We got a peek inside the swanky new JetBlue lounge at JFK

Founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman in 1998, JetBlue Airways was initially envisioned as a small low-cost airline running flights between its home base in JFK and several nearby East Coast cities.

Over the ensuing three decades, the airline has steadily expanded toward one of the biggest in the U.S. as its services come closer than ever to matching what is offered by the “big three” carriers of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines — more than 100 domestic and international destinations, a business class with lie-flat seats called Mint first introduced in 2014, and now, its first lounge slated to open in JFK’s Terminal 5 before the end of December.

What the new JetBlue BlueHouse JFK lounge is like: a photo tour

As part of a media tour offered to local journalists, I had a chance to tour the 9,000-square-foot space before it opens to the public on Dec. 18. Given JetBlue’s JFK origin story, the airline’s first lounge has been designed like an NYC apartment, with nods to the city’s earlier history present throughout the space.

The check-in counter sits in front of the type of wall of brass keys one would find in a classic hotel from decades past. The brass accents, Art Deco fan motifs, and gilded elevator taking visitors between the two floors also harken back to an older and more romantic vision of the city.

Although the eye will initially go toward the blue color palette and food and beverage offerings from local New York brands such as Joe Coffee, it is especially worth tilting one’s head up to look at a ceiling made to look like the iconic celestial mural in the main concourse of Grand Central Concourse.

More Travel News:

• Major airline launches surprising flight between Las Vegas and Paris
• United Airlines CEO gives stark warning on Olympic Games
• The highest rooftop in Barcelona is in a surprising place
• US government issues sudden warning on Switzerland travel

The opulence of the golden Zodiac signs atop a turquoise green background is broken up by some nearby exposed pipes that would pass the vibe check for a Brooklyn townhome apartment.

Touches, including breakout work spaces, a seating area with runway views, and a wall of cold and hot foods alongside a larger bar on the main floor and a smaller one serving wine and beer on the second, are all typical of what one would expect from an airport lounge, but with just the right amount of New York flair.

Some of the foods that will be served include bacon-egg-and-cheese and pastrami sandwiches, a lemon cheesecake, and a bar menu of drinks served from The Greats of Craft and Please Don’t Tell (the latter is a popular West Village speakeasy serving custom cocktails, a few of which have been recreated for the main bar).

“Customers repeatedly told us that they wanted to see lounges”: JetBlue president

Another space I found cool is a dedicated board games area with a glass orange-and-blue chessboard, as well as a hidden photo booth, in which visitors will be able to make a strip of silly faces as a souvenir from their time at the lounge.

Envisioned as a relaxing space to reward the airline’s most dedicated and highest-spending customers, the lounge will be accessible to JetBlue travelers with the highest tier of Mosaic loyalty status, those flying in Mint on transatlantic routes, and holders of the JetBlue Premier Elite World credit card that the airline launched in partnership with Mastercard for an annual fee of $499 in January 2025.

The strict entry requirements — there will be no day passes or other ways to enter if one does not meet the above requirements — have been put in place to limit crowding and keep the place exclusive for the highest-spending flyers.

“Our most dedicated customers repeatedly told us that they wanted to see lounges,” JetBlue President Marty St. George told TheStreet at the lounge opening. “What is most important to us is that this does not become a crowded space.”

(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a trip.)

Please make a free appointment with TheStreet’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.

Related: A new hotel is officially the world’s tallest