Hello from Taipei, where I’m relaxing after a 14-hour journey from Los Angeles to Taipei onboard a Starlux A350 in business class. My flight was phenomenal and I want to offer my first impressions here, then will offer a full review later on.

Starlux A350 Business Class – My First Impressions

Starlux departs from the Tom Bradley Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. It was a busy day with my family, but I appeared at the counter about 90 minutes before departure and was checked in for my flight and invited to use the oneworld lounge.

Starlux uses the new concourse in Terminal B, which is quite a walk, but thankfully now participates in TSA PreCheck so the security checkpoint took less than two minutes…

Boarding began 45 minutes prior to departure, with a separate boarding door for business class. No one seemed in a rush to board, because I had the cabin to myself for a few seconds…

Starlux uses a reverse herringbone business class seat with a 1-2-1 configuration. The cabin is sleek, with mood lighting and a unique art display on the rear cabin wall.

Not only is the seat spacious, it’s comfortable too…I managed seven hours of sleep, which is very good for me.

Starlux has upgraded its internet onboard, using Viasat. Wi-Fi is complimentary for business class passengers and worked flawlessly for much of the flight. An extensive IFE library offers a large selection of programming, though not quite as much as Singapore Airlines or Emirates. The screens are highly reflective…

I loved that nuts were served with the pre-departure beverage (Starlux partners with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers…)

Dinner was served after takeoff and quite a treat, including a salad to start, then soup, followed by lobster thermidor, which I had pre-ordered (it was not on the regular menu, but Starlux offers additional special pre-order options up to 24 hours in advance of your flight). Everything was good and the lobster thermidor was particularly flavorful.

I had some Japanese white wine with the meal, which I found far too sweet, but my “Sci-Fi Cosmo” cocktail (that blue drink above) was so sweet I could not tolerate more than one sip…my tastes are evolving and I’m just not into overly-sweet cocktails.

Dinner continued with a cheese course, fresh fruit, and ice cream to finish (and may I just say not only was the ice cream delicious, but I love how it was served in a proper bowl, not in a plastic container).

After my sleep, there was still five hours of flight time left and I noticed Mexican food on the menu…oy. Regular readers know I have a weakness for Mexican food (or whatever we Americans call Mexican food) and I just had to try the slow-cooked carnitas and also nachos with salsa and guacamole. Could Starlux pull it off?

Yes, they could…it was even better the lobster thermidor!

I really did not need to eat anything more after that, but a few hours later breakfast was served…a massive breakfast that included an entree-sized salad with protein as a starter, a very unique chorizo, bell pepper quiche, plus cereal, yogurt, fruit, and breakfast breads. The cappuccino was also excellent.

Next year I’ll try EVA again so I can compare the two head-on, but the food and drinks were amazing.

And so was the service…the crew was genuinely kind, extremely attentive, polite, and polished…I was very impressed by how kind everyone was.

Pajamas were offered to each passenger, plus a nice amenity kit. 

14 hours is a long time and while I was ready to get off that plane by the time we reached cold and rainy Taipei, it was a most excellent flight and a great start to my trip.

I’ll have a lot more details and pictures to share in my full trip report, but bottom line: Starlux is great in business class and an excellent transpacific option.

Finally, at 75K Alaska Airlines miles one-way in business class (85K if you add a connecting flight to Southeast Asia), this is a steal…I’ll do a separate post on how I finally scored this award space (it took patience, but then the floodgates opened). This is an award that makes Alaska Atmos Rewards such a valuable loyalty program.