I boarded my first-ever flight on Starlux, a longhaul journey from Los Angeles to Taipei on an A350-900 in business class, with high expectations. Even so, they were exceeded: my flight was superb in nearly every way, with small touches that really made a big difference in terms of quality.
Starlux A350-900 Business Class Review (LAX-TPE)
As a reminder, I paid 85,000 Alaska Airlines miles and 37 USD for a one-way Starlux journey from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a stopover in Taipei, with both flights in business class.
Starlux departs from the Tom Bradley Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. It was a busy day with my family, but I appeared at the counter about 90 minutes before departure and was checked in for my flight and invited to use the oneworld lounge.
Starlux uses the new concourse in Terminal B, which is quite a walk, but thankfully now participates in TSA PreCheck so the security checkpoint took less than two minutes…
Boarding began 45 minutes prior to departure, with a separate boarding door for business class. No one seemed in a rush to board, because I had the cabin to myself for a few seconds…
Starlux 001
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)
Sunday, October 26
Depart: 11:50 PM
Arrive: 5:30 AM+2
Duration: 14hr, 40min
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Distance: 6,799 miles
Seat: 4K (Business Class)
Stepping onboard, a group of flight attendants welcomed me, with one escorting me through the galley and to my seat.
Seat
Starlux uses a reverse herringbone business class seat with a 1-2-1 configuration. The cabin is sleek, with mood lighting and a unique art display on the rear cabin wall.
The cabin features 26 Collins Aerospace Elements suites with a custom design by BMW Designworks. Each seat has a privacy door (48.5 inches high). Seats are 21 inches wide, pitch is 44 inches, and each seats convert into a fully lie-flat bed (6 foot, 7 inches long).
In terms of power, each suite has a 110-volt universal A/C outlet as well as a USB-A and USB-C port. Additionally, there is wireless charging (which worked…I find those systems tend to be very finicky).
The suite has plenty of personal storage including a pair of cabinets on the side console and more storage under the console.
Seat controls were via touchscreen and included a massage function:
Rather than physical shades, the windows are dimmable, but in a much cooler way than the buttons the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Simply slide your finger back and forth to set the desired opacity. That said, it was dark my entire flight…
There are no personal air vents, though thankfully the cabin never got too warm during my journey.
Not only was the seat spacious, it was comfortable too…I managed seven hours of sleep, which is very good for me. Doors close giving partial privacy. Flight attendants will prepare your bed on request by placing a mattress cover over your seat. Bedding included a plush blanket and pillow.
I loved the details in the cabin, like the lamps in each suite and the backlit artwork on the rear cabin wall.
The cabin went out only half full.
First Class Seat
As an aside, the first row of the cabin is designated as first class. While there is a curtain to bulkhead to separate the cabin, these seats are wider, have more legroom, and the screen is 32 inches (versus 24 inches in business class).
First class was empty on my flight.
Food + Drink
You will not go hungry on Starlux…
Pre-Departure
I loved that nuts were served with the pre-departure beverage (Starlux partners with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers…). I chose a refreshing berry juice.
Dinner
Dinner was served after takeoff and quite a treat; a multi-course meal that was efficiency served and delicious. In addition to menus on the screen, Starlux offers printed menus, with a separate menu for wine and food + other drinks (including cocktails, soft drinks, tea, and coffee).
Dinner began with a salad with duck (smoked duck, grilled artichoke, truffle potato salad, balsamic pearl). Served on a tray with silverware, and a gold bread bowl (a choice of warm bread was offered, including delicious olive bread).
I loved the French butter and oil and vinegar for the bread:
I had tried some Taiwanes white wine with the meal, which I found far too sweet, but the “Sci-Fi Cosmo” cocktail I had to start was so sweet I could not tolerate more than one sip…I’m just not into overly-sweet cocktails any longer.
Next came a delicious soup: roasted butternut squash cream soup with apple compote.
For my main course, I chose lobster Thermidor, which I had pre-ordered (it was not on the regular menu, but Starlux offers additional special pre-order options up to 24 hours in advance of your flight). Confession: it was my first ever trying lobster Thermidor and I loved it. So rich and delicious.
Dinner continued with a decadent cheese course (Bijou, Fromager d’Affinois, Manchego, Fourme d’Ambert, and cave-aged Gruyère served with toasted nuts, dried fruits, and apple cranberry chutney).
Finally, the meal service concluded with fresh fruit (strawberry, cantaloupe, watermelon, pineapple, grapes), and ice cream to finish (chocolate and vanilla). The ice cream was not only delicious, but I love how it was served in a proper bowl, not in a plastic container like many carriers do in business class.
Everything was excellent: no complaints about the food.
