JetBlue to Become First Airline to Accept Apple Pay In-Flight

Passengers on select JetBlue Airways flights will be able to use Apple Pay to purchase things in-flight starting next week, according to USA Today. It will become the first airline to accept Apple Pay in-flight.

JetBlue-Logo

Starting next week, passengers on select JetBlue Airways flights can use Apple Pay on their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets to buy food, drinks and certain onboard amenities when the plane reaches cruising altitude. You'll be able to upgrade to available premium seats, too.

Eddy Cue, Apple's VP for Internet software and services, told USA Today that "somebody else doing it always puts pressure on the other guy" and that other airlines could follow suit.

JetBlue's flight attendants will have iPad minis outfitted with a special case that will accept both credit cards and Apple Pay. Starting next week, only intercontinental flights from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco will accept Apple Pay, with additional flights in March and plans for all JetBlue flights to accept the payment service in June. Like iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the upcoming Apple Watch will also work with the system.


Cue notes that expanding Apple Pay into areas like travel is important. "Most people would prefer not to carry cash or worry about cash. There's a lot of opportunity there," Cue told USA Today. Apple would like to expand to subways and public transportation, but Cue said working with local governments and gaining funding for those initiatives moves slower than they would like. He says the eventual plan is to completely replace the wallet, and that Apple Pay is only the start.

Apple has continued to work with third parties to expand Apple Pay's reach, most recently having ChowNow update nearly 700 food and restaurant apps with the payment service.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: JetBlue

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.2

Thursday December 5, 2024 11:48 am PST by
Apple seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.2 today, which means it's going to see a public launch imminently. Release candidates represent the final version of new software that will be provided to the public should no last minute bugs be found, and Apple includes release notes with the RC launch. The iOS 18.2 release notes provide a look at all of the new features that are coming...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Friday December 6, 2024 4:42 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

iPhone 17 'Air' Expected to Be ~2mm Thinner Than iPhone 16 Pro

Friday December 6, 2024 4:07 pm PST by
In 2025, Apple is planning to debut a thinner version of the iPhone that will be sold alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This iPhone 17 "Air" will be about two millimeters thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm thick, so an iPhone 17 that is 2mm thinner would come in at around 6.25mm. At 6.25mm,...
iPhone 14 Pro Display Two Times Brighter Feature

Every Display Upgrade Rumored for Apple's iPhone 17

Friday December 6, 2024 5:14 am PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 lineup may bring some of the most significant display improvements we've seen in recent years. While the iPhone 17 series isn't expected until late 2025, multiple rumors suggest Apple is working on substantial screen upgrades across its entire smartphone range. From enhanced refresh rates to advanced materials and improved power efficiency, these display...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
iCloud General Feature

Apple Defeats Lawsuit Related to iCloud's Measly 5GB of Free Storage

Friday December 6, 2024 7:43 am PST by
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this week upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that Apple illegally deceived customers into paying for iCloud storage, according to a court filing. The decision was reported by Law360. The lawsuit alleged that Apple deceived customers into purchasing iCloud-enabled devices by misleading customers into believing that they can...
surface studio 4

Microsoft Discontinues iMac Rival Surface Studio 2+

Friday December 6, 2024 6:30 am PST by
Microsoft has discontinued its Surface Studio 2+, marking the end of the company's only direct competitor to Apple's iMac, leaving a gap in the Windows ecosystem for high-end all-in-one PCs. Microsoft has confirmed to Windows Central that it has ended production of the Surface Studio 2+, a premium all-in-one desktop designed for creative professionals. With remaining stock now limited to...
top stories 7dec2024

Top Stories: iOS 18.2 Coming Soon, iPhone 17 Rumors, and More

Saturday December 7, 2024 6:00 am PST by
2024 is rapidly drawing to a close, but Apple isn't quite done with releases for the year as iOS 18.2 and related operating system updates are arriving very shortly. Apple Intelligence is a major focus for these updates, but there are some other tweaks and improvements arriving for all users. Looking toward hardware rumors, discussion continues around Apple's work on a foldable iPhone, an...

Top Rated Comments

ggt Avatar
128 months ago
Apple Pay really seems to be taking off...
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pnoyblazed Avatar
128 months ago
Apple Pay really seems to be taking off...

...I see what you did there
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
technima Avatar
128 months ago
Unlike Google Wallet you won't have to pay for inflight WiFi to use Apple Pay. Google Wallet requires that you use it with an internet connection at least once a day, Apple Pay doesn't.

https://support.google.com/wallet/answer/2466137?hl=en
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arcady Avatar
128 months ago
With the U.S. finally getting Chip & PIN

We're not getting chip & pin, we're getting the inferior chip & signature.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dontwalkhand Avatar
128 months ago
Some UK supermarkets are trialling their own apps that link to your creditcard so I really can't see Apple Pay getting anywhere over here.

Certainly something I'm not bothered about and my friends with the iPhone 6 just wanted normal NFC.
Why not? Apple Pay will work with all of those existing NFC terminals. You guys already have a decent NFC terminal penetration. The whole thing about the supermarkets allowing you to link your own cards thing sounds like CurrentC that we are getting here at Walmart, and others. Just like how I don't see CurrentC stalling Apple Pay, it won't stall it in the UK either once available.

With the U.S. finally getting Chip & PIN, we have to replace all of the terminals anyway and pretty much everybody except Walmart and Best Buy will have it. (Though Walmart already has Chip & PIN, no NFC).

It's amazing last year I barely was able to tap my NFC card, now I'm able to pay with Apple Pay at 70% of places I shop at. The numbers are growing people.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mejsric Avatar
128 months ago


My understanding is that if you don't have a PIN, you won't need a data connection to pay with Google Wallet. The "once a day" requirement, I think, is just a security measure, but is not a requirement at the time of payment.
Its more about your purchased datas...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)