Style’s Week #22: JetBlue transatlantic in-flight review. Plus, news.
I wrote this letter from the plane. Plus, Kendall Jenner’s new hairdo and news of the week.
Dear FBS,
Happy Friday, it’s the weekend. I’m jet lagged.
WHAT I WORE ON FLIGHT:
For long-haul flights it’s always important to dress comfortably. And hopefully a little stylish.
I wore jeans, because they’re comfortable, (and personally, I find sweats a little schlubby for travel unless you’re wearing cashmere), these cashmere pants are a good pair from Golden Goose ($745).
Brunello Cucinelli also has great cashmere joggers, or these cropped cashmere trousers from Loro Piana.
I wore a white t-shirt from Uniqlo that I love ($15), The Big Favorite also has great simple tees ($36), black bookbinder Church penny’s that adjust to comfort (but I would’ve loved to wear these Tod’s runway fringe shoes, $1,175), maybe in a future flight, Salomon wool socks, Moncler windbreaker, Mois Mont scarf to wrap myself in, Ray-Ban wayfarers, and a no-logo hotel merch raffia bag from Santa Ponsa in Menorca with a zip-top ($32).
P.S. Only buy hotel merch if the price doesn’t overwhelm your experience staying there.
ITINERARY AND FLIGHT REVIEW:
I jumped on a JetBlue flight this morning from Paris to go to the US.
When I took a little crowded bus from the terminal at CDG to the runway (the flight didn’t have a proper hangar yet), it dawned on me, it was the first time I saw a JetBlue plane on European soil.
(If the guys at JetBlue are reading this and want to collab, email me!)
JetBlue launched the transatlantic offer to Paris earlier this year. It’s been flying to London from Boston since 2021. When I was living in New York, I took about 30 flights to go see family over the years, so the experience was a little nostalgic.
I’ve overall always enjoyed traveling with the company.
They’re a very New York-y brand, which I tend to love. I’m a softie for a Milton Glaser edge.
I was weary to fly economy across the pond in a slim body jet; a gust of wind too strong from the North Pole, and I was afraid I’d end up with Santa’s elves. Yet here I am, in the window seat at 27F.
As you enter the jet, you walk through the MINT section (JetBlue’s version of business class), which looks the same as Air France’s, except that there is only one booth allocated per side.
The airline asks you to choose your meal option at the beginning of the flight on the screen. And when they hand you the tray, they pronounce your name to personally give you your food. It’s a way of connecting with passenger’s experience. And, it beats repeating ‘chicken or pasta’ through the cabin, as flyers wonder what’s on the menu.
It’s also very practical, automated, but I wonder if the lack of connection between the passengers and the crew, make them feel a little bored.
My favorite airline that does the transatlantic service right is Air France, who personally hands out a menu to passengers, and waits to their preference. And I think it’s why, when you fly, say, Air France, you know that the premium you’ve paid for will reflect in the experience.
The cauliflower mixed with green onion as entrée was tasty, coated with paprika, and the tomato salad was refreshing. The chicken parmesan pasta was lightly cheesed, with large chunks of chicken and dollops of pesto. JetBlue served chocolate ice cream for dessert.
I had 4 hard boiled eggs and a grapefruit before leaving my apartment, and a green juice as I waited for the flight to take off. So it’s safe to say that by 1 pm I was full.
In most transatlantic flights you usually have two refreshment services with the meal. Here, you had one at the very beginning and you could go ask the craw in the back for a refill. Which is great if you’re sitting in the aisle, but awkward if you’re in the window seat.
Two hours before landing the crew offers you a snack (pizza) and drink.
Here are some points to consider:
Economy seats don’t have cup holders.
There is in-flight WiFi service. It didn’t work for me at first but after a member from the crew suggested I turn my phone off and on to refresh the system, the WiFi worked seamlessly.
There are tons of movies, TV shows, playlists, and live TV to keep you entertained. You can also meditate on-board (a feature I’ve been seeing more and more on flights that help relieve anxiety). I’ll be watching Challenger’s on my flight back next week from New York.
