JetBlue plans to construct airport lounges in New York and Boston | airports

JetBlue Airways will open its first airport lounges in its greater than twenty years of flying, a significant shift for the low-cost airline because it chases high-spending vacationers.

The lounges will open at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport late subsequent yr adopted by Boston, JetBlue mentioned Thursday.

The airline can also be planning to launch a brand new “premium” bank card with its accomplice, Barclays, taking a web page from the likes of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines, which have generated billions by profitable bank card offers.

Customers who've the soon-to-be-announced premium bank card, these booked in JetBlue's Mint enterprise class for trans-Atlantic journey and high-level frequent flyer standing holders will probably be ready to entry the lounges, the corporate mentioned.

JetBlue mentioned its 8,000-square-foot lounge in Terminal 5 of New York's JFK Airport is slated to open late subsequent yr, and an 11,000-sqare-foot house in Boston Logan International Airport's Terminal C will open shortly after.

JetBlue has been racing to reduce prices and return to regular profitability, together with by deferring dozens of recent Airbus jetliners. The airline has slashed dozens of routes this yr and has been searching for methods to higher deploy its plane which are geared up with its Mint cabin, which options lie-flat seats, higher-end eating and different perks.

Entry to the lounges is not going to embrace, not less than instantly, vacationers on different Mint routes resembling transcontinental flights, Jayne O'Brien, JetBlue's head of promoting and buyer help, informed CNBC.

She mentioned JetBlue would not need to disappoint clients if they are not ready to get into the lounges as a result of they're too crowded. “We want to be very thoughtful about how we step into this,” she mentioned, including that the lounges will characteristic cocktail and espresso bars, “light bites,” in addition to room to work.

The highest-tier of JetBlue's loyalty program and holders of the brand new premium card will get free entry to the lounge for one visitor.

O'Brien declined to touch upon rumors that JetBlue is planning to provide a mini Mint cabin on some plane, a smaller format of its fashionable cabin.

Other airways have been revamping their airport lounges in hopes of reeling in extra huge spenders and accommodate crowds. Delta, which scaled again entry to a few of its fashionable airport Sky Clubs after complaints of lengthy traces, in June unveiled its first Delta One lounge at JFK Airport, which is devoted for patrons in its highest-level cabin and sure invite-only elite members of its SkyMiles program.

American and United even have devoted lounges for vacationers in prime first- and business-class cabins.

Credit card firms resembling American Express, Chase and Capital One have additionally opened airport lounges in cities throughout the nation in an effort to draw customers.

JetBlue isn't the one airline taking a look at increasing perks that include greater fares.

Southwest Airlines plans to provide seats with further legroom to improve income, the largest change in its greater than 5 many years of flying. Southwest will present extra particulars about its technique at an investor day subsequent week. Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have additionally launched bundles that embrace seats with extra space and earlier boarding.