Hello from Taipei, where I’m relaxing after a 14-hour journey from Los Angeles to Taipei onboard a Starlux A350 in business class. My flight was phenomenal and I want to offer my first impressions here, then will offer a full review later on.
Starlux A350 Business Class – My First Impressions
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 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.
Not only is the seat spacious, it’s comfortable too…I managed seven hours of sleep, which is very good for me.
Starlux has upgraded its internet onboard, using Viasat. Wi-Fi is complimentary for business class passengers and worked flawlessly for much of the flight. An extensive IFE library offers a large selection of programming, though not quite as much as Singapore Airlines or Emirates. The screens are highly reflective…
I loved that nuts were served with the pre-departure beverage (Starlux partners with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers…)
Dinner was served after takeoff and quite a treat, including a salad to start, then soup, followed by 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). Everything was good and the lobster thermidor was particularly flavorful.
I had some Japanese white wine with the meal, which I found far too sweet, but my “Sci-Fi Cosmo” cocktail (that blue drink above) was so sweet I could not tolerate more than one sip…my tastes are evolving and I’m just not into overly-sweet cocktails.
Dinner continued with a cheese course, fresh fruit, and ice cream to finish (and may I just say not only was the ice cream delicious, but I love how it was served in a proper bowl, not in a plastic container).
After my sleep, there was still five hours of flight time left and I noticed Mexican food on the menu…oy. 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?
Yes, they could…it was even better the lobster thermidor!
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 protein as a starter, a very unique chorizo, bell pepper quiche, plus cereal, yogurt, fruit, and breakfast breads. The cappuccino was also excellent.
Next year I’ll try EVA again so I can compare the two head-on, but the food and drinks were amazing.
And so was the service…the crew was genuinely kind, extremely attentive, polite, and polished…I was very impressed by how kind everyone was.
Pajamas were offered to each passenger, plus a nice amenity kit.
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.
I’ll have a lot more details and pictures to share in my full trip report, but bottom line: Starlux is great in business class and an excellent transpacific option.
Finally, at 75K Alaska Airlines miles one-way in business class (85K if you add a connecting flight to Southeast Asia), this is a steal…I’ll do a separate post on how I finally scored this award space (it took patience, but then the floodgates opened). This is an award that makes Alaska Atmos Rewards such a valuable loyalty program.
I was going to ask how this compared to EVA, which is still the standard bearer in J IMO. Curious to see what you think when you fly them again next year.
Matthew,
Flying on them in two weeks…my daughter and I in PE, my wife in J…all on Alaska miles. What’s your thoughts on them opening up the J upgrade opportunities on Atmos by next week?
Also, how was the immigration procedures? We have 4 hours to connect from TPE to TSA to fly on to GMP.
I did a same-day connection transiting the other direction from TSA to TPE not long ago. Inbound immigration at TPE/outbound at TSA is pretty simple. It does involve a double connection via transit, though – Airport MRT to Taipei Main, then Blue and Brown lines to TSA. Nevertheless, I stepped off the plane at TSA at 3:25, took a break for a bit at Taipei Main to get a bubble tea, went to in-town check-in to check my bag, switched MRTs halfway to the airport because the first one was too crowded, and still made it to the lounge at TPE by 7:30. I’d think you’d be fine as long as your inbound isn’t delayed significantly.
It’s great to see you and your husband traveling together so much again. Enjoy the trip!
Do you know something I don’t?
A double win. Great flight experience and bookable with Alaska miles. Can’t wait to fly Starlux in 2 months. Yes, 75K miles one way business class is outstanding. One could have purchased Alaska miles last month (with 110% bonus) which would be roughly $1400 paid for your one way business class. Comparing with EVA and China Airlines will be interesting. Although at the 75k mile price point why bother with EVA or China Airlines
Rita is just saying that you love yourself very much (as you should)! 🙂
From the pictures, it looks like the Lobster Thermidor was a step above SQ?
From the pictures, it looks like the Lobster Thermidor is a step up from SQ?
Hopefully that sh#thole gets liberated by China while you are there. After all, communism is in fashion these days to “save” cities and countries.
Never change, Dave. Never change.
STFU Aaron
Ohook, it’s Dave’s bitchboi, right on schedule.
Great report and very useful. I flew on EVA Royal Laurel last year on a business trip but not Starlux yet. That was my first trip to the Republic of China (Taiwan). I found it to be, in my opinion, among the top 10 countries in the world. I hope it doesn’t get invaded.
“I have a weakness for TACO BELL…”
FTFY 🙂
I readily admit I love Taco Bell too.
Lobster thermidor with a carnitas and salsa chaser? Genuine Matthew reporting. ; )
This looks a step up from EVA, better hard product and food.
A memorable journey aboard one of STARLUX’s ten A350-900 jetliners (average age of 1.7 years)… Well done STARLUX!
I had a couple of lovely flights on Starlux. On my last one I met one of the FAs on Grindr after the flight and we had a wild night in a hotel together.
Also, I look forward to the EVA comparison, but perhaps after they upgrade the J cabin to their most recent seat (which is now available from DFW)—anticipating the introduction of a new J-class offering from Turkish and EVA from LAX next year, maybe UA too??? Star Alliance may have the most exciting lineup of new J offerings in 2026 from LAX (almost forget about the possibility of LH and Swiss).
The food looks really wonderful. Impressed.
After flying a roundtrip to Europe on EVA Air, I can tell you that Starlux is much better in every aspects, except check in counters are not opened all day like EVA Air.
I actually was pleasantly surprised to see some improvements on their supper service. When I flew them in the summer on the same route, there was no mixed nuts that went with the pre-takeoff beverage. Supper service also saw some improvement and I was glad that cheese was offered now during the supper service, instead of a mid-flight refreshment option. Back then, the F/As could not serve me the cheese course until after the supper service was completed because the mid-flight snacks were located elsewhere in the galley.
I am glad that you had a good Starlux flight. While EVA Air is still better than most US and European carriers, even some Asian carriers, Starlux is just much better. After flying seven segments with them in the past month, flight attendants on EVA Air are nice but it was nothing compared to the personable Starlux F/As. I hope Starlux can keep it up when it continues to expand!
I just was on this flight a little over a week ago. Unlike most of the other J class passengers, I elected sleep over the meal. Besides the very comfy PJs, the memory foam mattress was impressive, which probably had a lot to do with my better than average, (for me), sleep. Normally I sleep fitfully, no matter what aircraft, airline or class of service. Service was quite good. The only way I was able to finally book this flight was by assiduously checking J availability with AS. In the time I was looking for close in seats at 75K, I would generally see at least one seat anywhere from 2-8 days out, but never any further out than 8 days. Worth the wait though!
A year ago when I took Starlux the Wifi was abysmal.. from your review it seems much improved. That may help me book them in the future!
Will you start including when the flight/hotel/lounge occurred and how it was booked? I know you post an ‘introduction’, which is great. But then I have to go back to see…is this a current trip or a trip months ago.
Great posts!
Starlux is in the same league as Qatar onboard. The lounges in TPE are pitiful.