Flights

Here’s a look inside JetBlue’s new A220 planes

With names like, “Roses Are Red, This Plane Is Blue” and “On Wednesdays, We Wear Blue,” these planes are a step into the airline's future of flying.

By Sanjana Mishra

July 22, 2024

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JetBlue is adding 30 new Airbus A220 planes to its fleet, each with wider seats, larger overhead bins, redesigned restrooms, and more modern innovations to maximize passenger comfort. With 28 rows and 140 seats, these planes offer the most legroom in coach of any single-aisle aircraft in the U.S., according to a press release.

Seating on the planes is arranged in a 2×3 configuration. Each seat also offers USB-C, USB-A, and AC power, as well as personalized in-flight entertainment. Custom LED mood lighting runs overhead, changing throughout the journey for a more soothing experience. There are also three restrooms onboard with larger sinks and modern touches.

With the A220’s range and seating capacity, JetBlue hopes to target growth and an expanding network in certain focus cities. This includes options for transcontinental travel and opening up to new markets and routes that were previously inaccessible with JetBlue’s existing fleet.

“There’s a world of 8 billion people struggling to get along with each other, and what we do is show people the world,” Marty St. George, the president of JetBlue, told the Boston Globe. “We have a role in bringing people together.”

These new planes, which require less fuel but can accommodate more passengers, are meant to replace JetBlue’s fleet of aging Embraer E190 aircrafts. They plan to retire the last one in 2026.

“We’re already seeing benefits from the eight A220s we’ve added to the fleet, and we’re very happy to have more on the way,” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s chief executive officer, in a press release. “We’ve seen double-digit increases in customer satisfaction scores, and these fuel-efficient aircrafts support our leadership in reducing carbon emissions. With 30 additional A220s on order, we’re in a position to accelerate our fleet modernization plans to deliver stronger cost performance and support our focus city network strategy.”

Earlier this year, JetBlue became the first major U.S. airline to achieve carbon neutrality for all domestic flights, and plans to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2040. The A220s play a huge role in that plan, with engines that are 25 percent more fuel efficient and 50 percent quieter.

The new aircrafts, with amusing names like “Roses Are Red, This Plane Is Blue” and “On Wednesdays, We Wear Blue,” are a step into JetBlue’s future.