I flew JetBlue for the first time and finally understand why it's one of the best airlines in the world

• JetBlue is a boutique US airline that incorporates elements from both full-service and low-cost carriers.
• I recently flew JetBlue for the first time from New York to Seattle.
• JetBlue's in-flight experience lived up to its billing as a service-oriented airline.

Since its founding in 1999, JetBlue has been one of America's favorite airlines. As an aviation journalist, I've spent the past few years covering JetBlue as a business, but I haven't actually had the chance to experience its service. Chalk it up to spending most of my life living in the shadows of Delta and United Airlines fortress hubs; Atlanta and Newark.

That all changed in October when I went on a business trip to Seattle, Washington and used it as an opportunity to finally fly JetBlue.

As an airline, JetBlue occupies a unique place in the US airline market. On one hand, you have full-service legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United. On the other hand, there are low-cost carriers like Southwest or even ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier.

JetBlue occupies a space somewhere between the legacy carriers and low-cost Southwest. It's a tweener with elements taken both from full-service as well as low-cost airlines. For instance, JetBlue operates mainly point-to-point service like low-cost carriers while the legacy airlines use a hub and spoke model. But unlike low-cost airlines, JetBlue's aircraft are stylishly appointed with some planes even equipped with a luxurious Mint premium cabin.

As a result, the New York-based airline is generally referred to as a boutique carrier.

But back to my experience onboard JetBlue. Here's a closer look at my flight to Seattle.