Starlux A350 Business Class Review Flight Details

Starlux flights became bookable with Alaska miles at the end of July 2023. My partner and I booked the LAX-TPE route in business class under the initial promotional pricing Starlux offered of 60k points plus fees. Unfortunately, demand was very high at launch, and most introductory rates disappeared within a few days.

Starlux now costs 165k miles for business class on the LAX-TPE route, more than double the introductory rate. While availability is extensive at this rate, redeeming your Alaska miles for Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines is much cheaper if you can find availability. I hope Starlux will introduce some introductory prices when the SFO route launches, but only time will tell.

Starlux is available for award bookings in its economy, premium economy, and business class cabins. Starlux does have a first-class cabin on their flagship A350 aircraft that flies between LAX and TPE, but it is not available for award bookings. The first class experience on Starlux looks fantastic, and I hope to try it someday if I ever win the lottery 😝

Starlux Airlines Preflight Briefing

As of the time of posting, you cannot manage your Starlux reservation online if you booked using Alaska Airlines miles. This means that you must contact Starlux to select your seat. Likewise, I found that my middle name did not carry over to my reservation even though my middle name is on my Alaska Airlines account.

You can reach Starlux via the live chat function on its website, available from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM Taipei time. In the US, you can contact Starlux at +1-833-971-0012 for support Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Los Angeles Time (Pacific Time Zone). Either option will enable you to select seats and add a middle name to your reseveration.

While Starlux has an online feature to pre-order an inflight meal option, this is yet to be available to those booking with Alaska Airlines miles (even if you contact them).

Overall, I was glad to be able to redeem my Alaska miles on Starlux despite these issues. However, I imagine Starlux’s contact center is bogged down with these manual requests. I’m surprised this partnership launched without the ability to self-service your reservation.

Starlux Review: A350 Seat Selection and Best Seats

Starlux’s A350 has four first-class seats (in row 1) and 24 business-class seats between rows 2 and 8. These premium seats are all located between the first and second doorways to the cabin. My partner and I selected seats 4D and 4G, which are center-facing seats with direct aisle access.

When selecting seats, I would avoid rows 7 & 8 due to the proximity to the rear lavatory. When using the restroom, I felt like I was shining light directly into seat 8D each time. The lavatory near seat 1A seemed reserved for first class (despite first going out empty), and the flight attendant did not mention it was available to me when introducing where the lavatories were.

Also note the aisle seats in rows 3 and 7 have partially obstructed views, so they are not the best seats if you want to look outside. Ideally, I’d pick seats in rows 4, 5, and 6

Starlux Airlines Online and Ground Check-In

While reservations made through Alaska Airlines cannot be managed on the Starlux site, you can check in online. You will be issued a mobile boarding pass as pictured below and can skip the check-in counter entirely if you’d like at LAX (assuming you have no bags to check).

My partner and I arrived at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal before our 12:50 AM departure. Starlux was located in section B along the right-hand side, across from the Qantas check-in counter.

Check-In kiosks were also available at the start of section B if you wanted to print a boarding pass, add bags to your reservation, etc. I love Starlux’s space/galaxy-themed branding, which was immediately present from the check-in screen (see the excitement on my face in the reflection!).

We found a queue in the economy/premium economy class lanes and no wait in the business and first-class lanes. No one flew out in the first-class cabin on my flight. While we hoped to be first to check in for business class, we ended up being second in line as we got distracted taking pictures of the check area. 😅

Starlux Dodgers Branded Items

The friendly check-in agent quickly issued our boarding passes/lounge invitations and provided us with LA Dodgers passport holders. While I’m not a big baseball fan, I appreciate this branded partnership which makes for a more memorable experience and caters to the local market. The back of the boarding pass also had LA Dodgers branding. This is the first of many branded items we would encounter throughout our Starlux journey.

As I would find out on our connecting Starlux flight to Macau, Starlux also provides Spiderman-themed items on flights from TPE. I wonder if this is partly influenced by Starlux’s direct competitor EVA, which offers Hello Kitty-themed items on certain flights. Fingers crossed, I’ll get to fly on EVA’s Hello Kitty flight to Chicago soon as a point of comparison.

With our boarding passes in hand, we noticed we did not have a TSA pre-check indicator. Starlux is currently working to enable pre-check, but it wasn’t available during our flight. Luckily, the security lane was short, and we were through in minutes.

Starlux Business Class Lounge Access LAX (Los Angeles)

Business Class passengers receive lounge invitations to the Qantas Business/One World Business Class lounge at LAX. The lounge is located one floor above the main terminal and just past security. The check-in counter staff warmly greeted us and provided access after showing our lounge invitations.

