Airline company JetBlue is providing an “interesting alternative” for transatlantic flights between Dublin and the US, a leading travel journalist has said.

The airline is flying to Boston and New York from now until mid-September as part of a new seasonal offering that aims to compete with market leader Aer Lingus.

The planes they use are single-aisle A321neo’s from Airbus that have both economy and business offerings on all flights.

How does it compare?

On The Pat Kenny Show today, Irish Independent travel editor Pól Ó Conghaile, who has just returned from Boston after travelling with the airline, said their business class option is excellent.

“JetBlue calls its business class ‘mint’ and I think it’s probably got the jump on Aer Lingus,” he said.

“It’s got these lie-flat seats that are angled into the aisle so you don’t share it with a neighbour beside you and everyone has their own partition – a sliding door that blocks off the aisle.

“They also do a shut eye service on the way back, you get all the food at once on a big tray and there are several small plates with things like fresh ice cream with broken biscuits, wine and all the rest.”

Prices

Mr Ó Conghaile said the cheapest ‘mint’ flight from JetBlue he had seen was for €1,050 and the cheapest economy class ticket was €300 – which comes with bargains too.

“There are things like free high-speed Wi-Fi in economy,” he said.

“I would question the high-speed; it was high-speed at times and other times I couldn’t get an email in but it also has other stuff too like HBO and Peacock on its TVs.

“It has branded meals and snacks from American companies like DIG, which is a healthy fast-food chain.

“It’s bringing a bit of fun, a bit of colour, and combined with the new planes – I think it’s an interesting alternative to what’s on offer.”

The skyline of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States in 2008. Picture by: Dylan Ries / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Ó Conghaile said he also had some time to see what Boston had to offer while on his travels.

“I fell for it all over again," he said.

“Boston is small, it is walkable, you can jump on the T (metro) if you need to skip a few stops and Ubers and Lyfts are readily available.

“It’s low rise so it’s easy to find your way around and there are great neighbourhoods like Beacon Hill and Northend where there is real Italian culture.

“Boston is also known as the cradle of liberty so, as the states go, this is as old as it gets – everywhere you go there is a Paul Revere House.”

Mr Ó Conghaile recommended anyone planning on visiting Boston to consider a food tour of the city which is particularly known for its seafood.

Main image: A JetBlue plane inflight. Image: Lukas Wunderlich / Alamy Stock Photo