The overhead bins are huge, and the airline doesn’t harass you for bag measurements. I didn’t check a bag and my trick was, pack gifts for the family, and the space leftover for the return flight can be used for a little shopping.
The bottom line is, the slim-body jet did not affect the comfort of the flight. There was barely any turbulence. If you tend to get a little claustrophobic on lengthy flights, I’d consider your options. The price to value ratio is good, and is a new development for JetBlue, which has always held its head up high in the past decade I’ve been traveling with them.
I paid around $700 for a multi-city flight from Paris to Florida, a weekend trip to New York, and red-eye back to Paris. The same flight with Air France would run at least $1100.
Would I fly the JetBlue again to the US from Paris? Let me preface this by noting I’ve been lucky to fly in the worst economy airlines (hello! Spirit and Ryanair), reasonable and deal-grabbing high-end (American, Delta, and Air France), business class, and private jet. So I consider my opinion studied.
It takes a little getting used to. Especially because a slim-body jet can feel a little crowded, but I am sure the plans are underway for JetBlue to expand to wide-body jets.
One thing I noticed on the flight was the amount of walking (which depending on you, could be annoying if you’re sitting on the aisle, or it could not bother you). But as temperament, the walkie vibe is something I don’t see often on international flights.
What’s worth looking into is the MINT booth. Now that, I’d be interested in trying.
JetBlue, if you’re reading this and want to collaborate, hit me up via email!
If you like to diversify your investments, give JetBlue transatlantic a try. You won’t be disappointed, but you might feel nostalgic about modern travel, because this baby Airbus 321 Neo was brand spanking new.
PLAYLIST RECS:
Biggest Alley Oop (Quavo), Pretty Girls Make Graves (The Smiths), Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Louie Vega), Psychofreak (Camila Cabello), Mess It Up (Rolling Stones, Purple Disco Machine), Take Five (The Dave Brubeck Quartet), Harley Quinn (Fuerza Regida).
I land in an hour. And I have a lot of notes from the newspapers to get to.
Let’s get down to business
NEWS:
Chanel introduces Supperleggera to it’s sports fragrance (Yahoo!)
It’s fresh and woody, has fruity notes of grapefruit, and a full-body note of amber. It’s not yet been released in the US, but is expected to retail for $150 for a 100 ml bottle. The last time Chanel released a new men’s perfume was in 2018, so this is a pretty big deal for them. If you watched The New Look on AppleTV, you know fragrance was always very important to mademoiselle.
Chanel is selling the musky sporty perfume as an evening fragrance. And with the new campaign, they’re on the heels of the new mustache men’s trend that’s been growing, and increasingly sexy, in the recent years.
Consider it a futuristic aesthetic on the men’s front.
Kendall Jenner Goes Blonde Again (Vogue)
Or, ‘Carolyne Bessette-Kennedy Blonde’, according to Vogue. She looks fashion school-chic in that leather jacket. Vogue was on Jenner Watch all week, as rumors started swirling during NYFW that Jenna Perry, cool girl colorist, was working on the art project.
What do you think about Jenner’s new look?
As London, Milan, and the Paris fashion weeks kickoff, we’re bound to see the hair politics play out on the runway.
Claire Waight Keller, formerly creative director at Givenchy, heads to Uniqlo. (BoF)
I love Uniqlo, and this role is a big opportunity to change the view we view accessible fashion.
As I flew over Boston for my layover, there were crowds of boats along the coasts, which funny enough made me understand the whole Boston Tea Party thing.
SOME EXTRA STUFF:
Sarah Burton got the creative director job at Givenchy. If you follow me on notes, you read my scoop.
Marc Jacobs has been spotted in Paris. Could he be interviewing for the top job at Chanel?
The Wall Street Journal explains how to sit in economy on a plane:
Alright I’m literally about to land in Boston for my layover. Have a good weekend. It’s still warm out.
Talk to you next week.
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The Tod's loafer is so fun!