I rarely fly first class on domestic flights because most airlines only offer larger seats. JetBlue Mint is different because it's the only international first-class experience you can get on a domestic flight. I was in New York for work and my client graciously booked a return flight on JetBlue Mint back to San Francisco. This is not a sponsored post.
The JetBlue terminal is at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in Terminal 5. Arrive early and enjoy the fresh air in JetBlue's rooftop garden.
JetBlue's Mint cabin consists of 16 seats, spread across five rows. Four Mint suites are available on a first come, first serve basis at no additional cost. The rest of the cabin is in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat comes with an amenities kit and blanket.
You can book in advance and score a JetBlue Mint suite for a lower cost. The Mint suites have closing doors for privacy.
The Mint suite offers the most living space of any other domestic carrier in the U.S. There's plenty of legroom. The flat-bed seats are the longest in the domestic market and recline up to 6' 8" long.
The seats below are the 2-2 configuration.
Each seat has a control panel to recline the seat, plus a built-in back massager!
The one thing I love about JetBlue Mint's food is they support local businesses. Menu items consist of artisan selections from New York. The coffee is from Brooklyn Roasting Company, cookies are from Milk Bar Bakery, and ice cream is from Blue Marble.
Presentation could be improved, but the food was great for a domestic first-class flight. From left to right: pork tenderloin porchetta, lobster risotto, and vegetable pot pie.
The ice cream from Blue Marble was some of the best I've ever had.
The customer service on JetBlue Mint is incredible. From the moment you arrive at the gate, you are greeted by name and invited to board first. Once you step on the plane, the cabin crew welcomes you and offers a complimentary drink and snack.
Bill and Jeff were genuine and enthusiastic during the flight. Upon getting settled into the Mint suite, they gave me an in-depth overview of the suite features.
When we were in the air, they made sure I was well fed and hydrated throughout the flight. Bill and Jeff made me feel right at home and provided a great experience. U.S. airlines should take notes from JetBlue on how to provide an incredible customer experience.
JetBlue's Mint business class experience is hands-down the best value and best domestic flight you'll ever take. Prices range from $400-$1,200+ depending on where you're flying and how far in advance you reserve tickets.
JetBlue, I'm a fan. Thanks for setting the new standard for domestic premium cabin experiences.
Note: Some of the offers/products mentioned below are no longer available.
Cathay Pacific has one of the most coveted first class products in the world. In this, post we’ll walk through how to book the flight with points.
As a disclaimer, we lucked out and snagged the once in a lifetime New Year’s super sale for ~$700 round trip. Before the sale, we were saving points to redeem in the near future.
The Cathay Pacific First Class experience starts when you arrive at the airport. Some people arrive in the morning for a same-day night flight to take full advantage of the first class lounge privileges.
Our Cathay Pacific first class flight departed from Hong Kong Airport which has two exclusive first class lounges: The Pier and The Wing. Check out the videos below to watch our reviews.
For the flight, the seats are spacious and can easily fit two people. Highlights include premium alcohol like Blue Label and luxury food selection that includes a tin of caviar.
The retail price for a Cathay Pacific first class flight is usually ~$8,700 one-way and $14,500 round trip.
There are 3 popular point currencies to book Cathay Pacific first class:
Before we jump into each point currency, it’s important to note that award availability might be scarce for 2019 due to Cathay Pacific’s New Year’s “surprise sale.” You might have better luck searching for 2020 dates.
The primary benefit of accumulating Asia Miles is that its run by Cathay Pacific, so finding award availability might be easier.
You have access to their award booking calendar 12 months from the departure date.
If you use other point currencies like Alaska miles and AA miles, you have access to the award calendar 331 days from departure. The award dates you want might be taken by people who are using Asia Miles.
Regardless of the point currency you’re using, if you can’t find availability 11-12 months from your desired departure date, try looking again 2 weeks out. The more flexible your schedule, the more likely you are to find availability.
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1. Visit asiamiles.com/en/redeem-awards/flight-awards/flight-award-chart.html to see how many points you need for the redemption. Keep in mind that we’re looking for Standard Award, not Choice Award.
2. Go to Miles Calc and enter your itinerary to see what your distance is for the award chart.
In the example below, we entered SFO - HKG and the total number of miles is 6,927 = Long - Type 2. Read the fine print on the Award Chart to see if the Long haul trip is considered Type 1 or 2.
This means that it will cost 110,000 Asia Miles, one-way.
Below is a chart of credit cards that earn or transfer to Asia Miles. These are the public offers as of 4/30/2019, and they are subject to change at any time.
Your goal is to earn 110,000 or 125,000 Asia Miles, depending on your Distance Zone.
Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points transfer to Asia Miles at a 1:1 ratio.
Another option is to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points. A few things to keep in mind:
Example 1:
= 45,000 Marriott / 3
= 15,000 airline points
Example 2:
= 60,000 Marriott / 3
= 20,000 airline points + 5,000 bonus points = 25,000
The optimal strategy is to transfer 60,000 points at a time to get the 5,000 bonus airline points.
Of the three airline point currencies, using Asia Miles the most expensive option.
The most point efficient way to book Cathay Pacific first class is with Alaska Miles. Alaska is part of the One World network, and the award redemption chart is below for Cathay Pacific flights.
Check the Alaska Air Award chart here: alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/use-miles/award-charts
For first class, you’ll need to use 70,000 Alaska miles each way. One benefit of Alaska miles is that the point redemption rate is the same regardless of where you depart from the U.S.
For example, regardless if you leave from JFK or SFO to Asia, the first class award ticket will still be 70,000 miles each way. When you use Asia Miles, your Award redemption rate may vary based on Distance Zones.
The fastest way to accumulate Alaska miles is to earn a welcome offer from one of their credit cards or transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska.
American Airlines is also part of the oneworld network of partner airlines. To find out how many American Airlines miles you’ll need, check out their award chart here: aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/oneworld-and-other-airline-partner-award-chart.jsp
Award redemption is based on regions in Asia, and in our example, Hong Kong is in Asia Region 2.
Looking at the award chart, you’ll need 110,000 American Airlines miles to fly first class to Hong Kong, each way.
The fastest way to accumulate American Airline miles is through welcome bonuses earned through their credit cards. Before you apply for a Citi credit card, be sure to brush up on Citi rules to see if you qualify for the bonus.
If you’re someone who has a travel experience bucket list, you should consider Cathay Pacific first class.
My redemption strategy was to accumulate Alaska Air miles for the Cathay Pacific flight since it requires the least amount of points, and I would get the personal and business credit cards.
There are multiple ways to book Cathay Pacific first class; it mainly depends on the points ecosystem you’re in and how you plan to redeem the points.
