Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines is launching service to its third destination in the United States. While the schedule was loaded for this a few weeks back, the flight is now on sale, and there’s even award availability, so act fast.
In this post:
Starlux Airlines will fly from Taipei to Seattle
As of August 16, 2024, Starlux Airlines will start flying between Taipei (TPE) and Seattle (SEA). The flight will operate with the following schedule:
JX32 Taipei to Seattle departing 8:00PM arriving 4:15PM
JX31 Seattle to Taipei departing 2:10AM arriving 5:10AM (+1 day)
The 6,075-mile flight will initially operate 3x weekly. The eastbound flight is blocked at 11hr15min and will operate on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while the westbound flight is blocked at 12hr and will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Starlux uses an Airbus A350-900 for all of its routes to the United States. The airline first started flying to Los Angeles (LAX) as of April 2023, and then started flying to San Francisco (SFO) as of December 2023.
Starlux’s A350-900s feature 306 seats, spread across four cabins, including:
- Four first class seats
- 26 business class seats
- 36 premium economy seats
- 240 economy class seats
Starlux is the only airline in Taiwan to offer first class. A350s feature four first class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. First class suites feature 60-inch doors and privacy partitions, 32-inch 4K screens with bluetooth audio, zero-gravity seat settings, and personal wardrobes for storing luggage.
Starlux A350s feature 26 business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Business class seats feature 48-inch doors and privacy partitions, 24-inch 4K screens with bluetooth audio, and zero-gravity seat settings.
Starlux A350s feature 36 premium economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration. Premium economy seats feature leg rests and footrest bars, and 15.6-inch 4K screens with bluetooth audio.
Starlux A350s feature 240 economy seats, in a 3-3-3 configuration. Economy seats feature 13-inch 4K screens with bluetooth audio.
I’ve reviewed Starlux Airlines’ A350 business class, which is a very good product, among my favorite business class experiences out there.
Starlux Airlines has award availability on this route!
If you have Alaska Mileage Plan miles and want to fly on this route in business class, there’s some good news. I see saver level award availability in the market for business class on virtually every flight.
The catch? There’s one business class award seat per flight, and I don’t see any flights with multiple seats at that price. But if you’d like to experience Starlux business class for just 75,000 miles across the Pacific, this is your chance to do so.
Starlux Airlines faces stiff competition
I’m a huge fan of Starlux Airlines’ commitment to offering a great passenger experience, though I can’t help but wonder how successful Starlux will be. Taiwan is an incredibly competitive aviation market, with two other full service, global airlines — China Airlines and EVA Air.
In Los Angeles, Starlux is competing with China Airlines and EVA Air, while in San Francisco, Starlux is competing with China Airlines, EVA Air, and United Airlines.
Now in Seattle, Starlux is competing with three other airlines in the market:
- EVA Air operates up to 10x weekly flights in the market
- As of June 2024, Delta will operate daily flights in the market
- As of July 2024, China Airlines will operate 5x weekly flights in the market
What’s wild is that up until now, only EVA Air operates between the two cities, while over the course of a couple months, the number of airlines flying in the market will quadruple.
While Starlux has a great product, the airline also has some disadvantages. Starlux’s route network is much smaller than those of competitors, Starlux isn’t part of one of the global alliances (yet), and Starlux also doesn’t have terribly competitive pricing. At least Starlux has a partnership with Alaska Airlines, so the airline should have some connectivity in the Pacific Northwest.
Bottom line
As of August 2024, Starlux Airlines will launch a new route between Taipei and Seattle, operating 3x weekly. This will be Starlux’s third destination in the United States, following service to Los Angeles and San Francisco. I’m happy to see the airline grow, and I’m curious to see how this airline evolves, given the competitive landscape.
What do you make of Starlux Airlines’ plans to launch Seattle service?
Seattle is a huge tech hub comparable to the Bay Area now, with the increase in AI and the need for semiconductor independence there is a HUGE need of talent flow to and from Taiwan. The increase in the weekly flights is pretty justified.
