StarLux of Taiwan
New airline in the US with a quirky Star Tours branding bringing luxury travel to Asia.
Higher end travel connecting Asia with the US west coast for details on amenities there are several YouTube videos. My experience was in both their premium economy 14.5 hours Airbus 350 900 LAX to Taipei Airbus and regular economy 5 hours on the Airbus 321 NEO from Taipei to Penang.
The connection hub is Taipei which is okay but by no means as nice as Korea’s Incheon. That said after a 14+ hour flight and facing a 7 hour layover Taipai had the one critical need which is free shower facilities.
As of 2025 StarLux has flights from Seattle, San Diego, SFO and LAX and a new partnership with Alaska Airlines to connect the rest of the country and give you options for earning/spending Alaska miles traveling to Asia. However JAL is also an option and having flown both I’d say they are equivalent in comfort and service. What you chose will depend on cost and destination.
Taipei Taoyuan International Airport
The flight from LAX arrives at 5am in Taipai and after a 14h flight a shower feels awesome. The shower is free with a minimal line. Pack an old towel in your carry on and save a few dollars instead of purchasing a towel at the adjacent lounge counter.
00:00~24:00 Terminal 1-2F(Arrival Area)- 00:00~24:00 Terminal 1-2F(Arrival Area)
- 00:00~24:00 Terminal 1-1F(Arrival Area)
- 00:00~24:00 Terminal 2-1F(Arrival Area)
- 08:00~17:00 Terminal 2-3F(Departure Area)
- 05:00~23:00 Terminal 2-4F(Departure Area)
- 00:00~24:00 Terminal 2-4F(Departure Area)
- 08:00~20:00 Terminal 2-5F(Non-Controlled Area)
- 08:00~20:00 Terminal 2-5F(Non-Controlled Area)
Men’s and women’s showering facilities are available with both hot and cold water, so traveler can wash away the weariness of long journey. The wide, bright spaces have tables, chairs, hooks and mirrors.
Since it is 5am the food situation is not very plentiful but everything opens in a couple hours. It may be the 14+ hours of traveling, but the Set A (boba milktea, beef noodle soup, dumplings) at Shen Heng Chang ???? tasted like the best food I ever had at that moment. This bowl of goodness included cartilage which most Americans do not want to eat. You are missing out, just push it aside and eat the beef.
After 7 hours at Taoyuan my flight for Penang left on schedule and was comfortable even in economy.
The good
- Great food but make sure to take advantage of the order ahead option on their website
- Generous room in premium economy and ample room in regular economy
- Seat pitched back so you sunk into your seat on recline which was a welcome feature
- Excellent onboard service
- Easy boarding process however have your paper ticket out they don’t use phone images
- In premium economy the last 2 window side seats are set back a bit giving a bit of extra privacy
The bad
- Late night flight from LAX (leaves at 11pm)
The ugly
- If Penang is your destination you are looking at a 7h layover
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