Lovers of a hot meal are going to be in for a disappointing flight if they have booked to fly on one of JetBlue’s transatlantic flights in the near future, as it has been revealed that the once-loved airline will only serve cold meals in Economy from today.
JetBlue launched its transatlantic service in August 2021 with direct flights to Heathrow Airport and has since expanded its service across the Pond with flights from New York JFK and Boston to London Gatwick.
In order to operate these flights, JetBlue ordered 14 specially configured Airbus A321LR single-aisle aircraft with 24 fully lie-flat private Mint suites and 114 Economy Class ‘Core’ seats.
At the time of the much-anticipated launch, JetBlue created a “signature build-your-own dining concept” designed by New York-based restaurant group Dig, which allowed passengers to choose one hot meal alongside two chill sides.
JetBlue received rave reviews about the service, with customers particularly impressed at the quality of food on offer and how seamlessly the seatback TV ordering system worked.
Unfortunately, despite the apparent success of this dining concept, JetBlue now says that all meals on its transatlantic services will be served chilled.
Some of the sample menus published by the airline include a chicken grain bowl and ginger garlic tofu, along with a pesto pasta salad with herbed chicken. Passengers can also choose from a selection of side dishes such as a kale apple salad, green beans, and buffalo cauliflower.
In fairness, the dishes on offer sound delicious but no doubt many passengers will be left disappointed by the fact that they can’t tuck into a hot and hearty entree.
It’s probably worth noting, however, that this isn’t the first time that JetBlue has served cold entrees on its transatlantic services. In 2022, the carrier decided to expand its transatlantic reach despite the fact that aircraft manufacturer Airbus was facing delays in delivering the specially configured A321LR that JetBlue had earmarked for its transatlantic flights.
As a result, JetBlue used existing planes in its fleet, but these aircraft didn’t have ovens installed in the rear galley. At the time, JetBlue said Dig wouldn’t be involved in creating the cold entrees but its now looks like the airline has got the restaurant group onside with its updated dining concept.
Why exactly JetBlue has decided to axe hot food in its transatlantic Economy cabin remains a bit of a mystery, although many observers are pointing the finger at blatant cost-cutting.
Not that there is any evidence to suggest that the quality of the food is going to deteriorate as a result of the change but the whole meal service should be a lot quicker and easier to execute without the need to heat up food.
That might, therefore, mean that JetBlue can save on flight attendants because of the reduced workload. It also means that JetBlue can easily swap out its specially configured A321LR jets with similar planes that don’t have ovens installed, making operational planning a lot easier.
While JetBlue has recently talked up its plans to tempt high net-worth passengers with its first-ever airport lounges in Boston and New York JFK, the airline has also made no secret of the fact that it is firmly in cost-cutting territory as it looks to shore up its finances and return to profitability.
That might mean that further cuts are on the way, including to JetBlue’s transatlantic Mint Business Class experience. Watch this space.
