JetBlue has debuted its new Airbus A321neo, featuring several cabin innovations that make for an objectively better passenger experience.
JetBlue’s focus is on “seamless living” onboard the new aircraft. To that end, the new aircraft features:
- New Welcome Area: The NEO features a completely redesigned welcome area outfitted with residential finishes, full-height edge-lit partitions, and custom flooring designed to create a striking first impression.
- Enhanced Boarding Experience: Sky blue mood lighting and uplifting boarding music will create a laid-back and fun ambiance as Customers make their way onto the aircraft.
- Brand New Seats: JetBlue’s stylish new seats were designed to maximize comfort with enhanced memory foam cushions, adjustable headrests and more living space. They’re also the widest seats on the market and offer the most legroom in coach.
- Redesigned Seatback Pockets: With feedback from customers and crewmembers, JetBlue reinvented the seatback pocket with an elastic “gadget panel” stowage, mesh pockets for water bottles or personal devices and a larger pocket for laptops
- Easy to Reach Power: With a USB port in each seatback monitor and repositioned AC power ports located in front of each seat, travelers can relax knowing they will arrive with a full charge across all devices.
- All New: The Pantry: JetBlue’s take on an inflight snack bar has been completely reinvented and will serve as an onboard gathering place for customers to stretch their legs and grab a free refreshment or some extra snacks throughout the flight.
- Cutting-Edge HD Seatback Screens: With 100+ channels of DIRECTV, hundreds of movies, full seasons of binge-worthy TV shows, and custom seatback games, JetBlue customers will never be bored. Plus, travelers can follow their flight on a new 3D moving map and pair a personal device with the seatbacks to use as a remote.
- Expanded Fly-Fi Coverage: Equipped with Viasat-2, the A321neo will offer expanded coverage on more than 99% of JetBlue’s route network, including over water and international cities. JetBlue’s high speed Wi-Fi is complimentary.
That’s JetBlue’s own description, so you’ll have to pardon the puff.
You can watch a 360° tour of the new cabin below:
The first A321neo, configured in a single-cabin layout, just flew from Ft. Lauderdale to New York, representing JetBlue’s first flight 20 years ago.
More A321neos To Come
JetBlue has a total of 85 A321neo aircraft on order. This includes 13 A321LR long-range aircraft, which will be used for service between London and New York/Boston beginning in 2021. JetBlue also has 13 A321XLR, the extra-long range variant, which it plans to use for further European expansion.
CONCLUSION
Being based in Los Angeles and flying mostly longhaul means I do not get to experience JetBlue very often. But the new A321neo with self-service snacks (JetBlue encourages you to eat all you want), high speed complimentary wi-fi, well-designed seat back pockets for mobile phones and laptops, power ports, and wider, well-padded seats makes JetBlue an attractive carrier in economy class.
The Pantry idea seems doomed to fail (or at least would be annoying to me) on a narrow body aircraft. People can’t really “commune” and “mingle” they are either in their seat or in the way.
Looking forward to a review of it!
I experienced the original pantry sitting in the first row of Economy Plus on their transcon A321 a few years ago. With door 2L right across from it, there IS plenty of room. Now that Airbus got rid of that door on the A321 NEO (which eliminates that row of unlimited legroom), the pantry area might be more cramped. That being said, new cabin looks great!