<p class="ingestion featured-caption">The Mint seats on JetBlue recline all the way into a bed. JetBlue</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>I hate flying, but I recently tried JetBlue's Mint <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-first-class-flying-has-changed-2019-5">first-class seating</a> option.</li><li>I really felt like I had my own <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/etihad-airways-first-class-apartment-family-travel-points-worth-it-2024-5">private room on the plane</a>, and there was lots of space.</li></ul><p>My best friend moved to California nine years ago, and I've never visited her. A number of factors have kept me from making the trip from Boston, but my <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aerophobia-fear-flying-airplanes-things-methods-help-travel-2024-2">fear of flying</a> has always been No. 1.</p><p>For some people, a planned flight is cause for excitement, but I count myself among the <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/travel/fear-of-flying-planes-tips.html">25 million Americans</a> who panic at the very thought — my anxiety starts to rise as soon as I click "book flight."</p><p>When I came across <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jetblue-lounge-jfk-bos-mint-business-class-biggest-weakness-2024-9">JetBlue's Mint</a> first-class seating option, which launched in 2014 and was updated in 2023, I thought it might offer enough distraction and luxury to get me on the airplane.</p><p>I found the least-expensive option for a one-way ticket to San Francisco — a 6:50 a.m. departure for $800. With 28,000 saved up TrueBlue points on JetBlue's membership program, I got the ticket price down to $666.</p><p>Here's what my <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/traveled-cross-country-in-camper-van-family-toddler-2023-10">cross-country journey</a> was like.</p>