STARLUX Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | My initial flight to Seattle had a weather delay so I barely made the connection. The pilot announced he was delaying our departure 30 minutes for transfer baggage and I heard bags getting loaded. Unfortunately, my bags got next to the plane but were never loaded. Upon landing in Taipei, I informed the staff that my bags were never loaded; they said I was wrong and to wait for my next flight to talk to a supervisor. Tried for 4 hours to get ahold of customer service. The staff at the gate for my flight from TPE / OKA, said my bags would be in Okinawa and if they were not, then to file a delayed baggage claim there. Arrived in Okinawa; took an hour to get the claim filed through Japan airlines as they're contracted for starlux. Complete radio silence on where bags were and when they'd arrive. Bags took another 72 hours to arrive after being assured that I'd have them within 48. Got them just in time to turn around and go home. On the return flight, they could not tag my bags through to my final destination stating that they're not responsible for transfers with partner airlines.

✅ Trip Verified |   After much fanfare and glowing reviews surrounding this relatively new transpacific airline operating out of Taipei, I decided that I had to give it a try to see if it lived up to its hype. The booking experience was straightforward and smooth, when online check in opened I managed to select a seat at no extra cost, and successfully managed to download the mobile boarding pass into my digital wallet. So we were off to a good start. The A330neo is a great choice for regional and short to mid-haul flights, its 2-4-2 configuration in economy making the cabin intimate and cosy with fewer passengers stuck in window seats. Another good start was when boarding proceeded smoothly and we took off on time. Legroom was comfortable without being too generous, with Google putting it at 79cm, the long-haul industry average but nothing spectacular. The cabin appeared to be spanking clean and in tip-top condition, with its comforting shade of brown appeasing to the eyes. Both USB-A and USB-C charging ports were offered, and the seat even included a pillow for this short hop cross the Taiwan Strait. Unfortunately, dining options seemed to have fallen short, with the food rather bland and not as appetising. A small packet of juice was offered, but no choices were given and neither was plain drinking water. Another pet peeve is that in this day and age, somehow Starlux does not have their IFE system connected to their PA system, hence the IFE system was not allowed to be used during takeoff and landing. It’s the first time I’ve experienced something like this on an aircraft that has an IFE system, which by the way was pretty comprehensive. The crew were all very professional and courteous, and consistently checked on passengers during the short flight. As a bonus, we landed 12 minutes ahead of schedule, thanks to the speedy boarding and takeoff process. All in all still a very attractive option in this competitive market, though it falls short in an few areas and certainly has room for improvement.

✅ Trip Verified | Very poor customer service at the counter, especially the main ‘manager’, at the airport. She manipulated our seating while appearing to rearrange our seating so that our children (under 12) could seat with an adult/parent. It is against US Transportation Laws not to do so. At the end, we were still separated and had to go through extra security screenings. STARLUX claimed that we could arrange our own seating on our own 24 hours before departure, but their website is poorly designed and wouldn't allow us to do so.

✅ Trip Verified |   NRT to TPE with JX801 on 2 AUG and back with JX804 on 6 AUG, in Business Class for both legs. I had always wanted to take a Starlux flight. Before boarding at NRT, I spent time in JAL Sakura lounge, as Starlux doesn’t have its own. The inflight meal on the flight bound for TPE didn’t satisfy my appetite. Concretely speaking, a grilled pork shoulder in sauce was tasteless. I regretted not having preordered it. Also champagne was served not so cold. For my part, I am not so interested in inflight entertainment. On my return from Taipei, prior to boarding, I entered the Galactic lounge at Taoyuan airport T1. What surprised most was that they offered an a la carte menu, on which I found an appetizing salmon steak and ordered it. How tasty! The dish served on the flight, one similar to beef steak, was totally different from the previous one. It was superb. The generous flow of chilled BOLLINGER champagne delighted me well. Meticulous services offered by a Japanese flight attendant are worthy of a special mention. Though this was a short haul, or a 3-hour-and-10-minute flight, I could not help wishing it would be much longer! Both flights were punctual.

✅ Trip Verified | Singapore to Taipei Taoyuan proceeding to San Francisco, all on their Airbus A350-900. Check-in in Singapore was breezy and easy, and the staff replaced my self-printed boarding pass with a Snoopy-themed one. Security took 30 seconds, and boarding commenced without delay. I was welcomed in a friendly way by the crew, and once I was onboard, the BMW Designworks-crafted cabin gave me a very nice first impression. The wonderful mood lighting system, and the electronic window dimmer, combined with a very comfortable air conditioning system, made the cabin perfectly comfortable, clean, and well-maintained. The same can be said for the Recaro CL3710 seats I was sitting in. We didn't move immediately as suddenly there was a medical emergency onboard; but thanks to the very fast-moving yet calm crew and helpful passengers, the delay only lasted 1 hour, relatively short for its nature considering the passenger and bag needed to be taken off the plane. Once we took off, the service began, and the fried noodle that I had was absolutely delicious, with the exception of the slightly overcooked meat. The IFE, which was filled with Snoopy decorations, was also responsive. Despite being tired after the medical emergency, the cabin crews still put their best calm, collected, friendly, and attentive behavior forward, which was something not easy. Landing was around 50 minutes late, but that didn't matter for me as I had 4 hours of connecting time (originally 5), which I wisely used by relaxing at the Plaza Premium Lounge. The flight to SFO was much longer, but the same wonderful cabin, awesome seats, and glorious IFE system remained. I was surprised to see a Japanese crew member doing this flight, and I had a nice conversation with him. The crews of this flight were also equally friendly, nice, awesome, and courteous; but since the crews of my previous flight endured tougher situations, I must say that the crews of my SIN-TPE flight had the extra positives over the crews of my TPE-SFO flight. The service on my TPE-SFO flight, however, was endless. The crews offered unlimited drinks, snacks, and light meals. I was served 2 meals; both were nicely presented, however, the first one, the pork BBQ, was delicious. The second one, the congee, tasted better compared to the previous congee I had on my SFO-TPE flight, but it still tasted bland. That being said, Starlux provided a bag of salt and pepper for us to manually adjust. The Wi-Fi on both of my flights worked well and I was able to text my family and friends without too much of an issue; although, stability-wise, the Wi-Fi onboard my SIN-TPE flight was more stable. That, however, was a given, since my TPE-SFO flight mainly passed through the ocean. The landing was slightly late, and I disembarked after a slight confusion between me, the crews, and the Starlux ground/security staff at SFO. My bags came up very fast, and the entire process from disembarking to checking in for my next American Airlines flight took only 45-60-ish minutes, and that could have been faster since I needed to wait for some travel parties. I had a hard time picking which Starlux flight of mine was the best because both flights were equally wonderful. Starlux showed resilience under tough situations, and they taught me lots of life lessons. They made every dollar I spent for this flight worth it. If they keep surprising me like this, I can obviously choose them on all of my flights, because the trust has been strengthened!

