In April 2023, Alaska Airlines and Starlux Airlines launched a partnership. This was exciting, as Alaska was Starlux’s first airline partner. It’s worth noting that this partnership has just been expanded, as the two airlines are now launching a codeshare agreement.
In this post:
Details of the Alaska & Starlux partnership
Taiwan is a mighty competitive aviation market, with both China Airlines and EVA Air being very well regarded airlines, belong to SkyTeam and Star Alliance, respectively. Now Taiwan has a third global airline, as Starlux is trying to compete head-on with those two airlines.
Starlux is growing at a fast pace, and operates Airbus A350-900s, Airbus A330-900neos, and Airbus A321neos. As far as the carrier’s US destinations go, Starlux currently flies to Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA).
Suffice it to say that Alaska and Starlux are a natural fit. All three of Starlux’s routes to the United States are to the West Coast, and Alaska has a strong presence there.
While Starlux wants to join the oneworld alliance, it’s questionable whether or not that will happen, due to other airlines in the alliance having veto rights. Fortunately the Alaska and Starlux partnership can be valuable for travelers, so I wanted to go over the details of that in this post, including the newly introduced codeshare agreement.
Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles on Starlux
Alaska Mileage Plan members can earn miles for all Starlux flights, with earnings rates varying based on which airline is marketing the flight.
Below you can find the Mileage Plan earnings chart for flights that are both marketed and operated by Starlux (meaning you’re booking directly with Starlux).
Then below is the Mileage Plan earnings chart for flights that are marketed by Alaska and operated by Starlux (meaning you’re booking with Alaska).
Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on Starlux
Alaska Mileage Plan miles can also be redeemed for travel on Starlux. Below is the Alaska Mileage Plan award chart for the Asia-Pacific region, which covers all flights in question. Specifically:
- You’ll pay 15,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of under 1,500 miles
- You’ll pay 50,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of 1,501-3,000 miles
- You’ll pay 60,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of 3,001-5,000 miles
- You’ll pay 75,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of 5,001-7,000 miles
- You’ll pay 85,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of 7,001-10,000 miles
Also keep in mind that Mileage Plan allows free stopovers, so you can always stop in Taiwan enroute to another destination. Unfortunately award availability isn’t always great, but you can read my guide to redeeming Mileage Plan miles on Starlux.
Alaska & Starlux codeshare agreement details
New as of October 2024, Alaska and Starlux have launched a codeshare agreement, which is an upgrade over the interline agreement that the airlines previously had.
For those not familiar, a codeshare agreement allows an airline to place its “code” on the flight of another airline, essentially marketing that flight. So this means that on Alaska’s website you’ll start to see Starlux flights with Alaska flight numbers, and vice versa. It’s a closer level of cooperation than an interline agreement or mutual alliance membership, but it’s not as close as a joint venture.
Here’s how Glenn Chai, Starlux’s CEO, describes this development:
“We are thrilled to unveil our inaugural codeshare flights in collaboration with Alaska Airlines, marking a pivotal expansion of our North American network. This codeshare makes it easier for passengers to book connecting flights and travel seamlessly between these destinations using both airlines. STARLUX will continue to forge strategic partnerships with airlines to further expand our passenger networks, fostering mutual growth and success for all involved.”
Meanwhile here’s how Brett Catlin, Alaska’s VP of Loyalty, Alliances, and Sales, describes this:
“We’re proud to be STARLUX’s first airline partner and excited about this next chapter in our ongoing cooperation,” said Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty, alliances and sales at Alaska Airlines. “We look forward to inviting guests on board and delighting them with the premium experience and care that Alaska is known for across the industry.”
Bottom line
Alaska Airlines and Starlux Airlines have had a partnership since April 2023, though it has just been expanded, with the introduction of a codeshare agreement. It’s possible to earn and redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles for travel on Starlux, and it’s also possible to book travel on both airlines on a single ticket.
While Starlux hopes to join the oneworld alliance, it remains to be seen whether that will happen. In the meantime, this is the closest partnership that Starlux has, and it’s useful for the carrier’s service to the United States.
What do you make of the expanded Alaska & Starlux partnership?
This article is very devoid of facts. Is AS putting its codes on JX flights? Can AS sell flights to TPE now? Beyond TPE?
And/or is JX putting its code on AS flights, e.g. SFO-JFK? And doesn't JX already interline anyway with AS?
Simply repeating, and even quoting, a press release is an extremely lazy way of doing reporting, one that is devoid of any value!!
I really, REALLY want Starlux to join OneWorld. (And RwandAir, MongoliAir, JetSmart, GOL, TAP, Aer Lingus, and few others while they are at it).
I booked Premium Economy tickets via Alaska Airlines website SFO - TPE. They are appearing as fare class E, which isn't listed on the table in this article. I wonder how many RMD and EQM I will earn?
Figured it out. The labels on the tables in this article are wrong. It isn't based on whether it was booked on Alaska Airlines or Starlux Airlines website - the EQMs are based on whether or not the flight has an Alaska Airlines flight number or a Starlux Airlines flight number. When booking a Starlux flight number on Alaska Airlines, the EQM earning is lower than if the flight has an AS flight number.
@Ben - Have you looked at real-world award availability in business class for two lately? I just did and outside of some availability in the next week or so there is zero through the end of schedule. Outside of those close in flights the "best" prices are 175,000 per seat which is no bargain.
Alaska is decent for domestic flights and good if you want to fly Condor to FRA in business but frankly stinks...
@Ben - Have you looked at real-world award availability in business class for two lately? I just did and outside of some availability in the next week or so there is zero through the end of schedule. Outside of those close in flights the "best" prices are 175,000 per seat which is no bargain.
Alaska is decent for domestic flights and good if you want to fly Condor to FRA in business but frankly stinks these days at business or first class awards to Asia for two at saver level.
On my continued "AS mileage plan is a dumpster fire" rant...
"You’ll pay 75,000 miles for a Starlux business class itinerary covering a distance of 5,001-7,000 miles"
I don't know how this maps to reality. It's 175k, definitely not 75k from LAX or SFO.
I just flew Starlux last week. 2 tickets at 75k. Granted it was last minute (booked ~1-ish weeks out) but they've been consistently releasing them on a weekly basis so if you are able to make a backup economy award booking it is totally worth it!
I do see one SFO - TPE < 24 hours out. The backup award Econ booking is a good idea but fairly high risk since it’s inconsistent on dates available.
Thanks for that.
For sure an interesting development that there is no EQM when booking off Alaska.com…. Hope that trend doesnt continue