As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better way to hop around Asia than in Starlux Airlines A321neo business class. As you’re about to see, the experience both in the air and on the ground is something that is causing all the other airlines in this region to squirm.
Starlux Airlines A321 side view illustration by Norebbo.comOur route from Taipei to Penang today as JX721
My full review of Starlux Airlines A321neo business class from Taipei to Penang
If you haven’t watch the video yet, no worries! Below you’ll find the entire transcript of it (organized with pictures). As a matter fact, there are a few more nuggets of information in this section that I didn’t include in the video. See? It pays to read SANspotter trip reports!
Arrival at the airport
This was a really big day for me. As you could imagine, I was up bright and early before the alarm went off so that I could prepare for this Starlux business class experience down to Penang Malaysia.
The shuttle bus ride felt incredibly slow – even though there wasn’t any traffic and the driver was going the speed limit. Isn’t it funny how things move like molasses when you’re super excited about something?
Here we go! I’m here In Taipei this morning to catch Starlux airlines flight number 721 to Penang Malaysia. #wootSpoiler alert: this ended up being the most depressing airline review I’ve ever done. Why? Well……today is February 28th, 2020 and thanks to the Coronavirus, Starlux isn’t doing so well.They’re down to just one daily flight now, and who really knows how long they can keep that going.It’s kind of empty in here this morning. See what I mean about this being depressing?
The Starlux Galactic Lounge at TPE
As usual, I didn’t read any reviews about the Starlux Airlines business class experience before doing it for myself. Therefore, I was really surprised to see how small and compact the Starlux Galactic Lounge was here at TPE. The food was fine, and the staff was extremely helpful. However, it definitely felt tight and it would’ve been a lot worse if there were more people packed in there with me.
I’m flying business class today, which means that I get access to the cozy (but well-stocked) Galactic Lounge.There’s a fairly decent spread of food in here, but what fun is that when you know that all the employees know that they are on the brink of unemployment?I’m surprised they all weren’t hanging out near the alcohol.The food in here wasn’t amazing or anything……and it was probably the smallest airline lounge I’ve ever been in, but……the Galactic Lounge is really nice. Damn you Coronavirus!
The boarding process for flight number 823 down to Penang
I thought that it might be a good idea to leave the lounge early to head down to the gate. I wanted to be sure to get really good pictures of that beautiful new Starlux A321 sitting outside, and I didn’t want to be distracted by other passengers.
It turns out that my concerns were completely over blown. The gate area was empty, and it became obvious right away that this was going to be a very empty flight today.
Gate A8 is where the magic is happening this morning, and I was getting really excited about this as I was preparing to walk through that door.*crickets*Shouldn’t there be, like, people here? Uh oh. This really isn’t looking good for Starlux.The star of the show today. With just about as many people outside as there is inside.As I was walked around getting pics for my trip report, I couldn’t help but to think that I was going to have an entire A321 to myself today.It’s a weird feeling being extremely excited and sad at the same time.Unfortunately for me, more people showed up just before they initiated the boarding process, and I wouldn’t have an entire crew waiting on me hand and foot on the way down to Penang.Fortunately for Starlux, more people showed up.
Starlux Airlines A321neo business class first impressions
Okay. What you’re about to see is nowhere near as fancy as what you saw in my Starlux A350-900 business class review. As a reminder, their A321neo’s feature a regional business class product (as opposed to a full international business class product found on their widebody aircraft). As expected, everything was tidy and clean, and the cabin crew was beyond professional. I felt right at home.
