JetBlue has announced elite status changes for 2026. Status will run through Jan 31 each year. They’re introducing status-earning for your kids’ travel. There’s lounge access and more upgrades for top tier, and cuts to entry-level status.
- Family Tiles: Starting February 1, kids 12 and under can have the status points from their tickets credited to one linked parent to count towards that parent’s status.
- Changes to points bonuses: Effective February 1, Mosaic 3 bonus increases to 4 points per dollar (so 10 total points per dollar on base fare when booking JetBlue direct) and Mosaic 4 bonus increases to 5 points per dollar (11 total on base fare when booking JetBlue direct). No change to Mosaic 1 and 2.
- More Upgrade Certificates: Mosaic 4 will get two more Move to Mint certificates “for a total of four.”
- Complimentary lounge access for top tier: Mosaic 4 will receive complimentary lounge access first at JFK, still on track to open this year, and Boston to open next year.
- Reduced entry-level checked-bag allowance: Mosaic 1 drops from 2 free checked bags down to 1 per person effective February 1, 2026. This seems to align with JetBlue’s new partner United.
- Reduced companion access to extra legroom seats: Effective February 1, Mosaic 1 & 2 receive access for 2 companions (down from ‘everyone on the reservation’ so up to 8). Mosaic 3 & 4 get 4 companions (down from 8). Access to Preferred Core seating remains available for up to 8 companions.
- Reduced free alcohol: drops from 3 to 1 per flight on February 1 (unless seated in a free alcohol section).
- More changes coming: “Perks You Pick” will se “enhancements” (never a good word) in 2027.
Generally these changes are a devaluation of entry-level status and an improvement for top-tier status. Families with young children win qualifying for status. But boy Mosaic 1 sees a bunch of hits from fewer checked bag, less access to extra legroom, and fewer free drinks when not in extra legroom. Overall these are tweaks not wholesale changes.
You missed pointing out the most impactful change. Elites traveling with families will not be able to sit in even more unless they want to sit separately from their family.
This is a disaster for the program and very bad. No US airline program is that restrictive.
Say you live in a city that B6 doesn’t serve too many destinations. Then how or what’s the point? To get to Mosaic 3 or 4 would be a struggle. Just giving my thoughts to Gary’s final thoughts.
With upgrades few and far between, half the point of having some status these days is the ability to select extra legroom economy at booking. So I don’t like the trend of PE overtaking extra legroom (see AA’s new 787P for instance – only 18 MCE seats). I don’t think it’s much of a downgrade for Mosaic 1 given that it’s only selection at check in anyway, but could be a significant downgrade for Mosaic 2 if you have a family of 4 that ordinarily you would get free extra legroom for at the time of booking. Now you’ve got to pay for one of the seats.
Family status pooling is certainly interesting though. Would have been easier to make EP this year with AA if I could have allocated my kids LPs. Oh well, they’ll enjoy the free 15k LP luggage tags and their gold status bragging rights in school (start them young, right?).
I don’t fly B6 enough to care, but the whole status program labeling is just so weird. Tiles? Who wants to casually say to a friend “I’m a Mosaic 2!” I’ve heard lots of people tell me they are Delta [whatever] though. Just feels odd, pick some precious stones or metals and don’t reinvent the wheel.
Got that “Updates to TrueBlue for 2026.” email earlier today, and the lounge update (still this year) was really the only thing that stood out to me. Like, if they actually open one at JFK (and BOS), that’ll be cool. (Not holding my breath on timing; expect further delay.)