✅ Trip Verified | This airline is relatively new and it is evident that they are inexperienced with customer service. Booked a return flight with a “Full” Economy ticket which had a 65sgd cancellation fee and they charged me 200sgd. They claimed that because I booked the going flight as a different package for economy class that they would take the higher fee. False advertising and false display of pricing. You can’t put one price for each individual flight and not put a disclaimer that it wouldn’t matter which package you chose. Whether it is Limited, Saving, Basic or Full you will always pay the higher price. I had 1PC luggage on the going flight and I paid a lower fee. I had 2PC luggage on my return flight and had a higher fee. By this logic they should apply the refund to the flights individually just as they have for the luggage. You cannot charge a fee and tell someone that the least favorable outcome for the customer will be applied. Disappointing customer service and user interface.

✅ Trip Verified | This is an excellent new airline, everything was perfect, from the check-in, to boarding, on-board experience (meals, video entertainment) the flight and baggage retrieval. All the staff were friendly and very helpful. Will definitely choose this airline again. At Chiang Mai the airline uses the Thai Airways lounge.

✅ Trip Verified | This was my first ever solo international trip on a new airline, and I must say, I came with the mindset that they would be inferior to the Japanese carriers that I always trusted. However, Starlux quickly proved me wrong and made me feel guilty for having such a narrow-minded mindset. Check-in in San Francisco took less than 2 minutes, and so did TSA PreCheck. Boarding was orderly and not chaotic, and once I stepped inside the plane, I was welcomed by a friendly cabin crew. The cabin, designed by BMW Designworks, was absolutely glamorous, luxurious, and clean. My seat, 38K, was absolutely comfortable with plenty of features and items waiting to be used in this 12.5-hour flight. Blankets, pillows, headphones, and even a bag of amenity kits were provided. The IFE screen was the size of my 13.3' laptop, which was something to marvel at. Starlux really took into account the fact that every person has their own favorite way to access and scroll through contents, which was why they programmed the IFE to let users decide how the contents will be laid out. The contents were plenty, and the system itself was very responsive. The crews were absolutely fantastic, to the point that I must say they were too kind (in a good way) because they went as far as giving me a bag of souvenirs for free and a thank you card. If there was anything that was worth calling out on this flight, it was the food. The dinner I had, the roasted chicken with potatoes with chili sauce, was a bit too spicy for my liking but was still delicious, and the fish congee I had for breakfast was absolutely tasteless and it killed my appetite. I, however, appreciate the continuous service of beverages, rice crackers, and light snacks every 30 to 60 minutes. Landing in Taiwan was 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and I was immediately sent to the next flight without any nonsense. The flight to Singapore, again, operated by an A350 with the same glamorous, bodacious, and comfortable cabin, IFE, and seats, also had the same kind, nice, energetic, and compassionate cabin crews who again went as far as giving me extra drink and souvenirs, but the thing that made this flight slightly better than the previous was the fact that the "deconstructed beef bibimbap"-style food that I had was absolutely divine. Wi-Fi on both flights was functional, but it did take a while for me to connect, although, after further investigation, it was an error on my phone's behalf. Landing in Singapore was slightly behind schedule, but the fast baggage delivery made things much easier. When I purchased this ticket, Starlux gave me the third cheapest option, and for the price I paid, they surpassed my expectations and surprised me. With the exception of the food that I got during my SFO-TPE leg, I enjoyed every single moment of my first two flights on Starlux Airlines, and these two flights were the first two flights where I actually felt like I did not want to leave the plane and wanted to stay longer inside it. Starlux was that good, and everyone who had never tried it should try it ASAP. You will not regret spending a thousand dollars on this airline.

✅ Trip Verified | This was my first flight with Starlux and was most impressed. Check-in was quick and easy. The plane is new, quiet, spacious and spotlessly clean, featuring a large screen with many entertainment choices. The flight left a few minutes late from Terminal One, which was recently renovated and quite comfortable. The onboard service was caring and professional. My two "oriental veg" meals were somewhat bland but were generous and well-prepared.

✅ Trip Verified |We spent extra money to purchase select seating. Nowhere does it show in the email confirmation your assigned seating so you have no proof. By the time you realize it it is too late. Prompting customers for more money through upgrades without delivering it, and giving no proof in the confirmation. Either that or please fix the bug in your system!