Mid-Flight Snack
After my sleep, there was still five hours of flight time left and I noticed Mexican food on the menu. Regular readers know I have a weakness for Mexican food (or whatever we Americans call Mexican food) and I just had to try the slow-cooked carnitas and also nachos with salsa and guacamole. Could Starlux pull it off? Oh yes…even better than the lobster Thermidor and one of the best airline snacks I have had in many, many years.
What a treat! And great iced coffee with it.
Pre-Arrival Breakfast
I really did not need to eat anything more after that, but a few hours later breakfast was served…a massive breakfast that included an entree-sized salad with chicken as a starter, a unique chorizo + bell pepper quiche, plus cereal, yogurt, fruit, and breakfast breads. The cappuccino was also excellent…see what I mean about not going hungry on Starlux?
The food was a highlight on this flight, though the mid-flight snack stole my heart.
Service
I have nothing but praise of the flight attendants on this flight. The crew was genuinely kind, extremely attentive, polite, and polished…I was very impressed by how friendly everyone was. Also, they got the little touches right like clearing away dishes promptly, keeping drinks refilled, and responding promptly to the flight attendant call button (I pressed it after I woke up from my rest to order the snack).
Furthermore, I really appreciated that the meal after takeoff was served at the perfect tempo: not drawn out unnecessarily, but also not just plopped down in front of you so the flight attendants could disappear for 12 hours.
Amenities
Amenities on this flight included an amenity kit, face mask, slippers, and pajamas.
I found the pajamas very comfortable…so much so that I took them with me and am wearing them at home.
The amenity kit included skincare products from Three, a high-end Japanese brand, plus a dental kit, earplugs, eye mask, socks, and comb/brush.
Plus, a much-appreciated facial mask from Oneluxe!
IFE + Wi-Fi
Starlux has upgraded its internet onboard, using Viasat. Wi-Fi is complimentary for business class passengers and worked flawlessly for much of the flight.
A safety video was screened prior to takeoff:
An extensive IFE library offers a large selection of programming, including movies, music, games, and TV shows.
High-quality (Starlux branded) noise-cancelling headphones were provisioned, which worked well. If you prefer your own headphones, wireless connectivity is available.
The screens are highly reflective…
Lavatories
Starlux offers one lavatory in the front of the aircraft and three behind business class. The pictures below were just before landing…you can see the lavatory remained immaculate. Even the toilet paper was folded!
CONCLUSION
14 hours is a long time and while I was ready to get off that plane by the time we reached cold and rainy Taipei, it was a most excellent flight and a great start to my trip. If it wasn’t clear above, Starlux greatly impressed me. The service, food, drinks, and seat onboard were all excellent. So excellent, in fact, that I would go out of my way to fly Starlux again.
Matthew, thanks for this. Will keep my eye out for availability! One nit: you say “very unique chorizo”. No such thing. Unique doesn’t take modifiers, it is binary: either unique or not.
Yes, it’s one of my pet peeves, along with “passed away”.
@Josh: I accept that correction and updated my post!
Thanks and this is a great review. For what it is worth, one thing I always look for in a business class (or first class) seat review is the size and measurements of the lie flat seat. I find the measurements the airlines and ‘seat guru’ provide are often off a bit or leave out some detail that affects how it is used. I’m 6’4″ and that inch or two that is often lost (sometimes due to a cushion or narrowing of the end of the seat) makes all the difference.
The amenities looked great including the PJ’s. How much more would the first class seats have been? And what was the difference in service etc???
First Class seats come at a huge uncharge…like $4K+
I just don’t see the value there. JX has a very odd approach to first class…
“not just plopped down in front of you so the flight attendants could disappear for 12 hours.” Could you specify the airline with this standard of service?
UA and AA, from my personal experience.
DL too.
It’s STARLUX, not Starlux.
DEAL WITH IT.
This quality of service is the product of real competition. How do you beat EVA & China Airlines? By trying very hard to be even better. How do you beat AA? Well… It’s not difficult.
Well yum. The cultured butter is delicious and healthier. ( it works on a sandwich instead of mayo ) Duck is another favorite. It may have fat , but being low in HDL it’s similar to olive oil. I won’t say a word about the lobster Thermidor. It sounds like you had a great flight!
Just another great product from Taiwan. You can expect nothing less than a solid product coming from this impressive island nation and culture.
Well said. Taiwan is a great country. Hoping STARLUX will join EVA and China Airlines in flying to the East Coast of US as well.
Hopefully starlux Joins oneworld!
Will Cathay Pacific allow it?
Hopefully Starlux doing well will convince EVA to upgrade their own seats and IFE.
Matt, how would you rate STARLUX vs SQ?
Starlux J is better than SQ J.
High praise indeed. You have my attention.
That said, it’s sort of like comparing two fine wines…both are excellent.
Indeed – appreciate the feedback. I am sitting on a ton of AS miles, so need to put them to good use.