While the Qantas Business Class lounge is not as exciting as its First Class counterpart or the United Polaris Lounge at LAX, it’s still a decent place to kill time before your flight. The lounge was quite busy given the number of One World Departures in the evening, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

My partner and I enjoyed some of the self-serve tacos, alcoholic drinks, and desserts available at the buffet. The lounge also offers barista-made coffee at the bar, so make sure to get an americano, cappuccino, etc., there instead of the self-service machines also present in the lounge.

A noodle bar was also available at the buffet later in the evening, but my partner and I weren’t impressed by the offering to waste more stomach space before our inflight meal 😀

Starlux Review LAX- One World Business/Qantas Business Lounge

The lounge offers shower facilities, which you may want to take advantage of before your Starlux flight, given the 12:50 AM departure. If you are transferring through TPE to another Starlux flight, know that the Starlux Galactic Lounge in TPE does not have shower facilities.

The lounge provides a device that lights up and rings when it’s your turn to shower. My partner and I waited less than 15 minutes.

Starlux Business Class Gate and Boarding

Our flight was departing from Gate 225, which is in the recently constructed Tom Bradley midfield concourse. It is quite a walk from the One World Business Lounge and requires passing through the underground walkway, so I’d leave at least 20 minutes before the boarding time if you’d like to be among the first to board. Our check-in agent warned us of this, so you should also be notified if your flight departs from one of the midfield concourse gates.

Given the long walk, I enjoyed plane spotting along the way, including a Korean Air 747-8.

I was looking forward to seeing the Starlux livery for the first time in person, but to my dismay, our A350 was not visible from Gate 225.

I did manage to get a slight glimpse of the tail from a nearby gate. After we landed in Taipei, I was able to get a better view of the A350 so I’ve included that below as well 👍.

When we finally arrived at the gate, I couldn’t wait to experience Starlux onboard. Gate staff approached passengers in the area to help pre-check passports to make the boarding process more efficient.

The gate staff announced boarding would begin with first class, followed by business class. However, no one was in first class, so I’m not sure if they told it just to make everyone aware there is a first-class or what, haha.

Oddly, just before the boarding process, my partner and I were called up by name to the counter. However, when we arrived at the counter, we were told no one had called us up. We waited for most of the business class to board first to ensure everything was ok.

Ultimately, we boarded the flight without issue 😅

Starlux Business Class Seat Review

Upon entering the second doorway to the cabin, the flight crew immediately escorted us to our seats, and I was blown away. While the seat felt familiar to other business class products I’ve flown with doors, the overall cabin was much more stunning. I felt like I was boarding a futuristic spacecraft with earthy and rose gold branding panels.

The cabin certainly stood out to me compared to most of the competition, with Emirates being another that has a distinctive look. I found that the ever-growing flower image at the back of the business class cabin continuously caught my eye during the flight.

Throughout the boarding process, I enjoyed listening to Starlux’s boarding music and still am days after the flight. You can find the one-hour version below 🎶

Below are some additional of cabin images I captured for those interested 👍

Notably, overhead storage is only available above the aisle seats, with no storage bins above the center seats. This is an intelligent design choice as it gives the cabin a much more open and less claustrophobic feel.

The overall overhead contains a light for each passenger but no air nozzles. I wish Starlux had included air nozzles to allow me to regulate my preferred temperature, as I often find cabins to be too hot or cold.

The aisle seats feature dimmable windows similar to what you may be used to on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. While I didn’t get to try them in flight, you can see the window controls in the distance below.

The flight crew noticed that my partner and I were traveling together (they likely did not know this beforehand since we were on separate reservations) and immediately offered to adjust the privacy screen present between our seats. I appreciated the promptness with which they offered this.

Still, I wish the screen could be fully lowered rather than just providing partial visibility, as you’ll see in the picture. You’ll also notice the lamp next to each seat which has adjustable brightness.

The seat offers three primary storage areas: the compartment adjacent to the armrest, a compartment across from the back seat, and an open cubby near your legs. This should be ample storage for most passengers to store cell phones, tablets, chargers, passports, wallets, etc.

The compartment across from the back seat contains a vanity mirror

Underneath the entertainment screen is a dining table you can pull out and unfold. This can also be used to work on a laptop/tablet in flight. If desired, you can leave the table partially folded to leave yourself more seat room.

Next to the seat, you’ll find a touchscreen panel with controls such as seat position, seat lighting, and do not disturb. Of particular note is Starlux’s zero-g or zero gravity position, which Starlux included to help relieve pressure. My partner and I were fans of the position as it felt like you were being cradled, and you felt less of the seat against you.

