JetBlue to build airport lounges in New York, Boston [Video]

JetBlue Airways will open its first airport lounges in its more than two decades of flying, a major shift for the low-cost airline as it chases high-spending travelers.

The lounges will open at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport late next year followed by Boston, JetBlue said Thursday.

The airline is also planning to launch a new “premium” credit card with its partner, Barclays, taking a page from the likes of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines, which have generated billions through lucrative credit card deals.

Customers who have the soon-to-be-announced premium credit card, those booked in JetBlue’s Mint business class for trans-Atlantic travel and high-level frequent flyer status holders will be able to access the lounges, the company said.

JetBlue said its 8,000-square-foot lounge in Terminal 5 of New York’s JFK Airport is slated to open late next year, and an 11,000-sqare-foot space in Boston Logan …