. And seems like an excellent airline. Starlux Airlines business class meal — appetizer. @Andy Taiwan’s small population doesn’t prevent them from being an important hub for international travel. The might nail the launch without issues, but that is nothing special for normal ops. The seats are so narrow at the shoulder that I felt like I was in the center seat of economy class. I just don’t understand why Starlux would choose Penang to be one of its routes at the beginning. The start-up airline has already agreed to lease 10 A321s, and confirmed an order to buy another 17 A350 aircraft. I don’t care to deal with EVA again. Let me give one example — when passengers went to use the bathroom, the flight attendants would come into the cabin and fold the blankets and then place them neatly on the armrest. Great review ! While not competitive, it … Greater Seattle Area Aerospace/Aviation Strategic Business Development, Business Leader, Growth Agent, USA & International Experience Aviation & Aerospace Education Utah State University 1979 — … Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. The selection was quite good, but not amazing. Compare these to American’s 757 business class seats, for example, which on the surface are the same kinds of seats. The problem with this kind of airlines is, for me, that they don’t belong to an alliance. @Andy the CEO of Starlux said in an interview a while back that if HK, a city of 7ish millions, can have like 3-4 airlines (in reality just 2, and one of them is dying), then why can’t Taiwan with its 2x million population have 3 airlines? I hope they prove me wrong. or international mix? EVA is a strong preference for many, now, headed to anywhere in Asia. Thanks for this in-depth review. Air China is a no go for me and there are plenty other really terrible Asian airlines, like Taiwanese FAT who just hat their license revoked. This site is for entertainment purposes only. 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They may also be threatened by the full service competitors in the region such as Singapore airlines as well as the low cost juggernaut of AirAsia. Please check your email to confirm your subscription. One approach to A350 first class: the business/first 'front row' approach, as adopted by Malaysia Airlines. After that I decided to switch to champagne. the chocolate, along with the cappuccino, was from amedei. “How has your experience been so far with Starlux?” My flight was departing from gate B6, about a five minute walk from the lounge. This time around I decided to sit in the first row of business class (row two), which is definitely the better row to sit in. Starlux Airlines business class lunch — dessert, cheese, and cappuccino The meal service was done about 2.5 hours into the flight. To get such flawless, detail oriented, and genuinely enthusiastic service on a brand new airline is a real testament to Starlux’s hiring choices and their training. @Ex- United flyer – No other direct flights from Taiwan and a fair amount of Taiwanese go there on holiday. . @StevenE She confirmed she was pronouncing my last name correctly, and then throughout the entire flight I was addressed by name in a natural way (as was everyone in business class). Both the appetizer and main course were served together. Your email address will not be published. were the FAs Taiwanese? Did you ask them that question ..its seems odd to me .. Keep up the great work! Some startup airlines might opt to lease or pick up cheap secondhand planes to launch with, but Starlux is going all-in with next-generation aircraft. About BenBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector. Can’t convince me to fly them over China Airlines or EVA aside the nonstop convenience. We’ll be serving drinks shortly with the amuse bouche, which is a truffle puff today.”. As was the case on the way out, service was at a leisurely pace, but still very attentive. Thanks for a great review with very nice photos. After the meal I checked out the lavatory at the front of the cabin, which had a flower and some THANN toiletries. Behind that comes business class. Ultimately this isn’t a big issue since they seem to pad the schedule a bit anyway, but in general I think it’s not a good look when an airline sets a boarding time that just isn’t realistic. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Starlux Airlines business class meal — amuse bouche. I then ordered a cappuccino, which was served with a chocolate square. Whoa, from your review, it looks like the service is much more closer to F than J (hard product and F&B aside). Would have loved to see that food. You can even switch between devices. I know Starlux Airlines apparently has a signature scent — I didn’t notice that in the cabin, but the lavatory definitely had a very strong scent, which I imagine is the brand’s signature one. About 90 minutes after takeoff I was served the meal, which I had pre-ordered. The new cabins will be featured on the Starlux … I’ve flown a lot of startup airlines, and it almost always feels like amateur hour. On Starlux Airlines I’d highly recommend sitting in the first row of business class (row two), because the footwells are significantly bigger. That was offered with a side of bread, olive oil, and butter. 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Ben, appreciate that you reviewed this airline airline so early in operation – cant wait to try them as well. An hour to turn an A321 is plenty of time. Starlux Airlines has Wi-Fi on their A321neos. Starlux Airlines business class seats A321neo. At the forward door to the A321neo I was greeted by two fabulous flight attendants, who welcomed me onboard with big smiles, and escorted me to my seat. ︎ Support ME and become a PATRON for exclusive perks! To start I selected the salad over the soup, which was an excellent kale salad with smoked salmon and blue cheese. Full review at the link in bio @thepointsguy Starlux began flying just a few weeks ago with three short … Depart: 9:20AM What was it like to fly with this self-proclaimed “detail-oriented luxury airline?”