JetBlue is making a major splash in the premium travel space with its first-ever airport lounges. The New York-based carrier will open two lounges starting in 2025, JetBlue said Thursday — one at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and another at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
Access will be a prime perk for JetBlue loyalists, from flyers with top-tier Mosaic elite status to customers flying its premium Mint cabin on transatlantic routes.
It’ll also be a complimentary benefit for future cardholders of a soon-to-be-announced premium JetBlue credit card.
It’s a bold move for JetBlue, one clearly meant to compete more forcefully with larger carriers in the Northeast, such as Delta Air Lines, which has a sizable presence at both JFK and Logan — and which recently cut the ribbon on a high-end Delta One Lounge this summer.
“Customers have asked for a JetBlue lounge for years, and we can’t wait to unveil our take in New York and Boston,” President Marty St. George said in a statement announcing the news Thursday.
A reversal in plans
Adding lounges to its portfolio is also something of a stunning reversal for JetBlue.
As recently as this summer, executives downplayed the possibility of adding a lounge network, and pointed to other areas of JetBlue’s operation (like its renowned inflight food-and-beverage service) as primary focus areas for the carrier to hold a competitive edge.
“Yes, people like lounges. Obviously, a lounge is better than no lounge … lounges are also extremely expensive,” St. George said in a June interview with TPG. “The question is, are lounges [profit and loss] positive to do this big transatlantic lounge network? No.”
Since then, though, JetBlue leaders devised an elaborate strategy meant to push the airline back to profitability for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.
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The plan, called “JetForward,” includes a $400 million investment between 2025 and 2027 in premium products.
Detailing that path forward in late July, JetBlue leaders publicly teased a major premium-product announcement. Some on Wall Street predicted a domestic first-class-style onboard product.
Instead, though, the carrier has elected to dive headfirst into the airport lounge realm with two clubs at its biggest hubs.
Once open, the lounges should prove to be a major draw for customers aiming for high-level status in JetBlue’s TrueBlue program or planning a Mint flight on the carrier’s growing European route network.
What we know about the new JetBlue lounges
JetBlue’s first airport lounge, spanning 8,000 square feet, will open in late 2025 inside JFK’s Terminal 5, the carrier announced Thursday.
Its second, an 11,000-square-foot facility at Boston’s Terminal C, will open soon after.
We don’t have any renderings to show you just yet; the lounge design is still in development, a spokesperson told TPG.
Unsurprisingly, though, the facilities will prominently weave in the airline’s blue brand aesthetic, the company said — along with local and regional artwork and other personal touches.
JetBlue’s lounges will feature three unique areas, or themes, known as “Play,” “Work” and “Lounge.”
The facilities will each offer a full-service bar and barista-equipped coffee bar, JetBlue said, along with areas to relax and private workstations. The lounges will also feature fast, free Wi-Fi, a bevy of outlets for charging, and complimentary food and beverage offerings.
“Customers love the JetBlue experience,” St. George said Thursday. “We’re pulling through those thoughtful touches you find onboard our flights into the lounge experience.”
Who will get access to the new JetBlue lounges?
As you’ll find with many airline lounge networks, there are a variety of ways you can earn JetBlue lounge access — from booking a high-end ticket to gaining access with a credit card or outright paying for a membership.
Have Mosaic 4 status
Complimentary lounge access will be a new signature perk for members of Mosaic 4, the highest elite status tier in the TrueBlue program. Those members will be allowed to bring an accompanying guest into the lounge for free.
Carry the future premium JetBlue credit card
JetBlue will soon announce details of a new, higher-end credit card, the company announced Thursday. That card will presumably feature a higher annual fee compared with the airline’s existing cobranded card portfolio but also added perks — one of which will be free access to its new lounge network.
An accompanying guest will also be permitted for these members.
Travel Mint to Europe
Booking a transatlantic flight in the premium Mint cabin will carry an added perk in the form of preflight JetBlue lounge access (this will be limited to travelers flying on a Mint ticket; no guests booked in the main cabin will be allowed inside).
Buy an annual pass
Finally, as with many airline lounges, you’ll be able to purchase an annual pass. The airline has not yet shared pricing details, but other carriers’ (larger) lounge networks typically have an annual membership fee totaling several hundred dollars.
Plus, JetBlue says it will offer day passes for purchase based on space and availability.
Read more: Best credit cards for airport lounge access
Additional Mosaic perk announced
A new lounge network and a premium cobranded credit card weren’t the only new TrueBlue offerings JetBlue revealed Thursday.
The carrier also unveiled an additional perk for its high-level elite status members.
Starting in 2025, the airline will offer a new incentive for Mosaic 4 members to keep earning elite status Tiles.
Members with at least 250 Tiles will earn an additional two “Move to Mint” certificates for every 100 Tiles earned. That’s beyond the certificates already accrued for earning Mosaic 3 and Mosaic 4 status.
As a reminder, TrueBlue members earn one Tile for every $100 spent with the airline and one Tile for every $1,000 spent on a cobranded credit card under the program’s current terms.
Bottom line
Just months after downplaying the possibility of opening airport lounges in the near future, JetBlue has changed course with two planned, starting in late 2025, at its two biggest hubs — JFK and Boston.
JetBlue will certainly be entering a competitive airport lounge landscape, considering the rise of new and swanky club portfolios, including the Delta One Lounge at JFK, and credit card issuer portfolios, including the Chase Sapphire, Capital One and American Express Centurion lounges popping up at airports around the country.
At the same time, adding lounges should be an enticing prospect for travelers who might be inclined to fly JetBlue to and from the Northeast — and turn their attention to its TrueBlue loyalty program.
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