United Adds 10 International Destinations for 2027

United continues to expand international flight choices and announced this week they are adding 10 new destinations around the world.

Press Release: https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125479

Route	Start Date	Frequency	Aircraft
San Francisco (SFO) – Okinawa (OKA)*	Mar. 27	3x Weekly	Boeing 777-200ER
Newark (EWR) – Luxembourg (LUX)*	Apr. 2	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Toulouse (TLS)*	Apr. 26	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Ljubljana (LJU)*	May 12	4x Weekly	Boeing 767-400ER
Newark (EWR) – Olbia (OLB)	May 27	3x Weekly	Boeing 767-300ER
Newark (EWR) – Catania (CTA)	May 28	4x Weekly	Boeing 767-300ER
Newark (EWR) – Ibiza (IBZ)*	May 31	4x Weekly	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Valencia (VLC)*	Jun. 2	3x Weekly	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Marseille (MRS)*	Jun. 4	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Terceira (TER)*	Jun. 9	3x Weekly	Boeing 737 MAX 8
* United is the only U.S. airline to fly nonstop from the U.S. to this city.

I continue to be impressed by United's willingness to try new locations - American and Delta just don't seem to prioritize similar offerings (and may not be able to based on market, locations, and passenger demand).  

JetBlue Opens BlueHouse Lounge at Logan Airport

As reported yesterday, JetBlue will officially open its new lounge at Logan Airport called the BlueHouse Lounge on Thursday.

Official Press Release: https://www.news.jetblue.com/latest-news/press-release-details/2026/Welcome-Home-Boston-JetBlue-to-Open-Second-BlueHouse-Lounge-Adds-New-Access-for-Mint-Customers/default.aspx

For those passionate about flying JetBlue, this has been a topic of conversation for many months given the frequency of flights in Boston and lack of an official lounge compared to United or American.   Unfortunately, access for most will not be complimentary - Mint and Mint Flex will have priority and others may be able to access for a fee subject to space availability.

Access to BlueHouse:

Customers	Access Policy	Guest Policy
Mosaic 4 Members1	Complimentary	One complimentary guest $39 per additional guest
JetBlue Premier Cardmembers1	Complimentary	One complimentary guest $39 per additional guest
Mint Customers1 (NEW!)	Complimentary	$39 per guest

Eligible customers and guests may access BlueHouse up to three hours before their scheduled departure and must present a confirmed, same-day boarding pass for travel on a Mint, Mint Flex, EvenMore, EvenMore Flex, Main, or Main Flex fare. Mosaic 1-3 members and JetBlue Plus & Business cardmembers and eligible guests may access BlueHouse by purchasing a one-time pass in person at the BlueHouse check-in desk, pending space availability.

Customers	Access Policy	One-Time Pass Price
Mosaic 3 Members and Eligible Guests	Non-complimentary	$59 per-person
Mosaic 1-2 Members and Eligible Guests	Non-complimentary	$79 per-person
JetBlue Plus & Business Cardmembers Members and Eligible Guests	Non-complimentary	$79 per-person

Experience Using Chase Travel

It was on my list to try using Chase Travel more for flights since the benefit for purchases awards 5x points (since 2021).  My most recent itinerary had a cancelation where I was sent a partial refund, however, after several weeks the refund had not posted to my Chase card account.  I reached out to Chase with the information and was told I needed to contact JetBlue - when I called JetBlue I was told a refund was issued to a card ending in numbers that were not mine.  That's a problem.  

I found out that Chase Travel uses virtual numbers to complete transactions.  Even though I have a receipt showing the charge to my (correct) card number, Chase Travel used a virtual number to confirm the reservation.  My impression is this should be resolved internally by Chase Travel once the refund is issued back to the travel partner.  When I called, the nice agent confirmed they had received the refund but 'hadn't got around to it yet' to process the final.   This seems pretty dubious to me - how long does it actually take them to process these when received?  I asked the agent and was told that eventually they get to them but anyone can call sooner to complete the process.

My recommend: increase awareness when using 3rd party travel sites for both customer service and any reservation issues

JetBlue Changes EvenMore Upgrades

I received this update from JetBlue:

Starting today, you can select EvenMore® 12 hours earlier—beginning 36 hours before your flight's scheduled departure. That's more time to lock in more space, more speed and more service.

This update to your Mosaic 1 Signature Perks will be available for all eligible existing and future bookings—for you and up to 2 eligible travel companions.1

Thanks, as always, for being a Mosaic member. We look forward to seeing you on board soon.

Not a bad update!

30th Reunion Fun

I made it back home this last weekend for my 30th high school reunion - it was fun and I had a chance to catch up with so many friends.  There's never enough time and I hope there are opportunities to get together again soon.  Kudos to Kristie for planning a great evening!

My trip back home was not the best - two cancellations required a drive to O'hare just to get to my connecting plane.  United didn't do a great job for this trip.  Notifications and updates were poor at MSN and I even received a flight cancel 'retraction' which was a first.

JetBlue Selected to Continue EAS Service at PQI

The Department of Transportation has selected JetBlue to continue Essential Air Service to PQI Airport in Northern Maine.

Link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2000-8012-0371

Both American and JetBlue had submitted bids for the service; at the initial filing Jetblue's package was several million dollars more.  However, they were allowed to resubmit a proposal on June 2nd which turned out to be much less and comparable to AA's (revision).   By my initial search it doesn't appear that any media outlets reported this change.

The impression of favoritism set aside, it's disappointing that AA's bid wasn't taken more seriously given it would have increased flight frequencies to 12 a week from what will stay at 7.  While there has been a lot of passion in the local community for JetBlue, a more rational analysis would have been preferred.