. A China Airlines 737 bound for Taipei also pushed back a couple of gates over — China Airlines and Starlux operate the same route at very similar times. Starlux Airlines business class cappuccino. I can’t emphasize enough how genuinely friendly and polished the business class team of Grace and Grace were. Business Class Economy Class. Their next destination, to be launched in April, seems to be Cebu, which matches the pattern. I had assigned myself seat 3C, the aisle seat on the left side in the second row. As we waited to push back a SilkAir … Very disappointed with hard (horrendous seats for new aircraft) and soft (marginal food, wine and economy style tray service (not even a tablecloth)). Help us fund therapy sessions for black women and girls, What You Need to Know About Airline Partnerships & Alliances, The Latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates & Policies, The news, resources, & information you need. These planes feature eight business-class seats spread over two rows. Starlux Airlines 722 I do not think Eskimo can appreciate good service, “On Starlux Airlines I’d highly recommend sitting in the first row of business class”, I’d say that’s true for any airline using this type of seat…. It looks like a very enjoyable experience and a very nice review. The door closed around 3:15PM, and economy was mostly full, while seven of the eight business class seats were taken. Duration: 4hr40min Here’s to hoping that they fly to KUL eventually (and hopefully MEL as well once they get their A359/A35Ks, where I’m based). experience. One Mile at a Time is owned by PointsPros, Inc. Better extend your stay there. Aircraft: Airbus A321neo Love your reviews. There are already two world class full service carriers based in Taiwan, EVA air and China Airlines. Anyway, I was intrigued by Starlux’s massive beverage list, and there was one other drink in particular that I wanted to try. Arrive: 2:00PM As we waited to push back a SilkAir A319 pushed back ahead of us. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. The menus look very ambitious (compare with the density of info in Cathay’s menu). Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. So that sepcial menu was pretty good huh? I am eg not flying Emirates as I get nothing out of it. I believe these seats need no introduction, as they are used by many airlines as well. The enthusiasm among the crew was obvious, as I saw the captain photographing the plane as it was pulled into the gate, and the crew taking photos with one another. The atmosphere of STARLUX Business Class is comparatively more settled and tranquil, employing relatively dark and elegant colours to evoke the majesty of the galaxy. Looks like a wonderful flight and airline. In that installment I talked about how I booked, the amazing service, the cabin layout, etc. Starlux Airlines A321neo business class cabin. Can’t wait to fly them – especially once they go long haul. However, prior to JX, only one daily direct flight from PEN-TPE. Starlux Airlines was departing from gate A5, just a short walk away. Again, the service was flawless. Register here to save your space. While first class is a rarity on the Airbus A350, the move is in keeping with Starlux' promise of being a luxury airline and its intention to out-gun rivals China Airlines … Malaysians are food addicted, and love Taiwan for the street food scene (my colleagues regularly go). Starlux Airlines 721 One of the things that first turned heads when Starlux was announced is its business class. Because it wasn’t drawn out in the sense that an empty tray sat at my seat for an hour and I wasn’t offered a drink refill, but rather it was drawn out in the sense that for the first 90 minutes of the flight passengers were still looked after, and constantly offered drink refills. Nice that there is a good option to get to Penang without having to go to KL of SIN. Starlux Airlines A321-neo business class from Taipei to Penang on a 26 day old plane. Hope they start flying trans-Pacific soon: would love to have a new connecting option from US to SEA. At 3:30PM we began our taxi, and at 3:35PM we were cleared for takeoff on runway 4. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. Great review! Literally a couple of minutes after settling in the flawless service began. There were about 65 movies and about 55 different TV shows, though there were multiple episodes of some TV shows not accounted for in that total. I’m looking forward to flying them later this year when I go diving in Cebu. 12 hrs in Penang? What may I get you to drink? (Wish you could have taken a photo of the two Graces.). 30 minutes isn’t enough to deplane everyone, clean and cater the cabin, and change the crew. p.s. However, I struggle to understand their economic rationale. I watched at 8:10AM as the plane was towed into the gate, and around the same time the crew showed up, consisting of six flight attendants and two pilots. And most of the time, they’re on schedule. The reality is that Starlux Airlines doesn’t plan long enough turns in Penang. Lets face it. The truth is that Starlux’s food selection was good, their drink selection was excellent, and the service was exceptional. However if you intend to try their Business Class product, these might interest you:-Complimentary Wifi-Complimentary meal (of course) and pre-flight meal orders.