Starlux leans into branding and heritage to deliver top-notch PaxEx

Having launched operations just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the global travel industry, Starlux Airlines has been high on my list of airlines to try — but remained elusive for years.

That all changed when Alaska Airlines announced that Starlux is its latest Mileage Plan redemption partner. As a longtime Mileage Plan member, I jumped at the opportunity to burn some miles and fly this premium-heavy operator between Osaka, Japan and its home base of Taipei, Taiwan.

Although Alaska Airlines generated my Starlux reservation number, the Starlux web site refused to let me view my reservation details. A quick call to the carrier’s Los Angeles reservations line enabled me to secure seats for myself and my traveling companion in the Airbus A330-900neo business class cabin.

Arriving at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport (KIX) a few hours before departure, the scene was one of chaos, and the line for security on this Sunday morning seemed to wind endlessly.

While I was able to successfully check-in online using the Starlux website, my boarding pass alone would not allow me to use the airport’s coveted Fast Lane service. Thankfully Starlux maintains a dedicated business class check-in counter where I was able to obtain Fast Lane passes, saving us at least two hours of waiting in line.

Starlux does not offer its own lounges outside of its Taipei hub, but at KIX it does partner with Japan Airlines for access to JAL’s Sakura Lounge directly across from its typical boarding gate. The lounge isn’t anything particularly special, but a rice dispensing robot makes for an amusing few seconds.

Boarding began exactly on time.

The moment I stepped foot on board this A330-900neo it became apparent that Starlux goes above and beyond to brand the cabin as its own.

While some major airlines suffer from extreme design blandness, Starlux leans heavily into its silver, gold, brown and black color palette with accents like stars adorning the sides of seats. It all comes together in a bold but not tacky way.

Even the toilet paper is Starlux branded!

Starlux’s A330-900neo business class suite boasts impressive tech features. The Safran Skylounge Core platform is kitted out with a 17.3” 4K inflight entertainment screen from Safran Passenger Innovations.

The IFE system is loaded with an above-average level of content for the region.

An AC power outlet, 60 watt USB-C port, USB-A port, wired remote control, Bluetooth audio pairing, and even a wireless charger are available in each business class suite.

Starlux also provides a decent set of active noise canceling headphones with a branded case, though the quality fell a bit short of my own Bose headset which I paired with the IFE via Bluetooth.

Alas, the wireless charger, which sounds like a good idea in theory, never reliably provided power to my phone as I just couldn’t get the placement right.

As soon as I sat down, a cabin crew member approached to ask me how I would prefer to be addressed and to take my meal order. I love this kind of personal touch, but I had just sat down and didn’t have time to take a look at the extensive printed menu. I made a snap decision after a brief glance at the menu and ordered the Japanese meal.

After taking a fuller look at the extensive beverage menu it was clear that a flight of this duration — under three hours — would not be enough time to fully experience all Starlux has to offer. I did order a bottle of the Starlux-branded Sake which took me the entire flight to polish off.

I am typically happy to order the local meal of my destination or the airline, but Starlux’s Japanese meal may have been a tad too Japanese for my personal tastes.

It was certainly good, but not quite my speed. The dessert, however, was delicious. In hindsight, I should probably have picked one of the western meals.

Starlux offers inflight connectivity. The service is powered by Viasat London (formerly Inmarsat’s) Global Xpress Ka-band satellite system, and is provided free-of-charge to business class passengers.

The connection was unlimited and fast enough to stream YouTube. In economy class, only data-limited plans are available, though a free messaging tier exists.

I left my flight with an extremely positive impression of the junior Taiwanese carrier. Though I flew up front, the comfortably-configured, eight-abreast economy class product looked quite inviting.

I even slid into a seat to test the legroom and to appreciate the IFE screen.

I love how heavily Starlux leans into its branding and heritage. It almost seems as if the carrier aspires to be a leading intergalactic rocket ship operator but for now will make do with a well-kitted-out Airbus fleet based in Taipei.