JetBlue Rethinks Its Fares: First Class Gets a Basic Option, Economy Gets a Revamp

JetBlue is rolling out a major overhaul of its fare structure, just in time for the airline’s first-ever domestic first-class seats. The new system gives travelers a clearer choice between three fare levels—Base, Standard, and Flex—no matter which cabin they pick. That means even the front of the plane will offer a no-frills option, a move that mirrors what rivals like United and Delta have already done.

Here’s how it works: Economy, which JetBlue now calls "Main," comes first. Then there’s "Even More" for extra legroom, priority boarding, and faster security screening. Later this year, the airline will introduce its new "BlueFirst" domestic first-class cabin. Within each of these three categories, passengers can choose Base for the lowest price (carry-on included, but no seat selection, no refunds—just a travel credit), Standard (adds seat selection and free changes), or Flex (everything in Standard plus refunds to your original payment method). Frequent fliers will earn points at different rates: one point per dollar on Base, three on Standard and Flex.

The changes also affect JetBlue’s premium long-haul product, Mint. For those lie-flat seats on cross-country or transatlantic flights, only Standard and Flex options will be available—no bare-bones Mint fare. That puts JetBlue in contrast with United and Delta, which recently introduced basic business-class tickets. United even announced a fee for blocking the middle seat on some planes. JetBlue has not yet set a launch date for BlueFirst, but the airline is betting on growing demand for pricier seats. It reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday.