Review: STARLUX Business Class on the A330-900neo
STARLUX A330-900neo Business Class
A+C Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Flight Details
STARLUX, a Taipei based airline, is one of the newest and flashiest to launch in recent years. The founder, Chang Kuo-wei, is the former chairman of EVA Air and the son of EVA’s founder. Needless to say, if STARLUX wants to compete with its “big” brother EVA Air, it has some big shoes to fill. When the chance arose for us to fly STARLUX for the first time, we knew we had to jump on it!
We flew STARLUX from Singapore (SIN) to Taipei (TPE) on JX 732 in February 2023. The flight was scheduled to depart Singapore at 2:45pm and arrive in Taipei at 7:20pm. We flew on an Airbus A330-900neo on this 4 hour and 35 minute flight.
STARLUX A330-900neo, registration B-58301
Ground Experience
Check In
STARLUX operates out of Terminal 1 at SIN. The previous night we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport which is located at Terminal 3, so we took the Skytrain from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 to check in and retrieve our boarding passes.
STARLUX currently uses the row 1 check in counters which is located on the far left side of the terminal. It happens to be the first check in row after exiting the Skytrain from Terminal 3, so if you are coming from that direction make sure to be on the lookout for it. Check in was fast and easy and since we were flying business class, we were also informed that we had access to the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 1 which is just past immigration.
Lounge
STARLUX business class passengers are invited to use the SATS Premier Lounge. It is a contract lounge that several other airlines who operate out of Terminal 1 use. The lounge is open 24 hours a day and also participates in Priority Pass lounge network. It is a decent lounge with a hot food buffet and drinks, but sadly not on the same tier as what you would get flying out of Taipei when visiting the STARLUX Galactic Lounge. Still, it was a decent way to relax before our flight.
Onboard Experience
Cabin
The business class cabin onboard this Airbus A330-900neo featured 28 seats in a 1-2-1 staggered seat configuration.
STARLUX A330-900neo Cabin Configuration, Credit: aerolopa.com
All seats lie flat and have direct aisle access. Since this is a staggered seat configuration, those traveling solo will want to opt for a true window seat (A or K) since those have the most privacy. Couples can opt for the middle seats to be a bit closer together, but keep in mind that someone will be in a more exposed seat given the staggered configuration.
Upon boarding, it was clear that STARLUX was going all out to make the cabin feel premium, sleek, and modern. I was impressed at how clean and luxurious everything felt. On this flight, Adrienne sat in 3A, a true window seat, and I sat in 3D, one of the more exposed middle seats.
STARLUX A330-900neo Business Class Cabin
Seat
The STARLUX business class seat looked super modern, sleek, and elegant. It had incredibly premium feeling features and nice accents throughout. Both of our seats felt spacious, but this particular seat design does not have as much storage as a reverse herringbone design. In terms of privacy, Adrienne’s true window seat was incredibly private while mine felt more exposed since I was right next to the aisle.
In addition to an AC outlet, USB A, and USB C, the seat also features a wireless charging pad!
There were buttons underneath the storage console used to control the seat.
The storage cabinet above the console housed the headphones, a bottle of water, and a mirror.
The tray table lowers from beneath the IFE and was generously sized, making it easy to use a laptop and have a drink on the table at the same time.
Amenities
STARLUX does not offer an amenity kit on this short flight, but a full sized pillow and blanket were available on the seat when we boarded. The pillow and blanket were very plush and super comfortable and the blanket was honestly one of the softest we have experienced on a plane. The noise canceling headphones were provided in the storage cabinet and felt comfortable and had decent noise canceling.
Shortly after boarding we were also offered a pre-departure fruit juice and a hot towel. The juice was delicious and my best guess is that it was the honey tangerine & passion fruit mixed juice from the menu.
Food
STARLUX has both a food and wine menu, which certainly makes the onboard experience feel more premium.
The meal options consisted of a choice between the “Exclusive International” and “Authentic Asian.” STARLUX also has a few signature space-themed cocktails made by the mixologist Huang Yixiang:
Sci-fi Cosmos 2.0
Star Mojito
Red Star Caesar
Bi Luo Chun Galaxy
The wine list was also quite extensive. On this route, the champagne STARLUX serves is Bollinger Special Cuvée.
STARLUX allows all passengers, regardless of cabin class, to pre-order meals before the flight. We ended up not pre-ordering a meal and just ordered from the menu while on the plane. We both decided to try the “Exclusive International” option.
The meal started with an amuse bouche and an aperitif, I opted for the Sci-fi Cosmos 2.0 which has a vivid blue color that is certainly out of this world.
Next up was the Formosa tomato salad with ginger soy dressing and a selection of bread.
For the main course, I had the grilled rosemary chicken thigh with chives potato mash and black truffle gravy.
After the main course, I was too full for any desert and decided to just have a latte.
The meal service concluded with another hot towel, a nice premium touch.
We both greatly enjoyed the meal service and were satisfied with the onboard catering. All of the food was delicious and we loved the presentation as well. Another highlight was that each dish had a pop of color, which is a nice attention to detail that I feel enhances the presentation.
Bed
After the meal service, I was pretty full and was ready to take a nap. The seat is so comfortable, you might just fall asleep without even converting into the lie flat mode.
Needless to say, the seat was comfortable and when converted into a lie flat seat using the seat controls, it was extremely comfortable. There is no mattress pad offered for this short flight, but you will not need it to get in a quick nap when the blanket is so soft and comfortable.
IFE + Wi-Fi
The seat features a 17.3 inch 4K UHD screen. This has to be one of the highest quality IFEs I have ever seen, the colors were so vivid and the display was really crisp. The IFE had a decent selection of content and the high quality display elevated the viewing experience.
STARLUX has a space themed safety video that plays at the start of the flight. However, somehow the incorrect safety video was played initially, so we got to see this quirky space video twice!
STARLUX offers free Wi-Fi for business class passengers for the entire flight. It is a nice change of pace to see an airline not try to nickel and dime its premium passengers.
Service
We found the crew to be very attentive and friendly. We felt very taken care of and we could tell they all took pride in working for STARLUX. They were encouraging us to try out different things from the menu and would ask us later how we were enjoying it. I really appreciated this level of service and dedication from the crew.
Booking
We had booked this flight back in October 2022 and it was a cash booking. A round trip cash ticket between SIN and TPE on STARLUX will typically cost around $2,000 SGD to $1,500 USD.
When we flew STARLUX, they had not partnered with any others airlines and were only operating within Asia. A few months later in April 2023, they launched their inaugural flight from Taipei to Los Angeles flying the A350-900. They also announced a new partnership with Alaska Airlines where you can earn Alaska Airlines miles flying STARLUX. Alaska Airlines has stated that mileage redemptions will also be coming in the summer of 2023, so be on the lookout for that.
Update: As of July 26, 2023, redeeming flights on STARLUX using Alaska Airlines miles is now possible!
Conclusion
STARLUX is a phenomenal new airline and we walked way throughly impressed by them. We believe they are truly worth the hype they are receiving. The food and service were top notch and their plane interior was lovely and luxurious. It was clear that they have a great attention to detail that you can feel in all aspects of the airline. There were a few hiccups such as playing the wrong safety video, but given they are a new airline we are certain those will be resolved over time.
We will definitely fly STARLUX again and cannot wait for them to announce direct flights to Seattle so that we can experience their long-haul service onboard the A350-900!
A+C Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars