Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines Plans Flights to Los Angeles From Taipei

- UPDATED: July 19, 2022

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A new airline is set to touch down on U.S. tarmac.

Taiwanese airline Starlux is planning its inaugural flight to the U.S. with its first route set to be from Taipei (TPE) to Los Angeles (LAX) in 2023.

Here’s what we know about the new route, as well as some information on the airline itself.

Starlux Airlines Planning U.S. Arrival

Flights to the U.S. have always been high on the agenda of the Taipei-based airline, with the Department for Transport (DoT) already having granted Starlux permission to operate to the U.S. some time ago.

However, the inaugural flight to Los Angeles (LAX) that had originally been planned for June 2022 was postponed due to setbacks as a direct result of the pandemic.

Now, given the airline’s search on Facebook for LA-based staff, it looks like the airline could be close to the final stages of its preparations to make its first transpacific leap to the U.S.

Who Is Starlux?

You might not even have heard of Starlux yet. This is because, in relative terms, it’s a fledgling airline that was founded just 4 years ago in 2018.

Not only that, but Starlux just operates short-haul flights around Asia from its base in Taipei, Taiwan.

Flights to destinations in Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam are operated by a fleet of all-NEO Airbus Aircraft including 9 A321neos and 2 A330-900neos.

Starlux Airlines route map. Image Credit: Starlux Airlines

The carrier is awaiting delivery of 10 Airbus A350-900 and 8 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft which it is expected to deploy on its long-haul international routes once the first one to Los Angeles (LAX) launches in 2023.

The “lux” in the airline’s name is fitting given Starlux’s gorgeous cabin design.

All of its aircraft feature a business class cabin complete with lie-flat beds — even on its narrow-body A321neo jets.

Starlux A321neo business class cabin. Image Credit: Starlux

It’s expected that the airline’s A350s will also have a first-class cabin.

Hot Tip: Want to fly to Taipei but don’t want to wait for Starlux to launch? Well, there are a ton of ways to get there using points and miles — here are some of our top picks of the best ways to fly to Taiwan with points and miles.