There is also a set of hard-surfaced buttons to quickly move the seat from fully upright to lie flat and turn the seat lighting on/off and the arm rest nearest to the door is adjustable up and down.

Beyond storage and controls, all Starlux business class seats have doors. While not everyone is a fan of doors, I appreciate them as they add a sense of privacy and block out some of the noise from the cabin. While I haven’t taken official measurements, Starlux’s doors did not appear as high to me as Qatar’s Qsuites, but they are about the same size as what you’ll find on Delta and Air France. I prefer taller doors, but these are certainly better than no doors to me.

Starlux Business Class Review Entertainment and Ports

Each seat has a beautiful 4K touchscreen display. I loved the starry night background reflected on the home screen. While I do not watch many movies in flight, the entertainment system appeared well cataloged with recent and popular releases that will look great in 4K.

I found the entertainment system intuitive and easy to use. It supports picture in picture mode meaning you could watch a move while browsing the rest of the entertainment options. Find a gallery from the entertainment system below.

Beyond traditional entertainment – flight tracking, inflight menus, and duty-free shopping catalogs were also available on screen. Please also see the remote below that you can use to control the entertain system.

For headphones, a pair of Starlux branded noises canceling ones are located in the storage compartment next to the seat. The headphones were of decent quality but not as good as the Bose noise-canceling headphones you can find on Cathay and American. That said, the entertainment system supports Bluetooth pairing, so it’s easy to use your AirPods or another preferred set of headphones you brought with you.

Within the same storage compartment, you’ll find the remote for the inflight entertainment system, USB-C port, USB-A port, and a universal outlet port. I appreciate the versatility here as it makes charging any of your devices easy regardless of which cord you may have brought from home.

In addition to outlet charging, there is also a wireless charging pad (battery icon in the storage compartment). Again, I appreciate the charging flexibility here; however, I wonder why this pad is inside a storage compartment that requires you to turn around to see it. On my recent Air France flight with wireless charging, the pad was located outside of any storage area. This makes it easy for me to use my device and set it back on the charging pad without opening anything or turning around. Not a big deal by any means, but perhaps someone can let me know in the comments if I’m missing something in terms of the design choice.

Starlux Business Class Review – Amenities

Waiting at each seat was a pillow and easily my favorite blanket I’ve ever had during a flight. It was extremely comfortable and soft. I wish I could’ve taken it home!

We also found a pair of slippers in a black Starlux branded bag at our seats. I found the slippers less durable and comfortable than United’s offering in Polaris. Still, I always appreciate receiving these as only a few airlines offer them in business class, and they certainly make the flight more comfortable.

Starlux Business Class Amenity Kit Brics

Finally, we received Brics branded amenity kits that looked like suitcases. The kit was well stocked with a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, facial products, socks, earplugs, and an eye mask.

Shortly after exploring the seat and amenities, the flight attendant working my aisle and the purser introduced themselves and provided a refreshing welcome drink and a warm towel. I was asked how I be could addressed throughout the flight, which they acted on. It’s always a nice touch when cabin crew provides this type of personalization.

After introductions, she explained how to use my seat’s features and asked for my preferred pajama size. It’s great when pajamas are offered, making sleeping and lounging much more comfortable. The pajamas were branded with the Starlux logo on the back. I would’ve preferred a black or gray color, but I can appreciate it matching the Starlux brand.

Starlux First Class Seats

While I wasn’t flying first class, I did want to mention that the first class cabin is visible from business class as there is no dividing wall. However, the first class seats have higher walls that tower above the rest. While the seat is similar overall, you can expect first class to offer even more personalized service, higher-end meal options such as caviar, and access to the private terminal at LAX.

Since there were no first class passengers on my flight, I’m curious if one of the cabin crew members would otherwise be devoted to just the first class passengers, which could diminish some of the service levels experienced in business class.

Starlux Business Class Meal Preorder and Selection

After glancing at the first class seats, my meal order was taken. The crew made recommendations on what they liked best on the menu and what wine pairing would go best with my selection. It’s great when the crew knows the menu; too often in the US, the cabin crew isn’t provided sufficient information on what they are serving passengers. The menu was beautifully presented, and I enjoyed looking at the details of each wine onboard.

