Skift Take

Speaking to Skift, JetBlue president Marty St. George said it’s possible to balance a low-cost airline with high-end lounges. If realized as planned, these could be some of the most exclusive spaces of any U.S. carrier. 

JetBlue will open its first airport lounge next year as part of a major premium drive. New York and Boston will be the first locations for the high-end facilities. The site at JFK Terminal 5 is due to open in late 2025, with Boston Logan's Terminal C following soon after. 

Asked by Skift why the airline has taken so long to open dedicated lounges, JetBlue president Marty St. George suggested that the commercial environment has changed. “We’ve always seen ourselves as a low-cost airline and we were questioning whether we could make the lounge business work.

"We’ve seen a model in the last four or five years where having a lounge tied to a credit card has turned into a very nice product line. We’ve come to a realization that we’re missing an opportunity to give better service to the most valued customers and to add to our profitability.”

Described as “unmistakably JetBlue,” the lounges will be designed with nods to the city while re