Our journey from Paris to New York on JetBlue was very pleasant onboard the Airbus A321LR in “Core” economy class. JetBlue’s transatlantic economy class product is excellent in so many ways.

JetBlue A321LR “Core” Economy Class Review (CDG-JFK)

We took Uber from our hotel to CDG, arriving about 90 minutes before the flight departed. That cut it rather close, but we didn’t have lounge access (beyond Yotelair, which is not worth the time) and quite enjoyed the leisurely morning in Paris.

Check-In

The check-in area was deserted in Terminal 2B…my fellow passengers must have shown up early, because the flight turned out to be full.

While the seucerity checkpoint was a breeze, the passrot conorl line moved painfully slowly, with people in wheelchairs (and their familes) conitnuelaly cutting in line.

We finally boarded about 45 minutes before takeoff.

JetBlue 1908
Paris (CDG) – New York (JFK)
Thursday, October 3
Depart: 1:25 PM
Arrive: 4:09 PM
Duration: 08hr, 41min
Distance: 3,635 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A321LR
Seat: 19A,B,C,D (“Core” Economy Class)

Onboard, we found our seats in row 19. I sat with the kids and Heidi sat across the aisle from us…a well-deserved break for her, though these days the kids are very well-behaved onboard.

Seat

The Core cabin has 90 Collins Meridian seats in a 3-3 configuration featuring a four-way adjustable headrest:

• Seat width: 18 inches
• Row pitch: 32 inches
• Seat recline: 3 inches

JetBlue (at least for now) is the most generous US airline when it comes to standard economy class pitch. Instead of 30 inches, you get two inches extra on JetBlue. JetBlue also has an “Even More Space” section in the front of the economy class cabin: 24 seats with 35 inches of legroom.

While I certainly cannot sleep on these seats, I found them sufficient for a daytime flight. Each seat also had a universal A/C outlet, USB-C charger above it, and a USB-A charger on the (10.1-inch) seatback screen.

The cabin never got warm, but there were also personal air vents.

Amenties

Waiting at each seat was a soft blanket and a small amenity kit (what JetBlue calls a “snooze kit”) with an eye mask and earplugs. Complimentary disposable headphones were later offered prior to departure.

IFE + Wi-Fi

Free high-speed Wi-Fi (JetBlue uses ViaSat-2 Ka-band satellite wifi) is a huge perk to traveling on JetBlue. It functioned well during the transatlantic crossing and I got a lot of work done on the flight.

In terms of IFE, JetBlue uses the Thales AVANT system. Content included a large collection of movies, TV shows, games, and live TV.

I watched this movie called Ex Machina, which was very well-done, but I had to cut it off because it got a little graphic around the kids…

Food + Drink

It was with some dismay that when I pulled up the menu for my Paris to New York flight, I saw that all options were chilled. I ended up boarding the flight prepared with snacks (fruit, nuts, protein bars), but that turned out to be unnecessary.

On JetBlue, you order your meal on your screen, specifying what main course you want. On this flight, there were two appetizers and two main course choices: a pesto chicken salad or mushrooms with lentils.

The menu:

Pesto Pasta Salad
herb chicken, kale pesto, green beans, demi-sec tomatoes

Mushrooms & Lentils
roasted portobellos, herb green lentils, demi-sec tomatoes

Both were served with:

Tomatoes & Cucumber Salad
cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, parsley

Buffalo Cauliflower
cheesy cauliflower, scallions, sriracha

I chose the pesto pasta salad and thought it was delicious…the key for me was the quality of the chicken and whether it tasted “manufactured” or fresh. Thankfully, it tasted fresh and the pesto sauce gave it a nice kick. The cauliflower appetizer was excellent (nice kick to it) and the tomato-cucumber salad was very fresh and delicious.

Delicious chocolate ice cream from Beckleberry’s for dessert as well:

All drinks, including beer, wine, and spirits, are free on JetBlue transatlantic flights.

For what it is worth, my wife enjoyed her mushrooms and lentils, but my kids did not eat anything…they didn’t like the chicken, salad, or cauliflower (and that’s sad and somewhat surprising because they are usually much more adventurous eaters than I am).

If you’ve flown transatlantic economy in the past, you know there used to be at least three main courses and three appetizers you could choose from. That did create a lot of work, especially when the main courses and one of the appetizers had to be heated. But the pendulum has now swung too far in the other direction…I hope that JetBlue can find a “happy medium” and bring back some hot dishes onboard, perhaps without offering as much choice as before.

JetBlue may have “downgraded” its onboard catering, but it’s still something to look forward to. I hope this feedback does not make JetBlue less likely to bring back hot meals, but I’d be lying if I said that I did not enjoy my cold lunch onboard.

During the flight, snacks and drinks were available on demand, with a snack station in the rear of the aircraft:

I snacked on Popchips (since discontinued) and had a cup of (very weak) Dunkin’ Donuts coffee about halfway through the flight.

Prior to landing, a hot pizza snack was served (the same pizza United Airlines is now serving its first class passengers as a pre-arrival meal). I try to avoid processed food like this, but in terms of the ingredient list, I’ve seen far worse…

Lavatory

This aircraft has two lavatories in the rear of the aircraft for Core passengers. These are small lavatories, but they were clean.

Service

While I’ve found service on JetBlue to be mixed lately, the crew on this flight was excellent. Very chatty, friendly, and attentive.

I just wish I could have flown Mint…

CONCLUSION

We landed ahead of schedule in New York, giving us plenty of time to make our connection to Los Angeles. The JetBlue transatlantic economy class experience was excellent and one that I will continue to go out of my way to fly with my family. The extra legroom and fast, free wi-fi more than makes up for the annoying connection in New York. The food on this flight, though cold, was delicious.

There was one twist on the flight that requires a separate post…stay tuned tomorrow for that. A very bold seatmate.