I can’t wait to redeem 265000 points for a one way business award to Asia!
Wait, maybe that isn’t a very good redemption. . .
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but all of the Business class are 175K for Nov 2024, Taipei to Seattle. I need to go to Taipei in Sep or Oct but not at 175K.
I concur with 100K. I could not replicate what the Calendar screenshot shown. I must be doing something wrong as well. All the Starlux J awards on Alaska are 175k.
Actually, for November 2024 J is 250k for TPE-SEA and SEA-TPE.
Other West Coast Business class went from 165k to 175k too.
Could we add one leg MFM->TPE for free?
All 4 airlines will serve the TPE-SEA route, but I expect EVA Air and China Airlines will eventually cut back their frequencies. I can't imagine enough demand to sustain 16x weekly flights between TPE-SEA.
I looked at the fares, CI is undercutting the competition substantially, J fares were consistently $1k less. If anything it'll be BR and DL scaling back from daily service.
They changed their flight number to JX 32/31 because China Airlines is using CI 22/21 on the same route.
Lucky,
I wonder what is your guess for their lounge situation at Sea-Tac!
EVA Air is now using Club at SEA near gate S9 for all their Taipei flights, instead of BA. China Airlines will join soon and I presume that they may be able to persuade DL to keep one of the lounges to close an hour later, plus DL actually has some late redeye flights.
Do you think Starlux Airlines...
Lucky,
I wonder what is your guess for their lounge situation at Sea-Tac!
EVA Air is now using Club at SEA near gate S9 for all their Taipei flights, instead of BA. China Airlines will join soon and I presume that they may be able to persuade DL to keep one of the lounges to close an hour later, plus DL actually has some late redeye flights.
Do you think Starlux Airlines will pay British Airways a good sum of money to use their lounges at late hours? Or do you think Starlux will persuade Alaska to keep one of the lounges to open late for their passengers four times a week?
Since Starlux tends to lean a bit high end, Seattle-Tacoma Airport is a bit weak with lounge offering. Just curious on your thought!
The lounge situation at SEA is bad. SkyClub and Centurion are the only two with passable food options. Alaska has nice coffee and vibes, but nothing of actual substance. Alaska gets away with it because it's a short haul carrier, but if AS wants to turn SEA into a OW connecting hub, OW needs to invest in the space.
The BA lounge is garbage and I can't believe they have the gall to claim it...
The lounge situation at SEA is bad. SkyClub and Centurion are the only two with passable food options. Alaska has nice coffee and vibes, but nothing of actual substance. Alaska gets away with it because it's a short haul carrier, but if AS wants to turn SEA into a OW connecting hub, OW needs to invest in the space.
The BA lounge is garbage and I can't believe they have the gall to claim it has a "First Class" space. SEA is one of the only major hub to lack a premium business class lounge, since AS doesn't need one and DL never had any, only just now starting their premium lounges, albeit in JFK/BOS/LAX.
Once STARLUX gets established in SEA with their partnership with Alaska Airlines the carrier should seriously consider becoming a Member of ONEWORLD, either Full Member or Connect. STARLUX looks like an upscale Carrier and pictures of the cabin are top notch. Joining ONEWORLD would open new opportunities for them with service to DFW (no competition but great feed from AA), possibly PHX or LAS . Taiwan has three quality airlines offering service to the USA...
Once STARLUX gets established in SEA with their partnership with Alaska Airlines the carrier should seriously consider becoming a Member of ONEWORLD, either Full Member or Connect. STARLUX looks like an upscale Carrier and pictures of the cabin are top notch. Joining ONEWORLD would open new opportunities for them with service to DFW (no competition but great feed from AA), possibly PHX or LAS . Taiwan has three quality airlines offering service to the USA which is quite a bit of coverage for a smaller Island Nation.
