LOS ANGELES — A new airline flew into Los Angeles International Airport this week. The luxury Taiwanese carrier Starlux completed its inaugural long-haul flight from Taipei to LA on Wednesday, with airline chairman K.W. Chang personally flying the plane.
“Our Los Angeles destination marks the achievement of our goal for a trans-Pacific network,” Starlux chief executive Glenn Chai said.
The new flight route between Taipei and LA is the airline’s first destination outside Asia as it seeks to expand into North America, Europe and islands in the South and East Pacific Ocean. Headquartered in Taipei, the airline first began offering service in 2020 and has since expanded to 16 destinations in Asia, including Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore and Manila, with the philosophy that luxury should not be the exclusive domain of the elite but readily available to everyone.
The LA-Taipei flights are on an Airbus A350 aircraft that includes four first class seats, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. First and business class travelers have a private space with a sliding door and seats that not only fold flat but have a Zero G mode to help with relaxation. Premium economy seats have so much extra legroom that they come with a leg rest and a footrest bar. Designed to soothe the senses, the cabin is trimmed in earth tones and dripping in high tech. Each seat has its own 4K screen.
All travelers receive an amenity kit for their flights, which varies by cabin. Business class travelers are given toiletries from the Thai brand Thann, including hand lotion, facial mist and an eau de toilette, as well as noise-canceling headphones, eye masks and plush blankets, while economy class passengers get stereo headphones and playing cards.
Starlux has partnered with Taiwanese restaurants for its in-flight meal service with dishes that can be pre-ordered online. Business class passenger meals are provided by the Michelin-starred Taipei restaurant, Longtail.
Round-trip fares for a Starlux flight from Los Angeles to Taipei in early May cost about $1,200 for economy, $1,400 for premium economy, $2,600 for business class and $9,600 for first class.
Starlux is currently flying out of LAX for Taipei on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and out of Taipei Airport to LA on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The airline expects to begin daily service in June.
“We have a special connection between Taipei and Los Angeles,” Los Angeles world airports chief executive Justin Erbacci said Wednesday at an event celebrating the airline’s LA milestone. “We have the most Taiwanese citizens here in the United States. Whether the passengers are visiting family or going on business or just taking a vacation, Starlux is going to help bring our two cities together.”
Earlier this month, the airline announced a partnership with the LA Dodgers baseball franchise, adding to a partnership it had already established with the LA Clippers to transport both teams’ Taiwanese fanbase. From June through the end of baseball season in October, the airline will feature Dodgers-themed meals and amenities like playing cards. From November through June, the airline will do the same for the LA Clippers.
Starlux announced Wednesday that it has also partnered with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines to give loyalty program members on both carriers points on each other’s flights. Eventually, the partnership will also allow customers to book connecting flights with the two airlines on a single ticket. The partnership will help Starlux travelers from Asia connect with Alaska Airlines’ 100-plus U.S. destinations and help Alaska’s customers more seamlessly travel to the destinations in Asia that Starlux serves.
“What we like to do is have creative, unique ways for our folks to be able to travel the world, and Starlux is our latest and greatest idea on that,” Alaska Airlines senior vice president Nat Pieper said. “I’ve been doing airline partnerships for most of my 25-year career in the industry, and I’ve never seen an airline so quickly reach these levels of elegance, the level of detail that Starlux has.”