BACKGROUND:
Earlier this week I flew on a JetBlue flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) and ended up in the JetBlue Exit Row Even More Space Seats. This is my last flight that grandfathered the old JetBlue and American Northeast Alliance reciprocal benefits as that has ended. Specifically, I was able to take advantage of grabbing an “Even More Space” seat at check-in for free.
FLIGHT DETAILS:
JetBlue Airways Flight 524
Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK)
Cabin: Even More Space
Aircraft: Airbus A321- The Ultamint Experience
Seat: 18C
PRE-FLIGHT SCHEDULE CHANGES:
About two months before my scheduled departure, I was informed of a 4-hour schedule change where my flight would be now leaving at 10 AM versus 2 PM. With this, JetBlue allowed me to change my reservation up to 7 days before or after my original flight with no increase in airfare (including changing to nearby airports: EWR vs JFK for example), or receive a full refund to the original form of payment. This worked out because new travel plans made me need to travel a day earlier. So, I was able to switch to a flight one day earlier for no charge which was nice.
Then, one month before my scheduled departure, I was informed of a 1-hour schedule change where my flight would leave an hour earlier. Since it was a more minor change, JetBlue only allowed for a change up to 1 day before or after my booked flight with no increase in airfare, or get a JetBlue travel bank credit. The change didn’t mess up my plans, so I stayed on my booked flight.
Just be sure to check your emails and monitor your flights, as changes do happen!
PICKING MY “EVEN MORE SPACE” SEAT AT ONLINE CHECK-IN:
For the Los Angeles to New York route, starting prices for the Even More Space seats (rows 6-10 and exit rows 18-19) cost around $130 if you want to upgrade from a standard Core seat. If you select a JetBlue Even More Space Seats, you get Early Boarding, and Priority Security if it’s available at your airport. But just remember that the priority security would only be helpful if you don’t have TSA Precheck or Clear.
When check-in opened T-24 hours before my flight, there were no Even More Space aisle seats available in rows 6-10, so I grabbed one in exit row 18.
BOARDING AND THE PLANE:
I boarded after Mosaic and Mint, in group A which “Even More Space” seats are assigned. We first passed by the original Mint cabin, which I have flown on a few occasions and enjoyed it. You can check out my trip last year in Mint here if you’d like.
The aircraft operating my flight was the A321 Classic with Mint and JetBlue always has cute names for their planes. This one was called: The Ultamint Experience.
I arrived at my “Even More Space” seat which was 18C and got settled in. Our plane still felt relatively fresh and clean, but the 9.5-year-old plane was showing signs of age, particularly with the in-flight entertainment system. It is less modern than the A320 Restyled I flew on to Fort Lauderdale earlier this year.
JetBlue Exit Row “Even More Space” Seat:
The star of the show was the enormous amount of legroom this seat provided! The A321 Classic with Mint featured 37 inches of pitch in the Even More Space Seats but 41 inches in the exit rows. In terms of the competition, Delta, United, and American all offer 35 inches of pitch in their respective extra legroom seats that serve this route. So, this seat is 6 extra inches! I loved my aisle seat. One thing to note, 18A (window) is missing an armrest at the window, so it can be a bit uncomfortable. My seatmate was complaining about that a bit. Lucky for us, we had an empty middle seat on this flight.
The seatback pocket also includes a water bottle holder, which can come in handy! And, beneath your seat, there are also in-seat USB and 110v power outlets for charging your devices.
Interestingly, across the aisle where 18D would be, is a flight attendant jumpseat that is used by an FA during takeoff and landing.
WI-FI:
A major plus is that JetBlue offers free high-speed Wi-Fi called Fly-Fi on all of their flights. It is normally great, and there are no device limitations. Generally, I have solid internet service on my JetBlue flights but unfortunately this time, it was very slow throughout the flight. It got so bad I ended up just watching movies on the IFE rather than working on my laptop.
THE FLIGHT + CABIN SERVICE:
The captain announced that our time in the air would be 4 hours and 52 minutes. We left the gate a bit early and then took off 10 minutes after our scheduled departure time. Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants began the cabin service. First, they came around for in-flight purchases. There were the EatUp Cafe items and snack boxes. Also, pillows, earbuds, and blankets were available for purchase.
Soon after, the complimentary beverage and snack service commenced. Pepsi products were complimentary, and snack choices included Chifles Plantain Chips, Goodie Girl Cookies, Simply Stellar Vegan Pretzels, Popchips Sea Salt, and Quaker Oats Granola Bars. I liked their addition of the Popchips!
Since the Wi-Fi was very slow, I ended up watching two movies. On this aircraft, there is a 10.1” seatback touchscreen TV with movies, SiriusXM, DIRECTV, and TV shows. It can be controlled via a touch screen or the armrest. But, the remote control in the middle of the armrest is so annoying. I kept hitting it when I rested my arm and it paused my movie and even restarted it from the beginning. Poor placement in my opinion.
About one hour before landing, the flight attendants came by with one more drink service which was appreciated. Also, a nice feature on this JetBlue plane is that in front of row 6, there is the “Pantry”. Here, you can grab snacks and drinks anytime throughout the flight. Especially on transcontinental flights that don’t serve meals, the Pantry can be a great benefit to have to quench your thirst or satisfy your hunger.
With regards to lavatories, there is 1 in the front of the economy cabin and 2 in the rear. I only used one of the rear lavatories about halfway through the flight and it was kept up quite well!
Due to strong winds in the New York area, we ended up landing 10 minutes past our scheduled arrival time and got to the gate about 20 minutes late.
The Verdict:
Overall, the legroom on the JetBlue exit row “Even More Space” A321 Classic with Mint is stellar and helpful on a long transcontinental flight. Also, I do like the array of snacks that are offered onboard. Aspects of the flight that could be improved include the slow Wi-Fi experience, but my flight as a whole was enjoyable.
Have you flown on the JetBlue exit row “Even More Space” seats on the A321 Classic with Mint? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
