for the plantain chips in the galley. TBH, though, I didn’t think the hot meal in Mint was that great either when I flew it to LGW in November. I’m coming to the conclusion that the hype over Mint meals is greatly overrated.

  7. James Reply
    December 31, 2023 at 11:43 am

    Looks like cauliflower not broccoli

  8. T- Reply
    December 31, 2023 at 12:24 pm

    You were bamboozled, bait & switched and ripped off a little. JetBlue is known for their tapa’s style meals. It is part of what sets them apart. JetBlue is NOT the airline that it once was.

  9. O'Hare Is My Second Home Reply
    December 31, 2023 at 1:16 pm

    Nothing is superb on B6. It’s a con played on the gullible people of Noo Yawk that could never live up to the hype.

  10. Charles Reply
    January 1, 2024 at 8:41 am

    We just completed a RT JFK -Amsterdam in Mint just before Christmas and it was one of the best business class flights I’ve ever done. We’re Mosaic on JB and was able to use points for the flight. Sorry to hear about your cold food. The food service in mint was excellent. You selected your meal choices for both services on the TV screen. The lay flat seats were firm but comfortable but the best was the privacy provided by the door in front of each pod with seating of 1+1 in the first 12 rows. Service was outstanding and the real cocktails kept flowing. After this I don’t think I’ll be using Sales Delta for any more Intl flights.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 1, 2024 at 9:32 am

      I’ve done Mint three times transatlantic and always thought the food was excellent:

      https://liveandletsfly.com/?s=JetBlue+mint+review

      I was particularly looking forward to the food in coach, but hope to have a better experience next time.

  11. Nic Reply
    January 1, 2024 at 9:39 am

    I flew Jetblue LGW to Boston, I agree with the review, a great flight. There have been a lot of concerns raised about sitting for so long on narrowbodies but I loved the a321 and JetBlue experience. The meal I had was hot and was one of the best I had on a flight. I will be going to Boston again this year but some other airlines have better deals. Looking for an excuse to spend a bit extra to fly Jetblue again

  12. Joe Reply
    January 2, 2024 at 5:47 pm

    They’re having issues with airbus delivering the LR aircrafts atm and scrambling for figure something out. I guess this is more economically friendly and wait for the aircrafts than retrofitting the planes again.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • a woman walking in an airplane with a luggage
    United Airlines Eliminates Instant Upgrades, Excursionist Perk, MileagePlus Upgrade Award Chart May 22, 2025
  • Flight Coffee Allergy
    Passenger Claims She’s Allergic To Coffee Smell, Demands Airline Ban It May 22, 2025
  • Trump Qatar 747-8
    Gift Or Grift? Trump Bets On Qatari 747-8 For Air Force One May 22, 2025
  • United Airlines Domestic Check-In Cutoff
    United Airlines Adjusts Check-In Window For Domestic Flights May 22, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a room with a table and benches
    Where To Smoke At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) April 26, 2025
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Refresh Polaris Lounge Chicago
    First Look: United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago (ORD) April 29, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.