JetBlue Embraces Apple Pay for In-Flight Food and Upgrade Purchases

JetBlue will soon allow passengers to purchase food and beverages in-flight and even seat upgrades using Apple Pay.

The airline says it will be the first major U.S. domestic airline to enable such purchases for passengers using the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and soon Apple Watch beginning in mid-February on select New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco flights. All JetBlue flights should be able to accept Apple Pay, even for Even More Space seating purchases, by June, the airline says.

Apple Pay streamlines purchases because users don't have to break out their credit  cards and can just use their iPhones and Apple Watch to conduct transactions.

JetBlue's more than 3,500 in-flight crew members will be outfitted with Apple minis and NFC- (near field communication) enabled cases to handle the Apple Pay purchases.

Later this year, JetBlue states, passengers will be able to make purchases using Apple Pay  in the airline's iOS app, too.