Since 2020, Starlux has been operating flights to and from its hub in Taipei, connecting North America to destinations all across Asia. Born out of a bitter family feud that sounds like something from Shakespearean times, Starlux continues to impress and expand! In this post, we share our experience flying on each aircraft in the Starlux fleet to help you decide if you want to give this new airline a try!

The Fleet:

Starlux’s fleet is entirely Airbus, at the time of writing this. Their fleet is comprised of A321neo, A330neo, and A350-900. You can check out photos and seat maps on the Starlux website.

We flew on the A350-900 from Los Angeles to Taipei and back; on the A321neo from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City, and the A330neo from Danang to Taipei.
Overall, we enjoyed each flight on each aircraft, but some had better features than others.

The Service:

Overall, we found service to be above average, and sometimes exceptional, especially when we compare it to most North American carriers. At the airport, check-in was quick and efficient. At the lounge, the service was exceptional. On board the aircraft, service was attentive, friendly, and timely. Our only complaint about service is the inability to pre-order meals because of a technical issue for bookings made with Alaska Airlines flights that doesn’t appear to have been resolved yet.

The Food/Drinks:

Overall, we enjoyed the food onboard each flight, but Middle Eastern carriers are still the best, in our opinion. Starlux offers a good selection of Asian and Western options, but sometimes things appeared to be mistranslated and not to what was described in the menu. i.e. this Cuban sandwich that seemed more like an Italian sub.

Meal services were pretty set, in the sense, that you are served everything, bread, soup, starter, main, and dessert. The quantity of food is pretty substantial, probably too much for some people with lighter appetites. You can try to order the appetizer, a snack instead of a main, and dessert, but it seems to not be how the meal service was intended.

Some meals are also like a set course; you choose either the Western or the Asian option and get what is part of that menu.

The standout meals were definitely on the flights in Asia themselves. This lunch served on the Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City flight makes our list of top airplane meals due to the uniqueness, taste, and presentation.

Starlux also has a good selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Their signature juice is very tasty and feels very healthy. They also make good cocktails and mocktails that represent their space/galactic branding. As for wine, they have champagne, and a few red and white wines that were good. They also have regular beer and a craft beer selection. They also serve many different teas, juices, and you can have iced coffee.

At the lounge in Taipei, there was a decent selection of self-serve snacks, as well as a-la-carte food you can order. We really enjoyed all the food, especially the gua bao.

The Seat:

We really enjoyed the A330neo and A350-900 seats, as they were very private, comfortable, and the ambiance due to the coloring was very relaxing. These seats rival some first class seats on other carriers, in our opinion. Some of the key features of the seats: a sliding door that closes for privacy, a “Zero G” function on the seat that mimics neutral body posture, the seat is very large, the bedding is comfortable, there is a small lamp for light that makes it feel cozy, and there is a large high definition in-flight entertainment screen (4K resolution with a 24-inch screen).

On the A350, this is what Starlux says about its seat on its website:
“Business Class [seats] are designed around the theme of “Enchanting Sophistication,” suggesting sitting on a throne in a magnificent palace, with warm woven fabrics and luxurious textures, embellished with a royal rose golden color. 7”
We were very comfortable in one of twenty-six reverse herringbone business class seats on the A350 for our 12+ hour flights!

As for the A330neo, it was a short 2 hour flight, and it was very comfortable. We would be happy spending 12+ hours in this seat, as it was very similar to the A350-900 setup.

The A321neo seat was comfortable for a 2 hour flight, but did have some drawbacks. That being said, it was still better than many business class seats we’ve sat in for longer flights, most notably within North America (we would be happy sitting here for those 5-7 hour flights to Hawaii!). The cabin has a 2-2 seat configuration, with a full lie flat configuration, and a small privacy screen. If you are in the aisle seat, the lack of privacy is notable, and you will feel like you are in the aisle, due to the seat’s angling.

Photos:

A350-900 Flight from Los Angeles to Taipei

A321neo Flight from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

A330neo Flight from Danang Vietnam to Taipei

A350 Flight from Taipei to Los Angeles

Other Details:

• Cabin temperature: There are no individual air nozzles on the A350-900 in case the cabin temperature is warm, and you need some extra air to cool down. That being said, we found the cabin temperature was comfortable and not too warm. Some reviews about Starlux flights have different opinions about that.
• IFE/Internet: While the screen size and graphic resolution is very high, the in-flight entertainment options were somewhat limited. The free internet did work, often intermittently.
• Amenity kit: The Starlux hard-shell Brics amenity kit was well stocked, with enough things to keep you comfortable on your flight and beyond. They also provided sheet masks during boarding, which was a nice touch! When we know we are getting an amenity kit like this one, it helps us to pack less things, like moisturizer, etc.
• Pajamas: The pajamas provided by Starlux were comfortable, the material was soft, but the brown color is a little unappealing. The material is a little heavier, meaning it can make you feel warmer. We prefer lighter pajamas like the ones offered by Emirates.
• Connecting in Taipei: Connecting in Taipei was very easy. As we were just connecting, we did not have to fill out an immigration card or go through immigration. We were provided with immigration cards in case we wanted to leaver the airport and go explore Taipei during our layover, but we abandoned this plan when we saw how long the line was, as we estimated it would take about 45 minutes to get through. On arrival from Los Angeles, we did not have to go through screening again, but on arrival from Danang, we did go through screening again.
• Points: We were very lucky to get 2 tickets using Alaska Airlines points, as part of the partnership introductory offer. The tickets between Los Angeles and Taipei were 60,000 points each leg, and the tickets between Vietnam and Taipei were 15,000 points each leg.
• Music: It may sound like a trivial detail, but we enjoyed hearing the landing music that was turned on exactly 6 minutes before landing on final approach, and on taxi to the gate. They also have a spa like atmosphere in the bathroom, with a spa-style water sound that plays.

The Lounge:

In Taipei, we had access to the newly opened Galactic Lounge in terminal 2, which is larger than the other lounge. Overall, the lounge itself was clean and had decent food and drink options. The lounge is a little small and has limited seating, as most of it is restaurant style. There isn’t a place for you to go sit comfortably to have a nap. The lounge has nice private shower rooms though, which come in handy for long-haul flights and connections. There also lockers if you want to store your luggage.

There are self-serve food options, along with an a-la-carte menu to order from, with a different menu for breakfast, and lunch/dinner. Most of the food options are on the top floor, with a more limited self-serve area on the lower level of the lounge.
Service was attentive, and things were cleared from our table often. The lounge was also very clean, and you saw people cleaning it often.

Overall, we did enjoy the lounge experience, but we also found it lacking for some things. From memory, the Eva Lounge was crowded, but was more comfortable and had more amenities. This should be expected, as Eva is a much larger airline and is part of Star Alliance.

In Los Angeles, we had access to the One World Lounge, which was decent. We really like this lounge, as there buffet always includes many salads, they have nice shower rooms, and there are many different seating options.

Summary:

Overall, we loved our flights on Starlux and hope we will have the opportunity to fly with them again! As Starlux has also launched flight from Seattle, this is more convenient for us, due to more connecting flight options, but we would not hesitate to fly out of Los Angeles again. It is truly impressive for such a young airline to achieve this quality of a flight experience, excellent service, and overall solid management of an airline.

We used to be huge fans of EVA, another Taipei based airline part of the Star Alliance, but it does seem EVA has fallen behind their rival, as far as having a compelling business product. The seats just seem old, and the branding a little dated, even with their Hello Kitty aircraft. Some aspects of Starlux’s branding are a little boring too, like the livery, but the rest of the product is what makes it a great choice to fly to Asia!