STARLUX bringing A350-900 to Singapore from June 2023

In November 2022, STARLUX revealed its highly-anticipated new cabin products for the A350-900, the aircraft that paves the way for long-haul operations. 

The ultra-premium Taiwanese carrier has already deployed the A350 on some regional routes for crew familiarisation ahead of its end-April debut on the Taipei-Los Angeles route, with Macau and Tokyo (Narita) the beneficiaries.

There was no love for Singapore initially, but that’s going to change from June 2023. 

STARLUX bringing A350s to Singapore

STARLUX currently operates an A330-900neo on its daily JX731/732 service between Singapore and Taipei. This boasts a very impressive Business and Economy cabin, but since it’s meant to be a regional aircraft, there’s still a lingering sense that it isn’t the best the airline has to offer.

Review: STARLUX Airlines A330neo Business Class (TPE-SIN)

Review: STARLUX Airlines A330neo Economy Class (SIN-TPE)

However, from 1 June 2023, STARLUX will be replacing the A330-900neo with one of its brand new A350-900s!

The updated aircraft type can already be seen on the STARLUX website, and is currently rostered all the way till the end of the northern winter season in March 2024. 

While the timing is not ideal for those who want to travel from Singapore to Taiwan (since you arrive in Taipei in the evening and leave Taipei early in the morning), it’s slightly better if you plan to connect via Taipei to STARLUX’s North America destinations e.g. Los Angeles. That said, it’s clearly not the fastest way of getting there, since a layover of 4 hours 50 minutes is bound to test even the most patient of travellers. 

What’s also exciting is that STARLUX will be selling its First Class cabin on the Singapore-Taipei route; on previous regional deployments, the First Class section on the A350-900 was blocked and went unsold. 

Here’s an idea of how much fares will cost for a week-long round-trip from Singapore to Taipei in June:

• First Class: S$5,730
• Business Class: S$2,060
• Premium Economy Class: S$781
• Economy Class: S$674

What to expect from STARLUX’s A350s

STARLUX has ordered a total of 18 A350-900s, which will join its existing A330neo and A321neo aircraft giving it an all-Airbus fleet.

STARLUX’s A350-900s carry a total of 306 passengers in a four-class layout:

• 4 First Class
• 26 Business Class
• 36 Premium Economy Class
• 240 Economy Class

First Class

STARLUX’s A350-900s have four First Class suites, configured in a 1-2-1 layout.

However, this is not a separate cabin from Business Class. Instead, mirroring an approach we’ve seen Virgin Atlantic and a few other carriers take, the first row of the Business Class cabin has been replaced by four First Class suites, with no physical partitioning.

Each suite will have a 60-inch (1.5m) tall door and privacy walls, as well as zero-gravity seat settings (first introduced with Emirates on their new B777-300ER First Class). A zero-gravity position removes pressure from the elbows, back and neck, ensuring maximum comfort. 

Passengers will enjoy massive 32-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio connectivity, as well as personal wardrobes and mini-bars.  

We don’t have any details on what the soft product will look like in First Class, so stay tuned for further details on the catering, amenities kits, sleeper suits and bedding. Knowing STARLUX, I expect them to be all top-notch!

Business Class

STARLUX’s A350-900s have 26 Business Class seats, configured in a 1-2-1 layout. Both window and middle seats are angled away from the aisle, providing greater privacy and a better couple’s experience for those in the middle seats. 

Seats will have 48-inch (1.2m) privacy doors, 24-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio connectivity, and a “cosy lamp to provide warmth” (this must be important if they saw fit to specifically highlight it in the press release). There’s also 44-45 inches of seat pitch, zero-gravity settings, and of course full-flat beds.

A close up of the seat shows the high-quality finishes, such as the textured backrest and a stitched orange leather accent on the padded headrest. We can also see a three-point seatbelt. 

In terms of hard product, I’m wondering just how much difference there’ll be between First and Business Class, apart from the bigger screen and taller door. It almost feels like First Class is more Business Plus, where the same basic Business Class product is used but customised differently. 

Premium Economy Class

The A350-900 also sees the debut of STARLUX’s Premium Economy product, with all 36 seats featuring leg rests and footrest bars, as well as 15.6-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio. 

Seats are configured in a 2-4-2 configuration, similar to Singapore Airlines. 

Economy Class

STARLUX’s 240 Economy Class seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration, adding an additional seat over the 2-4-2 configuration of its A330neo.

All seats will have 13.3-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth connectivity. In fact, they’re more or less the same as the ones you’ll find on the A330neo. 

Dimmable windows and a wider cabin

Cabin products aside, STARLUX is the first carrier to introduce dimmable windows on the A350. You may already be familiar with these from your travels on the B787 Dreamliner- an electric current is passed through a gel-like substance to control opacity, allowing for shadeless operation.

Airbus claims these will block 99.999% of light (100X darker than the previous generation), darken twice as fast, and reduce the strain on the cabin’s air conditioning equipment. 

Also noteworthy is the fact that STARLUX is the first to receive a slightly larger A350 cabin, which is 4-inches wider and 35-inches longer than the current generation. It’s good to see that STARLUX has not taken the opportunity to introduce 10-abreast seating, though I imagine the temptation will be too great for some other airlines. 

Conclusion

STARLUX will be introducing its brand new A350-900s on the Singapore-Taipei route from June 2023, and even though there’s no way to redeem it with miles, I can’t be the only one who really wants to give it a try. 

I recently flew STARLUX again (on the A330neo) and was happy to note that they’d rectified many of the issues I highlighted in my November 2022 report; the movie selection has been buffed to more than 120 titles, the Wi-Fi network ran smoothly throughout, and there were no champagne shortages.

That, together with a stellar crew and impressive F&B selection, makes them a highly-recommended choice in my book.

(HT: Nooodles)