JetBlue is providing well-heeled New Yorkers another option for getting to the Caribbean beginning Saturday, with new "Mint" service to Barbados and Aruba.
The two Caribbean locales are the first JetBlue destinations to get the premium seat offering since the airline launched Mint in June of last year.
Although it's a low-cost airline, JetBlue is very interested in courting bigger spenders; the premium service is, of course, more expensive than economy seats, but not as expensive as many other airline's business and first class seats.
The flights will be weekly beginning Saturday, and go daily from Dec. 19 to Jan. 4, 2016. The airline is also launching seasonal Mint service from Boston to Barbados beginning in March.
Airfares for Mint seats vary; a search for December travel dates showed regular "Blue" fares at $589, with Mint at $999:
However, on another day, the cheapest fare was $555, while Mint was just $635. So a more comfortable ride to that warm beach may not cost too much more, if you've got the money to spare.
Barbados and Aruba are two of JetBlue's most popular routes from New York City, according to the airline.
"By offering Mint to the Caribbean, we are reaffirming our position as the leading airline in the region with a premium experience that no other airline provide," Marty St. George, JetBlue's executive vice president of commercial and planning, said in a statement.
JetBlue is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., and is headquartered in New York City.