Starlux Airlines is Asia’s up-and-coming airline and Alaska Airlines’ newest Mileage Plan partner. From their hub in Taipei, Taiwan, you can earn and redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles on Starlux’s flights to many destinations across Asia including Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo. And with Starlux’s fleet of brand new Airbus A350 aircraft, you can fly in style to their U.S. gateway cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and soon, Seattle.
At Taoyuan Taipei Airport, Starlux operates from both terminals 1 and 2 with all of their flights bound for the United States departing from T2. Their check-in counters open up 3.5 hours prior to departure time and if you are connecting from another flight, you can find their transfer counters with China Airlines. On this trip, I was connecting from Ho Chi Minh City with EVA Airways on a separate ticket but I was able to use the transfer desk located in T2.
Because they are a fairly new airline, Starlux does not operate their own lounge in T2 yet. Instead, they contract with the Oriental Club Lounge for their business class passengers and elite frequent fliers. The Oriental Club Lounge is nothing special but it does offer a dining area with made-to-order, Taiwanese dishes such as beef noodle soup and braised pork over rice. The Oriental Club Lounge is also a Priority Pass contract lounge so all passengers with a Priority Pass membership can access it. You can click here for my full review of the Oriental Club Lounge TPE.
Starlux Economy Class Trip Report
Flight: JX2
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Taipei (TPE) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Depart: 11:40 PM on Thursday (12:05 AM actual)
Arrive: 7:00 PM same day (7:12 PM actual)
Duration: 11hr 7mn
Seat: 41K Economy Class
I left the Oriental Club Lounge about 15 minutes prior to boarding time and made my way to gate D8. The walk from the lounge to the gate wasn’t far but I wanted to give myself some extra time just in case there was a secondary security check at the gate. Luckily, there wasn’t one and I was able to snap some pictures of the beautiful jet and relax a bit before boarding was called.
Boarding was delayed about 20 minutes and started with business class passengers and elite frequent-flier members. Business class passengers boarded through door 1L and all other passengers boarded through 2L. The boarding process was very orderly and efficient with an agent walking around with a sign to ensure people boarded in their respective groups. I do appreciate this boarding process with the Asian airlines and I wish we did this back in the States.
On their Airbus A350-900 fleet, Starlux operates one premium cabin with four first class and 26 business class seats. The seats are configured in a reverse herringbone, 1-2-1 layout. The cabin is clean and sleek and the use of colors and materials make the cabin feel very modern and futuristic. I actually had the opportunity to fly this business class cabin from Los Angeles to Taiepi at the beginning of this trip. You can click here to read my full review of Starlux’s A350 Business Class.
Behind the business class cabin is the premium economy cabin with 36 seats in a 2-4-2 layout. The premium economy seats offer 40 inches of pitch, 18.7 inches of width and eight inches of recline. Behind the Premium Economy cabin are two economy class cabins with 240 standard seats in a 3-3-3 layout. Standard economy seats offer 31 inches of pitch, 17.1 inches of width and five inches of recline.
On this flight, I was seated in 41K, a window seat located on the right side of the aircraft. Waiting at my seat were a water bottle, pillow, blanket, amenity kit, and a pair of slippers. These are nice touches for an economy-class flight.
In my opinion, seats in row 41 are the best “standard” economy class seats in the forward cabin. Because these seats are located in the last row, with a bulkhead wall behind them, you can store things back here and still fully recline your seat without having to worry about another passenger behind you. There is no one behind you to pull on your seat or knock you while you’re trying to eat or sleep. However, the one downside to these seats is that they are located adjacent to the lavatory. People do tend to congregate in this area, which can be a little annoying.
Each seat was configured with a personal entertainment monitor, USB port, coat hook, reading lamp and an adjustable headrest. Additionally, two universal electrical outlets were provided per three seats.
Entertainment-wise, the Starlux entertainment system was loaded with a pretty good selection of new Hollywood, European and Asian movies, TV shows, video games and musical entertainment.
Headphones were also provided on this flight. I always bring my own noise-canceling headphones but I do appreciate these complimentary, over-the-ear headphones more than the earbuds that other airlines hand out.
The amenity kit was fairly basic but again, still appreciated. Inside the case were a pair of socks, earplugs, a Starlux branded eyemask and a dental kit.
I must admit one of my new favorite features on an airplane is Bluetooth connectivity for your headphones. I love this so much as your headphone wire doesn’t get caught up in the limited space and you don’t have to worry about unplugging them just to get out of your seat.
Once all the passengers were boarded, we pushed back from the gate and made our way to the runway for our 11-hour journey to Los Angeles.
Dinner started about 45 minutes into the flight. On this flight, there were two options for dinner, a Taiwanese pork belly over rice or a braised chicken with egg noodles. I went with the pork belly and it was DELICIOUS.
Dinner was served with a side salad, some cheese and crackers, a small cup of fruit, and a bread roll. Just look at these thick pieces of pork belly. It was such a good portion size and the flavors were on point. The only thing that could have made this meal better would have been a proper dessert like a piece of cake or a cup of ice cream but the fruit was fine. I just wished there was more than two slices of fruit.
Complimentary alcoholic drinks were also provided during the meal service including beer, wine and mixed drinks, such as this signature Sci-Fi Cosmos.
After my tray was cleared away, I went to the lavatory to freshen up and change out of my street clothes. I then did a little bit of work on my laptop and zoned out with a cute Disney movie. Comfort-wise, these seats were really nice. They were comfortable, well-padded and offered a deep recline. The cabin was kept a little warm but I had a little USB fan to keep me cool during the flight. If you don’t travel with a USB fan, I highly recommend you pick one up for your next long-haul flight. You will be amazed at how effective these little guys can be. Here’s one from Amazon.
In between meals, water, juice, and some packaged snacks were made available in the rear galley. Service-wise, the flight attendants were great. They were friendly and walked the cabin frequently with beverage trays and other snacks.
About two hours prior to our arrival into Los Angeles, a second meal was served. For this meal, our two options were either an egg frittata or a minced pork congee. I went with the congee and again, this meal was fantastic.
The congee was served with a side of fruit, a cup of yogurt, and an edamame salad. The combination was a little odd but if you like congee, you will like this.
Starlux A350 Economy Class Bottom Line
This was a great flight and I had zero complaints about it. Starlux is a great airline and I think they provide a stellar economy class experience. The seats, service and catering were excellent and the amenities provided were appreciated. Overall, I would definitely choose to fly with Starlux again and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others.
What are your thoughts? Have you flown with Starlux recently? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other related posts in this series include:
- oneworld Lounge LAX
- Starlux Airbus A350 Business Class, Los Angeles to Taipei
- Plaza Premium Lounge Taipei
- Oriental Club Lounge Taipei
- EVA Air Boeing 777 Economy Class, Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 Business Class
- Sheraton Phu Quoc
- Intercontinental Phu Quoc
- Hoa Sim Business Lounge Phu Quoc
- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon
- Apricot Lounge Ho Chi Minh City
- Jasmine Business Lounge Ho Chi Minh City
- Starlux Airbus A350 Economy Class, Taipei to Los Angeles
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