-Checked baggage of 40kg-Complimentary Seat Selection. And sure enough they did. It did not disappoint. It’s us. Anyway, Starlux Airlines intends to fly the A350-900 between Taipei and Los Angeles, and in the filing the airline states that the A350-900 will feature 306 seats. China Airlines already flies PEN direct using a B737 and the loading is very good as per my contact at Tourism Malaysia. Earn 60,000 bonus points | 2X points on travel and dining. Entouka j’ai confiance qu’il ne vont pas ce laisser faire même un peu. Looks unbelievable, definitely intend on flying them at some point. In-flight entertainment (IFE) is provided through seatback touchscreen systems, which are equipped with a USB power port and contain a selection of audio and video on demand (AVOD), as well as a live position mapping system. Starlux Airlines lets you pre-order meals, so I had already done that. At least Absolut. I thought the color scheme was nice, and each seat had a personal television, outlet, pillow, and blanket. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Starlux business class is an incredible value for the money. Generally chicken normandy isn’t my favorite dish, but this was a pretty good version of it, at least. Both of the Graces would come out together — one would bring the glass and place it down, while the other Grace would hold the bottle, present it, and then pour it in front of me. Cute! Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points | Terms Apply. SIA schedules 50 min turns for 777s in Jakarta. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. Starlux Airlines business class lunch — main course. Penang has had service by CI, Danang by BR, Macao by BR plus NX and Cebu by BR plus two LCC …. To me that sounds like a lot of seats, given all that Starlux Airlines intends to offer. That question tells you just about everything you need to know about the quality of this crew. I enjoyed the views on the climb out, as I didn’t have a window seat on the flight into Penang. The pillows were quite thick, while the blankets were cozy and huge. That’s because the first row has significantly larger footwells than the second row. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Excellent review! I’m doing a 1 day trip there in just 12 short hours. “Exceptional. At 9:30AM we began our taxi, and after a very short taxi we were cleared for takeoff at 9:35AM. Starlux Airlines business class lunch — wine. As it turns out, both of them had worked at Emirates before coming to Starlux, and the purser was even at Emirates for a decade… wow! I left the Starlux Airlines Galactic Lounge well ahead of the 8:50AM scheduled boarding time for my 9:20AM flight to Penang. Since all of those were the same on the return flight, I’ll gloss over those points. At around 7:10PM the captain announced we’d be landing at 7:50PM. Depart: 3:00PM Starlux uses Collins Aerospace Diamond seats in business class, with eight seats spread across two rows in a 2-2 configuration. There were also a pair of reasonably high quality noise canceling headphones, with full-on Starlux branding. Longtail has one Michelin star and is a favorite of mine in Taipei. I haven’t flown with them since early 2018, so I don’t know whether they’re still infamous for swapping aircraft without notice) Earn 60,000 bonus points | 2X points on travel and dining. A350-900 MNL-SIN and 787-1000 SIN-DPS. Start-up STARLUX Airlines could be the first new player in 30 years to upend Taiwan's duopoly aviation market. Good review. Is there a reason why they have no row 1 on the plane? This site is for entertainment purposes only. So I, for one, am not in the slightest surprised that EVA punches above their weight with nice loads on their flights. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. I try not to eat pork. Breeze Airways Wants To Pay Pilots How Much?! The most telling part of the interaction was what Grace asked me. Then in the literature pocket were the menu and wine list. I didn’t think it was worth paying what they were charging for B77W F. https://flight-report.com/en/report/47570/starlux-airlines-jx202-macau-mfm-taipei-tpe. I don’t quite see the market for half a dozen airlines. Earn 75,000 Membership Rewards® points | Terms Apply. Duration: 4hr45min I also found out that Penang is their only destination where they don’t turn directly around, so I would be flying back to Taipei with them the next day. Starlux Airlines business class seat tray table. Excellent review ! – Why didn’t I fly MH directly? If Starlux opts for its current business class on the A321neos, it would be able to operate with a 2-2-2 configuration onboard. To kick off the flight I was offered the signature pre-departure drink, which was a cold-pressed guava and pineapple juice with a warm towel. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I think this route should be a success for Starlux. I loved your revealing account of this flight with enticing photos; such as the golden hue of the ‘breadbasket’, The cover design and fonts of the Starlux business class menu and wine list are beautiful – a unified design concept from aircraft livery to these important details, Wow – those playings cards are awesome too – please save them. One of the Graces was in the cabin every couple of minutes to see if anyone wanted anything, and my glass of Bollinger never even got close to empty. Legroom looked about average — not too bad, but not great either. But talk about unfortunate timing for a new airline given the coronavirus issue. The purser noted this was her first ever airline job working on a narrow body plane, and that was quite an adjustment (this was only their second trip ever with Starlux). It’s good to see a new airline providing a quality product and service. NEWS. About 20 minutes after the starter the main course was served, for which I selected the roasted chicken normandy style with apple cider relish and fondant potato. Pity I’m not heading to that part of the world until October. When EVA began they unabashedly proclaimed to local media that, while British Airways asked Landor to design thousands of items during their 80s rebrand… EVA was “clever” enough to only pay Landor to design 27 things (and basically wing the rest). So, Lucky, can you explain their strategy, please? I know JL and NH do that too with their domestic flights. Here’s an anecdote from age 10 or 11, excuse my hazy memory. At 9:20AM the captain made a welcome aboard announcement, and she informed us of our flight time of 4hr31min (which is awfully long for a flight with a 4hr40min block), and anticipated smooth flight. This looks like fun with Starlux in these covid times, https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202008070015, If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. First of all, I complimented them on the amazing service they were providing, and couldn’t help but ask if they had experience in the airline industry, because they were acting like seasoned professionals. As you’d expect, it was a very leisure oriented crowd. While I wasn’t going to actually sleep during this fairly short daytime flight, I figured I should recline the seat and get a picture of it in bed mode. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. However, I just flew Starlux business class a few days ago and, well, Singapore Airlines has got some competition on their hands. It was very good. Amazing service and photos! Starlux Airlines business class entertainment controls. Just got off two SQ flights. We would rather fly the shittiest Asian airline than the best USA based airline. After 9/11 Air Canada smartly targeted Mexico, Central and South America for Europe-bound travellers afraid of US Border Cops, queues and hassles. The menu read as follows (the drink list was the same as on the previous flight, so check out the previous review for all the details of that): To start I had a glass of Bollinger champagne, and was offered the amuse bouche, consisting of chicken breast and smoked salmon. It’s low enough so that most people can look over it, but at least it adds a bit of privacy between seats when you’re trying to sleep. I can’t wait until Starlux Airlines gets A350s and starts operating long haul flights! Starlux clearly wants to try a different approach, and that’s why they excite me. The last time we flew them (777) the hard product was great but the soft (food/wine) was poor. Starlux has Collins Aerospace Diamond seats in business class, which are a common choice for narrow body flat bed business class. I’ve flown a lot of startup airlines in the first few days/weeks of operations, and you always notice it with the service. I quite liked that, since it was soothing/non-offensive background music. Vous dites quoi ? These fully flat seats are similar to what … Starlux Airlines business class pre-departure drink. How pretty is Starlux’s livery? The A321neo will feature 8 Business Class seats an... Taiwanese start-up airline STARLUX Airlines has unveiled its new cabin for its 10 Airbus A321neo aircraft. Are you sure there was not something lost in translation? EK does 75 min turn arounds for a 77W in stations like MAA. Upon arrival in Penang we received this lovely greeting…. To finish off the meal I was offered a fruit and cheese plate, and a nyonya cake. As is the norm for these seats, there was an exposed storage compartment to the back side of the seat, with a headphone jack and power outlet. About an hour into the flight one of the flight attendants apologized that someone would be sitting next to me during the meal — in the second row of the cabin there was a family of four (including a lap infant), so one of the people would be sitting next to me so they’d have a bit more space, which was of course totally fine. Often I complain that meal services take too long, but I only feel that way when: Why didn’t I mind Starlux’s drawn out service? I spent most of the flight working, and before I knew it were were only about 80 minutes from arriving in Taipei. I don’t understand the Bolly being served in a wine glass ? He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile at a Time. Maybe instead of ‘needs’ replace it with ‘deserves’? It seems like they’ve taken the best from EVA but also have had the freedom to shake things up a bit! Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. Where possible I fly ST or *A even when better alternatives in the form of unaligned airlines are available. Can’t wait for them to expand their route network. The airline cooperates with Michelin starred Chef Lam Ming Kin to create their business class menus, which includes both international and Asian cuisines. At around 3:15PM the captain added her welcome onboard, informing us of the flight time of 4hr14min to Taipei. Just five minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off, and about 10 minutes after takeoff purser Grace stopped by to personally introduce herself to each passenger, and she even apologized she wasn’t able to introduce herself during boarding. “he liked Trump because he’s tough on China, and because he’s stupid, and that’s exactly what America needs right now.” Yes, the seats are similar to what you might find on some other airlines (they are based on the same seats in Air China business … He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile at a Time. I came into my Starlux Airlines flight with outrageously high expectations, and they were met. Your email address will not be published. About BenBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector. Taiwan gets it and EVA especially knows what business they’re in. Seat: 3C (Business Class). The seat control functions were on a panel on the center console, and were easy to use. Woohoo go Starlux! People in Taiwan is saying this resembles the story of Hamlet. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a good exterior picture of the plane, because there’s a glass barrier quite a distance from the windows, because that’s where arriving passengers are directed.