As noted above, meal pre-orders are unavailable for Alaska bookings. If you made a revenue booking, Starlux provides images of what the food will look like online (pictured below). The pre-order images are accurate based on my inflight experience, and it’s great that you can understand what your food will look like before the flight. The pre-order food images and inflight menu are as follows:

I selected the sea bass, a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and an apple pecan tart, while my partner chose the tenderloin and the sago. Breakfast orders were also taken at this time, with our selections being the frittata and the Taiwanese congee. I couldn’t wait to see the quality of the food but was optimistic based on the pre-order pictures I found online.

One strength of Qatar Airways over Starlux is that they offer dine-on-demand, meaning you can eat whenever you want. For example, some customers may prefer to sleep immediately and wake up to eat later. On Starlux from LAX-TPE in business class, you’ll expect to be served a meal just after departure and then again about 90 minutes before arrival. While I don’t suspect this is a big deal for most passengers, Qatar’s added flexibility is nice.

Starlux Airlines Taxi and Safety Video

Shortly after meal orders, the fasten seat belt sign came on, and we began our taxi to runway 25R. Business class went out about 65% full.

After our plane stopped on the taxiway for quite a while, the pilots surprisingly announced that air traffic control had lost power and we’d be waiting for it to return. The delay was only about 20 minutes and, fortunately, wouldn’t cause us to miss our connecting flight to Macau.

Also, during this time, the safety video played. While staying true to its space theme, I found the video funny and highly entertaining. I looked forward to watching it again on my connecting Starlux flight 🤣

Starlux Business Class Meal Review

Shortly after takeoff the meal service began. Being addressed by name, I was served the starter. The salad and shrimp tasted fresh, and the dressing was flavorful.

I love when an airlines branding is reflected in the dining experience. You’ll notice the Starlux logo on the Champagne glasses and silverware as well as the gold color of the bread plate. I especially liked the unique design of the rock-shaped salt and pepper shakers.

Following the starter, the Cappuccino Mushroom soup was delivered. The soup was wholesome, and enjoyed the frothy and creamy texture.

Next up was the sea bass with fried noodles and vegetables. I was impressed by how moist and fresh everything tasted. The dressing on the fish was excellent. This was a restaurant quality dish being served inflight.

To wrap up, I enjoyed every bite of the apple tart cake and fruit followed by an iced americano. I typically drink coffee after a meal and its nice to find an airline that offers iced espresso drinks instead of just the hot options. Finally, I was offered a Dodgers branded cleaning wipe.

My partner had the tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and sago for dessert. While there was some flavor, it was overcooked and the quality was just ok. We both agreed that we preferred the sea bass. Steak can be hit or miss on planes and some airlines will ask how you want it prepared but not in this case.

Overall, I was impressed by what I had, and it ranks among the better business class meals I’ve eaten. The service was flawless as I was constantly addressed by name, provided with refills, and my plate never sat more than a minute after finishing. The crew asked how I was enjoying each course, and you could tell the crew genuinely cared about your experience.

After the meal service, my duty-free order pre-order was delivered. The avgeek 🛫 in me could not resist ordering some Starlux branded items that I’ll be covering in a separate post. I liked the reusable Starlux bag that the order came in.

Starlux A350 Business Class Review – Lavatory and Bedding

The flight attendant in my aisle asked if she could provide turn-down service, which I accepted. Not all airlines offer a mattress pad in business class, and it really makes the difference between feeling like you are sleeping on a seat versus something closer to a bed. While my bed was set up, I checked out the lavatory at the back of the business class cabin. There are two lavatories at the back of the business class cabin given the one at the front appeared to be reserved first class. While my flight wasn’t full, I can imagine a queue may form when more business class passengers are onboard.

I loved the look of the bathroom and the attention to detail that included accents on the panels, mirror lighting, and natural plants. Soothing music is played inside the lavatory, where you’ll find mouthwash, washcloths, and moisturizing products. You’ll even find that Starlux branded its toilet paper 🫨! (Please see gallery below)

Coming back to my seat, I found my bed made. I liked that my seat was kept in the upright position, meaning I could still lounge as desired and then fall asleep when ready. Usually, the cabin crew just immediately put the seat in the lie-flat position.

The mattress bed was comfortable, and I found the footwell to be of adequate size while resting. I managed to sleep for a solid 6.5 hours. My partner slept through to the breakfast service. We both typically have trouble sleeping on airplanes, so kudos to Starlux for some of the best sleep we’ve had in business class.

I wish Starlux had added the overhead stars that airlines such as Emirates display. While minor, it seemed like a missed opportunity, given how well they had branded everything else on the flight.

Starlux A350 Business Class Review – Snacks and Cocktails

Upon waking up, I decided to order something to drink and eat. I ordered the Sci-fi Cosmos 2.0 cocktail and the Star Mojito cocktail. Each cocktail was beautifully presented, and I love the creativity in naming. Both came with a LA Dodgers stirring stick.

