Exciting: STARLUX Airlines launching Singapore-Taipei flights from September

Taiwanese luxury airline startup STARLUX has announced that it will commence service between Singapore and Taipei from 23 September 2021. 

This is a particularly exciting development, given the airline’s premium branding and the fact that Taiwan is a likely candidate for SHN-free travel once Singapore reopens its borders in September. 

What is STARLUX?

STARLUX is headed by Chang Kuo-wei (the former Chairman of EVA Air), and unlike many other airline startups, has decided to go down the full-service route instead of budget. It bills itself as a “detail-oriented luxury airline”, aspiring to be “the Emirates of Taiwan”.

To that end, they’ve adopted a premium approach to everything, from their seats to their uniforms and lounges. Menus are designed by Michelin-starred chef Lam Ming Kin, and they even plan to add First Class once their A350s arrive.

STARLUX launched its first flight in January 2020 between Taipei and Macau (a heck of a time to start an airline), but was forced to suspend operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, it’s resumed operations since, and is currently serving Macau, Osaka, Tokyo and Penang, among other destinations.

The airline currently operates a fleet of five narrowbody Airbus A321neos, with a further eight on order. It plans to add widebodies from Q4 of 2021, starting with eight Airbus A330-900s, and then Airbus A350-900/1000s from 2022 to 2024.

STARLUX’s Singapore to Taipei route

STARLUX will commence three times a week service between Singapore and Taipei on 23 September 2021, with flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (except 25 Sept).

JX732 will operate the flight from Singapore to Taipei, departing at 3.05 p.m and arriving at 8.05 p.m. The return flight will be operated by JX731, departing at 9.20 a.m and arriving at 1.45 p.m.

Fares have already been loaded, with round-trip Economy and Business Class fares on the inaugural flight starting from S$528 and S$2,488 respectively. Unfortunately, STARLUX is currently not part of any airline alliance, so there won’t be opportunities to redeem miles for flights. 

What is the STARLUX experience like?

STARLUX fits 188 passengers onto its A321neo aircraft, with eight in Business Class and 180 in Economy Class. 

The aircraft is meant to be equipped with Wi-Fi (free for all passengers), but STARLUX will not activate the system until 2022. 

Lucky from OMAAT has (of course) reviewed STARLUX already, and the full report is well worth a read.

Business Class

STARLUX is using Collins Aerospace Diamond Seats for its Business Class cabin, with further customization by BMW’s Designworks Studio (if the finishings look familiar, that’s because Singapore Airlines also engaged them for their First Class seats on the B777-300ER).

Seats are configured in a 2-2 layout, and convert into full flat beds measuring 82″. Guests receive in-flight bedding with skin-friendly cotton, and can enjoy movies on a 15.6″ 1080p inflight entertainment screen.

That’s an excellent product to offer on a ~5 hour flight, although Singapore Airlines also has flat beds on the same route with its B787s. 

Economy Class

Economy Class seats on STARLUX are configured in a 3-3 layout, offering 10.1″ 720p IFE screens and adjustable leather headrests.

Lounge

STARLUX calls its VIP lounge in Taipei the “Galactic Lounge”, and it certainly looks the part. It’s open to all Business Class passengers, as well as COSMILE Explorer and Insighter members (see below for how you can get a status match). 

Guests get all the usual lounge amenities, including comfortable seating and a buffet with selected a la carte dining (Haagen-Dazs ice cream too). However, the lounge lacks a bathroom or shower, which is hopefully something they’ll be addressing soon.

STARLUX Status Match

STARLUX is currently running a status match to their COSMILE loyalty club, open to elite members of any other airline frequent flyer program. 

To get your status matched, you’ll need to :

1. Register as a COSMILE member
2. Fill out this form and submit it here, together with a copy of the front and back of your membership card and proof of a flight with that airline within the past 12 months

STARLUX says that the proof of completed flight must be “a detailed record sent from the airline, or from the official website/app of the airline. The flight record must include the departure date and origin/destination; e-tickets, receipts, and other proof of purchase or documents that cannot prove that the flight has actually been taken cannot be accepted.”

I reckon it’s going to be hard to find someone who flew in the past 12 months, but if you happen to fall in that crowd, well…

STARLUX will take up to 30 business days to verify your application, and if approved, your status will be valid for two years. 

The other thing to note is that STARLUX only intends to match the highest and second highest tier of an airline’s frequent flyer program. I’m not quite sure how that will work for KrisFlyer- will Solitaire PPS and PPS Club be seen as the two highest tiers, or can KrisFlyer Elite Gold members also join in the fun? The only way to find out is to try, I suppose. 

Here’s the benefits that COSMILE members can look forward to. 

	Adventurer	Explorer	Insighter
Qualification (12 month period)	30,000 tier miles or 25 sectors	50,000 tier miles or 50 sectors	120,000 tier miles or 100 sectors
Priority Check-in	✔	✔	✔
Priority Baggage	✔	✔	✔
Extra Baggage	10kg	20kg	20kg
STARLUX Lounge		✔ (1 guest)	✔ (2 guests)
Other Airline Lounges		✔	✔ (1 guest)
Priority Boarding		✔	✔
Waived Service Fees			✔

Conclusion

It’s exciting that we’ll soon have another high quality option on the Singapore Taipei route, and from the looks of it, STARLUX could give China Airlines, EVA Air and Singapore Airlines a run for the money. 

While I’d certainly like to review this product, it’s going to be tough as long as they’re not affiliated with any airline alliance. 

Anyone plans to try out STARLUX?