Jetblue terminated hot meal service in economy class on transatlantic flights

JetBlue, like many other airlines, has recently faced profitability challenges. The carrier’s management team is implementing a variety of efforts to reduce expenses and improve income, and the modifications have generally been rational. JetBlue just unveiled its next cost-cutting effort.

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JetBlue updates transatlantic economy lunch service

Based on Live and Let’s Fly, JetBlue will discontinue serving hot meals in economy on transatlantic flights starting October 1, 2024. JetBlue provides menus, and the ones that follow are JetBlue’s new transatlantic economy meals, which include “all meals served chilled.” 

For comparison, JetBlue began transatlantic flights in 2021, and the carrier generally provides a nice experience, with free Wi-Fi and limitless entertainment. The airline offers some of the greatest catering in the economy thanks to its partnership with the New York-based restaurant chain DIG.

The eating experience is inspired by that of JetBlue Mint. Rather than simply serving set meals, JetBlue has made its meals customizable:

• Passengers have the choice of picking one of three main dishes, each of which is a protein or vegetable with a base.
• Passengers have the opportunity to choose two of three sides, with two being hot and one being cold.

It should be noted that some JetBlue transatlantic flights did not provide hot meals, however, this was due to the fact that they were flown by Airbus A321neos, which do not have ovens in the economy. These adjustments now affect all aircraft, including Airbus A321LRs.

Obviously this is a cost cutting move

I believe it is safe to infer that this is a cost-cutting initiative, while it is unclear whether the catering adjustments extend beyond that and may affect Mint as well. JetBlue recently eliminated a flight attendant on some transatlantic flights, which means the doors at Mint seats can no longer be used.

It is unclear if these adjustments are being implemented solely to decrease the cost of cold meals or to lessen the burden of flight attendants due to reduced staffing.

On the surface, I think it is fair to conclude that most people prefer hot meals to cold ones. However, I do not believe this is the case. If JetBlue can still deliver a high-quality cold dish, I’d rather have that than the microwave-style hot dinners served by so many other airlines.

The catch is that if the purpose is to save money, I have to believe that the quality of the meal will suffer as well, and this is not just about whether it’s hot or cold.

JetBlue’s new management team appears to be struggling with deciding what to do with transatlantic operations. JetBlue’s previous CEO was certain that these flights would be game changers, but it turns out that running narrow-body jets year-round over the Atlantic is challenging.

JetBlue has significantly reduced its transatlantic travel during the winter season, as well as deferred new aircraft deliveries, so we are unlikely to see any expansion in this network. For that matter, I can’t blame JetBlue for trying to minimize costs, as it doesn’t appear that the airline can command a revenue premium for having a superior soft product.

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