Exclusive: Inside JetBlue’s New Transatlantic Airspace A321LR

Following the arrival of the first-ever JetBlue passenger flight to London Heathrow from New York JFK this morning, Simple Flying had the opportunity to have a look at the interior of the hybrid airline’s Airbus A321LR that performed the service. Crafted with transatlantic missions in mind, let’s take a look at registration N4022J’s cabin.

JetBlue is the first airline to feature Airbus’ new airspace cabin, and with this move, the two companies are looking to bring enhancements to benefit passengers. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The business end

Earlier this year, we caught up with Acumen, the designers that worked with JetBlue on its new interiors. The company shared that it worked with the airline to truly bring out its personality. With JetBlue being based in New York, the metropolitan character of the city and the airline is brought out across the cabin.

The Mint suite is supported by vegan leather upholstery. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Each Mint suite has a full-flat adaptive-mattress seat. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

24 passengers can fit in the Mint cabin. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Seats have in-seat power, including AC and USB-C ports to allow for inflight charging across the ocean. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

There is more than enough space for baggage. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

JetBlue made full use of Airbus’ customizable cabin lighting. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The core product

Several commenters have been skeptical of transatlantic narrowbody operations. They have shared concerns regarding the lack of legroom while being cramped in on a single-aisle aircraft.

While these worries are understandable, walking through the cabin, I noticed that there was a fair amount of space in both the Mint business class and Core economy class. The fresh decor also added an extra touch of comfort that made it feel even more spacious.

The “hero” lighting is said to help reduce jetlag. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

114 passengers can fit in Core. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The first of 13 JetBlue A321LRs arrived at the hybrid carrier’s facilities at the end of April. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Each economy seat is 18.4 inches wide. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The A321LR is a wonderful airplane. It is graceful, and, hopefully, for those of you who flew in last night, you enjoyed the new Airspace cabin, which JetBlue was the launch narrowbody aircraft customer. It’s such a beautiful aircraft and we couldn’t be happier. We are proud to fly an Airbus across the Atlantic.” – JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes

Robin Hayes notes that the customers who sat in Core on the overnight flight had more legroom than any other economy class across the Atlantic. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Free WiFi is available across the whole cabin – not just in Mint. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Most of the economy seats have a 32-inch pitch. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The seats in Core have a contoured seatback for additional knee space. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The exit

Overall, when it comes to the room on board, the most notable widebody advantage is the aisle space. I can imagine there could be one or two traffic jams during food and beverage service, along with some queues on the way out.

While the fuselage and cabin design make the experience roomy, the aisle width may still be tight for some. Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

Overall, as Airbus Americas chairman and CEO Jeff Knittel puts it, along with the  20% reduction in the environmental footprint and even a greater reduction in noise, the Airbus A321LR helps JetBlue reach its mission to build sustainably while offering a high-quality product.

With reasonable prices on offer, Airbus is proud to partner with JetBlue for over 20 years in “David Neeleman’s original vision.” While there are plenty of options across the Atlantic, with lower prices than its competition, quality is far from lost with this design.

What are your thoughts about JetBlue’s A321LR cabin? Let us know what you think of the aircraft in the comment section.

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