JetBlue and Qatar Airways redefine business class suites

Research

Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Sep 3, 2024

A well-known luxury travel influencer expressed frustration over a claim that Qatar Airways was the first to outfit business class cabins with suites featuring doors. The influencer had written that JetBlue was the pioneer, leading one of her readers to cite a conflicting report.

This debate highlights how foundational definitions can often lead to disagreements. Key questions include what qualifies as business class, whether all seats in a cabin need to be outfitted similarly, and whether the announcement or actual service entry of a product holds more significance.

Delta Air Lines claims they introduced “the world’s first all-suite business class” with Delta One on their Airbus A350 flagship aircraft in 2017. However, Qatar Airways flew QSuites from Doha to London in June 2017, predating Delta's inaugural flight by one month.

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JetBlue’s assertion revolves around the introduction of Mint three years earlier. Initially flown from New York JFK to Los Angeles and later expanded to San Francisco in 2015, Mint offered four out of sixteen seats as solo units with doors on select domestic and Caribbean routes.

The disagreement stems from differing focuses: long-haul cabins with doors on all business seats versus any premium cabin where at least one seat has a door. Historically, first-class seats have featured doors for some time. For example, Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 suites designed by Jean-Jacques Coste included sliding doors and debuted commercially on October 25, 2007.

This distinction is crucial because JetBlue branded Mint specifically to differentiate it from traditional business class offerings. Ten years ago, JetBlue would not have claimed they had doors in a business class cabin.

Historical context shows that United Airlines' Boeing 377 Stratocruiser featured private staterooms with doors approximately 75 years ago, indicating that premium cabins with such features have existed long before modern iterations.