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

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.1

Monday October 21, 2024 1:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.1 on Monday, October 28, bringing the first set of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update marks the first significant step forward in Apple's AI integration, offering a new Siri contextually-aware experience and a range of additional capabilities powered by on-device machine learning and large language models. There are a ...
Tim Cook Vision Pro

Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

Monday October 21, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
The Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen this summer interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the Vision Pro, innovation, Apple Intelligence, and more. Image Credit: Vanity Fair Cook admitted that the Vision Pro headset is not a mass-market product due to its high price. "At $3,500, it's not a mass-market product," said Cook. "Right now, it's an early-adopter product. People who want to have...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro, AirPods, and AirPods Max Firmware

Tuesday October 22, 2024 11:39 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update for the original AirPods Pro, the AirPods 2, the AirPods 3, and the Lightning version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 6F21, up from the prior 6A326 firmware that these devices were previously running. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but given that these are all older models, it is likely that the new...
apple vision pro orange

Report: Apple May Stop Producing Vision Pro by the End of 2024

Wednesday October 23, 2024 6:11 am PDT by
Apple has abruptly reduced production of the Vision Pro headset and could stop making the current version of the device completely by the end of 2024, The Information reports. Citing multiple people "directly involved" in making components for the headset, the report says that the scaling back of production began in the early summer. This indicates that Apple now has a sufficient number of...
M4 Mac mini Silver Perspective

5 Reasons to Get Excited About the New Mac Mini

Wednesday October 23, 2024 6:55 am PDT by
Apple's Mac mini has long been a powerhouse in a compact form, offering impressive performance in a small package. With rumors swirling about a completely overhauled new model that is likely just days away from being announced, anticipation is building for what Apple has in store. From enhanced connectivity to major hardware upgrades, the upcoming Mac mini promises to bring significant...
M4 Mac mini Ortho Black Cooler

Gurman: 'M4 Mac Launch' is 'Next Week'

Tuesday October 22, 2024 10:29 am PDT by
Just a few hours after claiming that the first Macs with M4 chips are launching "very soon," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has followed up with a slightly more specific timeframe. In his latest social media post today, he said an "M4 Mac launch" is on Apple's schedule for next week, but he did not mention a specific day. A concept of a smaller Mac mini with front-facing USB-C ports "Busy week for...
m3 mbp space black

Gurman: New MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini Models With M4 Chips Launching 'Very Soon'

Tuesday October 22, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch its first Macs with the M4 series of chips "very soon," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a social media post today, Gurman said these Macs will include new MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini models specifically. He continues to expect the next Mac mini to feature a "revamped" design, in line with his previous reporting that said the new model will be nearly...
mac magic keyboard

Apple Working on New Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard

Monday October 21, 2024 10:59 am PDT by
Apple may soon release new versions of the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad, according to code found in the iOS 18.1 release candidate by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. There are references to a new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and several Magic Keyboards, which would include versions with Touch ID and number pads, as well as models without. While there is no...
airpods pro 2 hearing aids

Apple Confirms AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Features Launching in iOS 18.1 Next Week

Monday October 21, 2024 5:32 am PDT by
Apple will release iOS 18.1 next week, introducing a suite of advanced hearing health capabilities to the AirPods Pro 2 and the first Apple Intelligence features. The timing of the update was confirmed by reviewers who were given early access to the AirPods Pro 2's new hearing health features, which are now known to be included in the update. The update will include three core features:...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp for iOS Gets New Home Screen Widget for Chats, Camera Updates

Monday October 21, 2024 2:37 pm PDT by
Popular messaging app WhatsApp was today updated to add a new Home Screen widget that's specific to chats. The widget is available on the iPhone after updating to version 24.21.81, which came out this afternoon. After updating the widget can be added to the Home Screen using the Edit interface. Users can choose from Recents, Favorites, Pinned, or Frequently Contacted to get quick access to...

Top Rated Comments

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

...I see what you did there
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
technima Avatar
127 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
127 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
127 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
127 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)