Mint cushions without cushion
 

As a VX exile, I was happily anticipating my first Mint flight from JFK to SFO. Most aspects of the Mint experience were excellent (although it IS awkward to have the Mint check-in on the opposite end of the terminal from TSA Pre at JFK.

One thing that surprised me was that there seemed to be no cushioning on the seat cushion. After a couple of hours, I took the bag-o-blanket and pillow and sat on it (...surprising my neighbors with a bit of a pop and fart sound - it was the blanket bag, not me. Honest!)

Did I just have one of their oldest seats which was due for repair, or have others found it to be inadequate for a 6 hour flight?

It varies a bit. It's not a spectacularly padded seat, but it should be adequate.

A greater annoyance is that the massage feature is seemingly always on?

Live reporting from jetBlue Mint flight... I am currently flying 1124 redeye to JFK. I am in seat 4A and when I reached my seat, there was no cushion at all. I felt like sitting in steel. I told the lead F/A and then moment later, his colleague came to reset the seat. Then the cushion was back on.

Next time if you have a cushion issue, please tell the F/A to reset the seat. So they can get the cushion working.

Carfield

Really? So they're inflatable? ...and what you describe is exactly what I felt.

Yes I was not aware of the inflating cushion till that redeye flight.

So if you felt that you are sitting on steel, you can ask the F/A to reset the seat control, and then you can re-inflate the seat cushion again.

Good thing to know!

Carfield

My seat deflated and needed to be reset twice last nice on SFO-BOS. To me, the seat cushioning (and lack of a comfortable lounging position) is the biggest negative of the Mint product.

This is not the first time this has happened. Turns out the electric air pumps have a lower MBTF than anticipated. As mentioned, a reset should fix it (which the FA can easily do after getting approval from the pilots), but it is annoying. It's just like turning your computer off and back on again. That said, if the air bladder is actually broken (reset is unsuccessful), it gets fixed as quickly as it can get to wherever there are parts to fix it. As the OP did, a pillow or blanket to sit on makes it comfortable enough!

-J.

The FA specifically mentioned extra pillows/blankets as the next option if the reset didn't work. He clearly has had to deal with this frequently. He mentioned that B6 will NOT be using these seats on new aircraft.

Note that the reset switch is under the seat bottom. I reset myself the second time.

I can't recommend doing it yourself because, while it may be convenient, the pilots need to be aware of any time an electrical system in the cabin is being reset. This is a safety precaution in case it shorts out or otherwise creates an electrical fire.

These seats are not expected to be used on the A321LR. Rather, the rumor is that they will pick the Thompson Vantage Solo.

-J.

The seats that JetBlue has in the Mint aircraft are available without the inflatable air bladder option. Aer Lingus has the same seats on their A330s, minus the inflatable cushion and the suite doors.

Sure, it's the Thompson Vantage seat. DL uses it, as does LX. LX has air cushions, DL does not.

Not my favorite seat, though B6's configuration is at least reasonably spacious.

Remember this thread next time your aircraft is subbed for a Mint aircraft on a non-Mint route and nobody is allowed to sit in the Mint seats. The FAs are specially trained on how to operate those seats.

I'm pretty sure this is why the throne seats can get uncomfortably warm on the bit facing the window. I think they house the compressor in it.

This happens to me all the time, and I usually have to ask the FAs to use the awkward under-seat reset button - but on my most recent flight, the FA fixed it by pressing "lumbar +" three times and then "cushion +" once. A minute later, and it was all inflated again! I did that combination myself later in the flight when it failed again and it worked great. She said techops showed it to her, and that it's a 'factory reset' option. The seat stays powered on the whole time, so I don't think it's an actual electrical reset.

You just saved my brother's butt on a redeye. Cheers!