China Airlines used to have first class but it was discontinued in July 2015:
https://www.seatmaestro.com/airlines-seating-maps/china-airlines/history/
Eva Air used to have first class but it was discontinued in December 2007.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eva-air-infinity-mileagelands/741491-bye-bye-eva-super-first.html
Not sure why bloggers like OMAAT AND TPG keep saying that Starlux is the first Taiwan-based airline to offer first class. Maybe they were too young to remember it or they did not get a chance to try it so it doesn’t count in their...
China Airlines used to have first class but it was discontinued in July 2015:
https://www.seatmaestro.com/airlines-seating-maps/china-airlines/history/
Eva Air used to have first class but it was discontinued in December 2007.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eva-air-infinity-mileagelands/741491-bye-bye-eva-super-first.html
Not sure why bloggers like OMAAT AND TPG keep saying that Starlux is the first Taiwan-based airline to offer first class. Maybe they were too young to remember it or they did not get a chance to try it so it doesn’t count in their opinion?
No, it's just sloppy editing and writing. Sometimes the real answer is the simplest one. I find so many typos and mistakes across these travel blogs all the time. In one article, Ben was talking about American Airlines getting A330neos instead of Malaysian because he probably copy pastes his listicle content.
@ Stanley C -- That's a great point! I should have said "only," and not "first." Fixed.
the ultimate ability to remain in the SEA-TPE market is ability to fill all cabins with decent fares.
Eva and China Airlines have decent hub structures while Delta has a much larger hub in SEA which is far more capable of feeding flights than any airline via an AS codeshare.
Starlux will join 2 other Taiwanese airlines in competing for the same local market while DL will have the advantage in US point of...
the ultimate ability to remain in the SEA-TPE market is ability to fill all cabins with decent fares.
Eva and China Airlines have decent hub structures while Delta has a much larger hub in SEA which is far more capable of feeding flights than any airline via an AS codeshare.
Starlux will join 2 other Taiwanese airlines in competing for the same local market while DL will have the advantage in US point of sale.
Given that DL and China Airlines are both SkyTeam members - but with a currently relatively weak relationship compared to their JVs, Starlux is very likely the weakest link in the market.
By your metric, Eva has the weakest connectivity stateside, with UA only serving hubs from SEA. Starlux has the strongest with AS serving many more destinations than DL from SEA. DL isn't a weak player in SEA for CI connectivity but they're no AS as far as total destinations. We will see how much Eva's incombancy matters for sure. But yes, Starlux is definitely at a disadvantage in Asia for anyone connecting beyond TPE. There...
By your metric, Eva has the weakest connectivity stateside, with UA only serving hubs from SEA. Starlux has the strongest with AS serving many more destinations than DL from SEA. DL isn't a weak player in SEA for CI connectivity but they're no AS as far as total destinations. We will see how much Eva's incombancy matters for sure. But yes, Starlux is definitely at a disadvantage in Asia for anyone connecting beyond TPE. There is a sizable Southeast Asian diaspora in SEA metroplex so it wouldn't surprise me to see all four players survive in some fashion.
Very possible that Starlux is the weakest of the 4. However, by one metric, Delta is the weakest. It has no stomach to fight, not much stake in TPE, so it may be the first to flee. This is particularly true with China Airlines flying the route. Delta could give it up to them.
This is not too slam Delta. For some fights, the better part of valor is to settle.
we can come up w/ any number of logical reasons why one carrier is stronger than the other but it ultimately comes down to who gets the revenue. The Taiwanese carriers all compete for Taiwanese traffic; DL has a different schedule and is much better suited to carry US traffic. DL likely also has a corporate contract or two in hand or wouldn't have started the flight. DL knows that its domestic and international networks...
we can come up w/ any number of logical reasons why one carrier is stronger than the other but it ultimately comes down to who gets the revenue. The Taiwanese carriers all compete for Taiwanese traffic; DL has a different schedule and is much better suited to carry US traffic. DL likely also has a corporate contract or two in hand or wouldn't have started the flight. DL knows that its domestic and international networks exists because of corporate traffic.
