Summary
- STARLUX Airlines has launched direct flights to Seattle, providing a world-class offering.
- It lags behind competitors in seat availability but offers extensive US connections thanks to its partnership with Alaska Airlines.
- This agreement with Alaska Airlines is vital for the success of its US operation.
High-end Taiwanese airline STARLUX Airlines has today launched direct flights to Seattle, Alaska Airlines’ hometown airport. This new route was announced earlier this year, as reported by Simple Flying. The connection links the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, to the US city and provides customers with what it describes as a “world-class” offering as well as convenient connections on the Asian end. Of course, Alaska Airlines also offers STARLUX passengers connections to more than 100 cities in the US across its network.
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The new route
The connection was inaugurated on Saturday with an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. According to Flightradar24 data, the Taiwanese airline landed in Seattle for the first time at 16:02 local time. The aircraft that operated the initial service is registered B-58505, a virtually brand-new aircraft that was shipped from Toulouse on March 1 this year.
Three other airlines compete on the same route, notably EVA Air, China Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. EVA Air operates with a mix of Boeing 777-300ER and 787-10 equipment, China Airlines with an A350-900, and Delta Air Lines with the A330-900. Compared to the other airlines, STARLUX Airlines does not offer many seats. In that sense, it lags behind. Take a look at the table below with data from aviation analytics provider Cirium for September 2024.
Its competitors are all well-established as airlines, which gives them a bit of an advantage when looking solely at point-to-point travel, despite the fact that they all only launched the route within the last year (see below).
|
China Airlines |
July 2024 |
|
Delta Air Lines |
July 2024 |
|
EVA Air |
October 2023 |
Photo: danielou_shots | Shutterstock
The all-important Alaska Airlines codeshare
The one thing that significantly differentiates STARLUX is its connection options, thanks to its partnership with Alaska Airlines. The ability to offer Taiwanese passengers the possibility to connect to nearly 100 destinations in the US is undoubtedly an important selling point. Brett Catlin, Vice President of Loyalty, Alliances, and Sales at Alaska Airlines, said:
“STARLUX offers an industry-leading product with great onboard service and access to a range of bucket list destinations across Asia. With STARLUX’s arrival in Seattle, we’ll have 13 of our global partners now serving our hometown hub where we have more daily flights and destinations than any other carrier on the West Coast.”
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Aside from the US feeder network, STARLUX is also wielding its own network in Asia, with more than 20 destinations available. This includes Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand, Clark and Cebu in the Philippines, Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and nine destinations in Japan. STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai said:
“Seattle is not just our latest destination, it’s a pivotal milestone in our U.S. expansion strategy. For the first time, thanks to our esteemed partner Alaska Airlines, we can connect passengers from over 100 U.S. cities via the West Coast to Asia Pacific. We’re thrilled to bridge continents, expand travel options and deliver exceptional service to our customers.”
Photo: Seattle Airport
It is not all that common for an airline to be as involved in the launch of another carrier’s new route to its home base as Alaska Airlines has been. STARLUX’s inaugural flight ceremony in Seattle was attended by Alaska representatives, including Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison.
This no doubt reflects the importance of the new route for both parties, with Alaska benefitting from a more expansive network and STARLUX gaining a competitive edge.