JetBlue Will Offer Private Suites And Massage Beds On Cross-Country Flights

In a bid to enter the "premium transcontinental market," JetBlue revealed plans today for a new business class with private "suites."

That is a first in the market, it says.

The arrangement will debut in the second quarter of 2014, on 11 new Airbus A321 planes that fly from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Each suite will have a lie-flat bed with a massage function, and a 15-inch screen.

There will be 16 of the new business class seats on each plane, four of them in the private suites, and 143 economy seats (called "core JetBlue Experience" seats) on the redesigned planes.

The New York-to-California routes are the airline's "two core transcontinental routes." On an industry-wide basis, they bring in 50% more revenue than any other domestic route.

JetBlue has not announced fares for the new setup, but says it will offer a "competitive price" to "invigorate the market."

The low-cost airline also promises to make things nicer for economy passengers, with as many as 100 DirecTV channels available on new 10.1-inch screens, with 110-volt and USB power ports accessible to everyone.

JetBlue is also promising to begin installing a wifi service, called Fly-Fi, on its planes by the end of 2014, and says it will offer "speeds you've come to expect on the ground."

Here's a virtual walkthrough of the new cabin:

Introducing JetBlue’s New Interior Design from JetBlue on Vimeo.