Another U.S. airline is cashing in on the surging trend for premium seats that is sweeping the air travel industry this year.
On Tuesday, JetBlue reported its earnings for the third quarter of 2025, and the carrier shared that it inked smaller losses for its operations in the months of July, August, and September than it had predicted earlier this year.
The carrier reported a loss of 40 cents per share, which was slightly lower than analysts’ expectations of 44 cents lost per share, according to Reuters.
"Revenue and costs came in at the better half of their respective guidance ranges, significantly improving our financial performance throughout the quarter," said JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghtery.
The airline said its shrinking losses were in part due to strong demand over the peak summer travel period. Additionally, demand for JetBlue’s premium cabins outperformed that for its Core cabin, which is its regular economy product. Revenue per available seat mile for the carrier’s premium seats was six points higher than in core for the third quarter of 2025.
Despite an uncertain financial start to the year for most U.S. airlines amid President Trump’s tariffs and other policy changes, many carriers have been able to shore up their balance sheets by trimming capacity and leaning into premium products.
The strategy has paid off for major airlines, including United, Delta, American, and now JetBlue. The New York-based carrier mitigated the challenging environment by trimming underperforming routes and expanding its network out of Fort Lauderdale with a total of 25 daily flights from the city outfitted with its Mint business class product by the end of 2025.
The carrier noted that it expects “robust premium demand” through the fourth quarter.
"We are optimistic the demand environment will continue to improve through the end of the year," said Marty St. George, JetBlue's president.
Next year, JetBlue will also introduce a new domestic first class cabin, in an effort to continue its expansion of premium seats amid the soaring demand for them. The new first class seats will be added to many of the airline’s current all-coach planes, offering travelers an upgraded option on those aircraft for the first time. Additionally, JetBlue is slated to open its first airport lounge in the new Terminal 5 at New York JFK by the end of 2025.
The carrier predicted that with all of the changes, it would be profitable in 2027. That year, it expects to report an operating profit of $850 million to $950 million.
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