The Cosmos was my favorite, but both were quite good. It’s such a nice touch that Starlux has four cocktails you can choose from, and I wish more airlines offered signature drinks like this. I could tell the crew was enthusiastic about serving them, and they encouraged me to take pictures.

To eat, I ordered the Char Siew Prawn Wonton Noodle soup. It was delicious and my favorite item on the flight, so definitely try it! 😋

Starlux Business Class WiFi Review

After my snack, I tried out the inflight WiFi. Starlux offers free inflight WiFi for first and business class passengers. Free messaging is available to passengers of all cabins. Paid WiFi is available to economy passengers, but the pricing isn’t very attractive, as shown below. I prefer an unlimited option where users don’t worry about blowing through data caps.

Speeds were respectable, as shown from my speed test below.

One hiccup I did run into when using the WiFi was device switching. I began using WiFi on my iPhone to start the flight and later attempted to switch to my Macbook. I kept getting an error saying I already had an active WiFi session despite disconnecting the session from my iPhone and switching the WiFi connection off.

I requested assistance from a flight attendant, and I appreciate her trying to get it to work on my Macbook multiple times. Despite her best efforts, we could not successfully switch the connection to my Macbook, and she was unsure if device switching was even supported. I’ve run into this issue on other airlines, and often the cabin crew will give me an additional complimentary pass to connect to another device.

This may be a technical issue for Starlux to sort out, or at the very least, I’d appreciate an indication of some sort alerting me that only one device is supported. I’d always prefer to use my laptop if only one device is allowed.

Starlux Business Class Review Breakfast

About 90 minutes out of TPE, breakfast was served. Breakfast is never the most exciting meal while flying, but I found Starlux’s above average. The service began with a refreshing guava and pineapple juice followed by a healthy salad starter with salmon and oranges.

My main selection was a creamy seafood frittata, which was not dry nor bland like most airplane eggs. To wrap up breakfast, I had an americano.

My partner had the Taiwanese Congee, and it tasted like comfort food resembling what she’s cooked at home.

Starlux Final Approach

As we began our descent into Taipei, the cabin crew came around to thank each passenger. The flight attendant working my aisle was very interested in what I thought of the flight, and I was happy to share.

We were also presented with some candies. The blue ones were our favorite and reminded us of mentos. We also received some LA Dodgers playing cards. By the end of the flight, we had collected several Dodgers-branded items and pictured them all below.

We bid the crew farewell, and all too soon, our Starlux A350 business class flight came to an end.

Starlux A350 Business Class Review – Pilot Debrief

Coming into this flight, I felt Qatar Airways and ANA had the best business class hard products (Qsuites and The Room, respectively). From a service and dining standpoint, my favorites include EVA, Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.

With that said, Starlux blew me away, given this airline launched just three years ago, and LAX-TPE is its first long-haul route. The cabin crew was well-polished, and the service is already up there with the best I’ve experienced. At times the service felt closer to first class than business. While I’ve had some better business class entrees on other flights, this was a strong offering which included a selection of cocktails and iced espresso drinks that you won’t find elsewhere. Likewise, I found the bedding among the best I’ve slept on.

I prefer some aspects found with Qsuites from Qatar Airways, including the dine-on-demand option, the larger door, and the ability to remove the privacy shield between passengers traveling together. Qatar also has a much more extensive fleet with Q suites available, so you are much more likely to be able to fly it to travel to your destination over Starlux. Additionally, Qatar provides a much stronger lounge offering in Doha than Starlux’s Galactic Lounge in Taipei, which I will cover in a future review. Hopefully, some of this gap can close as Starlux grows its route network and lounge offering over time.

If I could hypothetically fly Starlux’s A350 business class or Qatar’s Qsuites conveniently to my final destination, I would choose Starlux as I value the service experience above all else, even if the hard product and lounge offerings are not as good. While I’ve never found Qatar to have lousy service, it’s certainly not up to the degree of what I experienced on Starlux.

Compared to EVA, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, I would pick Starlux for the better seat. I will have to re-evaluate Turkish Airlines now that they offer enclosed business class seats that I haven’t yet flown.

I hope you found this Starlux Business Class Review informative. Let me know what you think of Starlux and whether you agree or disagree with my review in the comments below!

Other Starlux Review Posts:

1. Starlux A321 Business Class Review (TPE-MFM)
2. Starlux Airlines Galactic Lounge Review – Taipei (TPE)
3. Starlux Airlines Duty Free (BeShopping) and Flagship Store