“Putting the customer at the heart of the brand”: Acumen Design Associates & JetBlue unveil new A321neo cabin interior

• Cabin layout includes a new welcome experience and a redesigned self-service snack and drinks station – now called The Pantry
• The fully-customised cabin features a new seat ‘backpack’ stowage system to maximise space and storage options for personal items
• Acumen led the design of the cabin and brand experience for the entire aircraft - introducing more urban textures and residential signatures which capture the youthful spirit of the JetBlue brand

LONDON: JetBlue, alongside its official design partner, Acumen Design Associates, today unveils the cabin interior design for the airline’s new A321neo aircraft.

Putting customers first

The new aircraft made its official debut today on a flight from New York JFK to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and will eventually serve two new international routes for JetBlue: New York JFK to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and New York JFK to Georgetown, Guyana.

The interior design has been created to provide a seamless transition for the airline’s customers, from the ground to the air. The cabin features JetBlue’s signature free on-board Wi-Fi; brand new 10-inch In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) screens in every seat back; a welcoming, bold entrance with a privacy partition; and the redesigned self-service snack and drinks station.

Now renamed ‘The Pantry’, this on-board self-service destination features a more residential design approach to the cabin interior, combining the airline’s distinctive blue colours with natural wood finishes and soft downlights - creating an engaging space for customers to socialise and refresh with complimentary food and drinks, just like they would at home. Customers are subtly guided to this zone by creative mood lighting, which creates a blue hoop in the middle of the cabin and flows alongside the denim-style carpet of the main cabin.

The cabin has also been fitted with the Collins Aerospace Meridian seat, which offers an improved seat width of 18 inches. Both JetBlue’s Core and Even More Space seats feature a custom-made, E-leather dress cover designed by Acumen and manufactured by upholstery specialists Sabeti Wain Aerospace.

The Core dress cover has been embellished with the airline’s distinctive blue branding, while the Even More Space seats feature a bold orange halo, highlighting the increase in seat pitch (at least 35-inches). The seats also include adjustable padded headrests as standard, ensuring all customers have the required head and neck support to enjoy the in-flight experience.

As part of the project, Acumen developed a new ‘backpack’ stowage system that has been introduced on every seat back throughout the cabin. Featuring more pockets and a woven elastic grid that can be configured to suit individual needs, the design has improved the functionality of a part of the seat which is often ignored. Customers are now able to securely store, organise and charge multiple personal items – such as phones, tablets, headphones and passports – and easily access them when needed.

A welcoming experience

To de-industrialise the galley area and enhance privacy, the main entranceway to the aircraft has also been redesigned. Acumen integrated the bold JetBlue identity into a strong architectural signature at the door, which included a bespoke graphic arc flooring design and customised front row partition.

Alongside its privacy benefits, the partition also offers fold down tables and new stowage options for crew iPads, as well as a subtle window to facilitate a direct view of the cabin for crew seated in the attendant seats.

As part of Acumen’s holistic design approach, the lavatories have also been redesigned to reflect the modern urban residential feel of the aircraft. Positioned at both the front and rear of the cabin, these feature blue and grey laminate brick tiles, a large mirrored wall and polished concrete-effect flooring – allowing customers to freshen up in true New York style.

Daniel Clucas, senior designer at Acumen Design Associates commented: “JetBlue has a long-standing reputation in the aviation industry as an airline that puts the customer at the heart of everything it does. By re-working the LOPA and developing custom stowage options, we were able to give customers more choice in how they use their increased space. We worked JetBlue’s brand image into every part of the cabin, and the new design greatly improves the narrow body flying experience, offering JetBlue customers an incredible leap forward, unmatched by its US rivals.”

Andrew Litavis, product development manager at JetBlue said: “It is not every day two innovative powerhouses of the industry come together to create something new, but that is exactly what has happened here. Built with our crew members and our customers in mind, the new A321 cabin is unlike any other single-aisle aircraft interior flying today – and will redefine expectations for economy travellers taking to the skies.”

-ENDS-

About Acumen:

Acumen Design Associates is a multi-award winning design consultancy based in London, United Kingdom. Acumen has enjoyed nearly forty years of international success, creating market-leading products and remarkable customer experiences for many of its ‘blue-chip clients. Acumen is a team of creative thinkers, designers and brand specialists, passionate about improving the way people live and move.

The company’s inventive and disruptive approach is constantly challenging the status quo resulting in a wide portfolio of international patents, particularly in the aviation sector where they have led the innovation agenda. For example, Acumen invented the iconic ‘Bed in the Sky’ for British Airways in 1996 and more recently the world’s first three-room VIP suite, The Residence, for Etihad Airways. Acumen’s airline experience spans more than 45 projects for a diverse range of international airlines around the globe which has given them a rare insight into premium passenger’s future needs and expectations. For more information, please visit: www.acumen-da.com

About JetBlue:

JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 1,000 daily flights. For more information please visit www.jetblue.com

For Acumen media enquiries, please contact:
Liam Andrews
XL Communications
liam@xl-comms.com
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