JetBlue to be launch customer for VantageSOLO seat

The new seats are part of JetBlue’s first major design overhaul of Mint, which will launch on the airline’s London flights this summer. A smaller layout will debut on a limited number of flights between New York and Los Angeles in 2021.

An entirely customised version of Thompson Aero Seating’s original Vantage seat, JetBlue’s Mint suites on its current Mint aircraft have been so successful since their introduction in 2014, that JetBlue has entrusted Thompson Aero Seating as its partner for this next evolution of its Mint product.

The VantageSOLO was originally conceived by creative design agency Factorydesign for AIX 2015. Since then, it has been developed by Thompson Aero Seating specifically in response to the rapidly emerging medium- to long-range market now being serviced by a new generation of single-aisle aircraft.

Initial discussions began with JetBlue in mid-2016 and the programme was awarded at the end of that year. Thompson Aero Seating has been working with the JetBlue team since that time to realise a fully bespoke version of the VantageSOLO seat. This includes all seats having suite doors – the first all-suite-door business-class cabin on an A321.

Neil Taggart, vice president & general manager at Thompson Aero Seating, said: “We are proud to be the first in the market who acknowledged the single-aisle trend. The arrangement of the VantageSOLO is quite ground-breaking on this type of aircraft. From only a 33” seat pitch, it offers a fully-horizontal flat bed with direct aisle access for every seat. For JetBlue’s reimagined Mint, we have configured this with a fully functioning suite door, offering an exclusive business class seating experience normally only the reserve of a wide body cabin.”

www.vantagesolo.thompsonaero.com