JetBlue opens Boston BlueHouse lounge, widens Mint access, adds no-frills Mint Base fare

JetBlue has opened a new BlueHouse lounge at Boston Logan, extending its premium ground experience beyond the existing JFK location. The Boston space covers about 12,000 square feet, roughly a third larger than the JFK site, and has premium food and drink along with design touches referencing the local area. It became available to passengers on 27 August.

Alongside the opening, JetBlue changed who can use its BlueHouse lounges. Access used to be limited to Mint passengers on transatlantic itineraries. Now, according to the airline, all Mint and Mint Flex ticket holders can enter, including those flying domestic and other Americas routes marketed under the Mint brand. The change brings JetBlue's lounge policy closer to that of other carriers running transcontinental premium services.

JetBlue also introduced a new fare tier called Mint Base, tied to the carrier's recently launched three-tier fare family structure. Passengers on Mint Base fares won't get complimentary advance seat selection or the ability to change tickets. They'll also be excluded from BlueHouse lounge access. The move comes about a month after JetBlue had said base fares would not be offered on Mint at all.

The timing suggests the airline expects many travelers to pay more for standard Mint or Mint Flex fares rather than choose the restricted Mint Base product. JetBlue has not detailed how it expects the new fare to perform, and no pricing information for Mint Base was included in the announcement.