If DL sees TPE as strategically necessary - and I suspect they are at the beginning of rebuilding their Asia presence post covid and post NRT hub, they will stick it out unless they see a better way to serve TPE.
The same 3 Taiwanese airlines all compete in LAX and SFO while UA has double daily TPE via SFO. No US carrier flies LAX-TPE. Capacity from SEA to TPE for all carriers is (will be) lower and it comes down to who gets the best and most revenue.
Maybe that is the reason why Starlux actually has a slightly different departure time for the Seattle flight. The flight will depart Taipei at 8pm, instead of 11pm like LAX or SFO flights, and arrive Seattle at 4pm. That will allow connection to Alaska's bank of 6:30pm flight to Texas and Midwest cities, and also the early evening bank of flights to various West Coast cities, as well as Arizona and Colorado. That is a...
Maybe that is the reason why Starlux actually has a slightly different departure time for the Seattle flight. The flight will depart Taipei at 8pm, instead of 11pm like LAX or SFO flights, and arrive Seattle at 4pm. That will allow connection to Alaska's bank of 6:30pm flight to Texas and Midwest cities, and also the early evening bank of flights to various West Coast cities, as well as Arizona and Colorado. That is a smart strategy. The return will be midnight from Seattle, and allow good connection for most Alaska's last bank of flights to Seattle. Hopefully that will allow JX to maximize connection from both Taipei and Seattle. I can imagine passengers flying SGN-TPE-SEA-SAN or HAN-TPE-SEA-DEN or BKK-TPE-SEA-DFW or SIN-TPE-SEA-MCI, and the only SE Asian destinations missing out are CNX, KUL and PEN, which arrives TPE around 10pm.
Anyway I like the 8pm departure time from Taipei and JX will have to offer a full dinner service instead of abbreviated cheap out supper service now. I will be on the inaugural flight doing a BKK-TPE-SEA, and hopefully it will be a good one! I wonder what brand will JX uses for Seattle flights and there are plenty of good Seattle-brand that they can work together with.
Delta's schedule is the only one that allows full on-bank connectivity to all of the US in both directions- at least after they retime the flight for the winter.
An arrival in the US in the late afternoon does not allow connectivity to the eastern US and may not work to the central time zone, depending on the city.
There are TPE-JFK flights on Taiwanese carriers but those don't arrive early enough to...
Delta's schedule is the only one that allows full on-bank connectivity to all of the US in both directions- at least after they retime the flight for the winter.
An arrival in the US in the late afternoon does not allow connectivity to the eastern US and may not work to the central time zone, depending on the city.
There are TPE-JFK flights on Taiwanese carriers but those don't arrive early enough to allow connectivity to many cities.
A late night departure from SEA or the west coast does allow connectivity to the total US - but DL still provides a different time channel than the Taiwanese airlines.
And US airlines in general fly most of their US-East Asia flights with daylight departures while Asian airlines fly a higher percentage of flights so that they arrive first thing in Asia and depart late at night to maximize connectivity in Asia. US carriers have a different focus. If DL builds out more of E. Asia nonstop from the US, as I expect they will do, they will use ICN as their connecting hub and other Asian cities will be focused on the local market which is typically for US carriers with an afternoon or evening departure in Asia and a morning or early afternoon departure other than from Japan (where flights to the US are shorter) and ICN where flights to the US still leave earlier than from places further down the Pacific Rim.
Tim is right in one aspect, which is DL's flight schedule does not actually compete w/ the Taiwanese ones. All 3 CI, BR, and JX are using their late night flight schedules to provide onward connectivity in TPE in both directions.
DL is serving daytime flights. I can't say with confidence they're making the right call, but CI and BR do also have daytime flights out of SFO and LAX, so I don't see why DL can't be successful in this regard.
Four airlines will ultimately serve TPE-SEA. Eventually, most will drop the route.