JetBlue plans premium service expansion as rivals seek merger

JetBlue Airways, facing heightened competition from the planned merger of Alaska and Virgin America airlines, will expand its Mint first-class service to four new cities starting early next year. The carrier expects to add Mint to some cross-country flights at Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, continuing growth of the premium product that debuted in 2014. JetBlue announced the additions Tuesday, about a week after its decision to opt out of a bidding war for Virgin America allowed Alaska Air Group Inc. to announce a $2.6b purchase. While the cities were selected some time ago, JetBlue’s stepped-up premium offerings will give it an extra competitive tool as it faces further consolidation of the US industry. “We’ve been looking at Mint expansion at least a year and a half, figuring out how much bigger Mint can be for us,” Marty St George, the carrier’s executive VP for planning, said in a telephone interview. The original Mint routes are the top revenue generators in the airline’s system and “have had an incredible impact. Who would not want to try to duplicate that elsewhere?” JetBlue ended its coach-class-only strategy when it began offering Mint in 2014 between New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco to retain passengers who were looking for more amenities on coast-to-coast flights at a lower price. Mint fares can dip as low as $599 each way.<br/>