JetBlue’s first-class ‘BlueFirst’ will launch in December, is now on sale

It’s your chance to be among the first to fly BlueFirst.

JetBlue’s new first-class cabin is officially available for purchase, the airline announced on Thursday, unveiling the first details of its plans to introduce domestic premium service to the airline.

BlueFirst will debut on Dec. 8 on JetBlue Flight 1169 from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The cabin will be introduced on some flights between New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and FLL within a few additional days before being added to more routes in the coming months.

Notably, JetBlue appears to be introducing first-class as planes are retrofitted and returned to service, which means that even when BlueFirst is added to a flight on a particular route, other frequencies on that same route may not have that premium seating immediately. For instance, the initial schedule shows that BlueFirst will only be available on one of the six daily nonstop flights from BOS to FLL.

The initial routes were chosen based on customer demand, JetBlue said in a press release, with BOS-FLL representing a connection between two of JetBlue’s key focus cities.

BlueFirst makes its debut nearly two years after announcing plans to put first-class seats on its planes, its first major expansion of premium on-board service since introducing Mint business class seats on transcontinental flights more than a decade ago.

The seats, which are arranged in three or four rows of 2-2 (depending on the type of plane), feature larger 13.3-inch seatback screens with Bluetooth connectivity for headphones, five inches of recline and up to seven more inches of legroom compared to main cabin seats. JetBlue will also offer premium dining and drink service on flights longer than 899 miles, and priority boarding with dedicated overhead bin space.

The airline does not appear to be installing ovens on planes with BlueFirst, though, so expect that most meals will be cold. JetBlue previously described “bento-inspired boxes” for most meals with things like sweet and savory crepes or sesame noodles.

Notably, BlueFirst passengers will not be eligible to use the airline’s BlueHouse lounges at BOS or New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) unless they already have access through a credit card or one-time pass.

You can check out TPG’s detailed preview of BlueFirst here.

Upgrading to BlueFirst

JetBlue also shared the first details of what its Mosaic elite frequent flyers can expect in terms of upgrades.

JetBlue will follow the major U.S. airlines in allowing space-available upgrades for all Mosaic members. While the airline said it will announce more about those upgrades in the coming weeks, it is likely that they will work like on other airlines, with upgrades clearing in order of Mosaic tier.

The airline will also change its “Move to Mint” certificates it offers Mosaic 3 and 4 members, allowing them to be used for BlueFirst as well. Those certificates can be used at “variable redemption rates,” JetBlue said.

Note that only certain fares will be eligible for upgrade, meaning JetBlue will likely exclude any Mosaic booked on a “Base” fare.

BlueFirst routes and dates

As JetBlue continues to install BlueFirst cabins on its aircraft, it plans to introduce the route across its network in stages.

For now, the airline has 39 routes slated for BlueFirst:

Bottom line

JetBlue is eager to catch up on the premium revenue trend that its competitors have been enjoying for the past few years, and plans to roll out BlueFirst fairly aggressively. The airline previously said that a “majority” of planes will have the seats by the end of 2027, with the retrofit program wrapping up by 2028.

That means that even if you miss out on the first couple of routes, keep your eyes open, because BlueFirst is coming to a flight near you before you know it.