Dang it. This was supposed to be a fun and informative review of an exciting new startup airline that had the potential to be huge. Instead, it’s turning into a weepy documentary of an airline on the brink of extinction. I hate when that happens.A quick look at the economy cabin before sitting down.Starlux Airlines business class seats. Fluffy pillows and blankets too? I’m liking what I see so far!Although…what do you suppose happens to this all this stuff when an airline goes out of business? I know I should be rooting for their survival, but I’m calling dibs on these seats.Watch out JetBlue Mint – looks like you’ve got some competition in the “neon green pre departure drink” category.As I sat here in the worst man-pose possible sipping it all up, I couldn’t help but to think that Starlux is the clear winner.Can I call dibs on these noise canceling headphones with Starlux logo as well? These are cool!Oh, and back to review footage for a sec: here are the power and audio ports, located just above my left shoulder.Another spoiler alert: the food here in Starlux business class is (was?) incredible.Of course I had no idea as I was sitting here looking at the menu for the first time, but…it was probably the best thing about the entire Starlux experience.Another thing I really like about Starlux is their branding. This is one of the nicest looking safety cards I’ve ever seen!The whole “galactic” vibe is fun and unique. Why do all the good airlines have to die?
You know what this world needs? A comprehensive Starlux review in the way that only Trips with Rory could do it.I’m just glad I beat him to it, since I was able to call first dibs on the seats. I’m greedy like that.
As much as I hate to think that Starlux Airlines days are numbered, it was hard not to feel like I was having a really good time so far.
And, just for the record, I wasn’t the only one having a good time today.Every single Starlux employee I had encountered up until this point had been extremely happy and helpful.Maybe they’re all excited about the prospect of being unemployed? I don’t know…
Getting settled in
You know those kind of flights where everything just feels right? The kind where you are extremely happy with your seat choice? When everything is running on schedule? And most importantly – when you’re not feeling an ounce of stress? This was one of those kinds of flights.
What stress? Things seem to be quite relaxed in here just shortly after takeoff.When’s the last time you’ve been on a flight where the cabin crew handed out decks of playing cards?I can’t say that I was tempted to initiate a friendly game of poker with my seatmate to see if maybe I could score a second pair of these cool noise canceling headphones.Complimentary (and super snazzy) Starlux-branded ink pens too!
What’s the food like in Starlux business class?
Two words: restaurant quality! The menus, the presentation of the food by the cabin crew, and the food itself was just about as perfect as it can get on an airplane. Starlux has set the bar for what fine dining should be at 35,000 feet. For me anyway.
The appetizer: pickles and cheese on a stick, and a cheese filled pastry.Sorry. There’s probably a really fancy name for this stuff, but…y’all know I ain’t fancy.As depressing as this Starlux review has been so far, I have some really good news: this lunch entree was probably the BEST business class meal I have ever been served.Complimenting the meal was a mint-flavored cocktail which (quite frankly) kicks the crap out of the mint drinks JetBlue is serving these days.Dessert was okay. JetBlue has got nothing to worry about here.And yes, I do realize that JetBlue and Starlux are not direct competitors. However, Starlux does have a very JetBlue feel to it, so thats why I keep making the comparison.
And just like on JetBlue, I still couldn’t figure out how to look cool stowing a tray table. If I did, there would be pics for that. But I’m not, so there isn’t. So there.
That after lunch glow
Good news: stretching out on (in?) these Starlux A321s is really easy. It didn’t take long to configure my seat in a way which allowed for optimal beef noodle digestion, and I was pretty much on top of the world for the rest of the flight down to Penang. Both figuratively and literally.
It may be steamy hot inside this airplane, and I most certainly don’t need this blanket, but I’m gonna demonstrate it anyway since I know that’s what Neil from the Moments In The Sky YouTube channel would do.I wanna be like Neil!To kick off the loo review, I need to offer a huge apology to my seatmate: I’m sorry for tripping all over you as I tried to get out into the aisle!And…I promise to wash my hands to prevent spreading deadly coronavirus germs. The business class lavatory was really nice by the way.Just a minor adjustment here, and…yeah…that’s nice.What else is nice is the video entertainment system. And basically this entire experience so far. As long as I don’t think about the impending demise of this airline, I’m good.
Final thoughts on the Starlux A321 business class product
I’m going to wind down this Starlux Airlines review by telling you that this is an airline that I’m going to keep my eyes on. They really impressed me on this four an a half hour flight down to Malaysia, and I absolutely cannot wait to try their long-haul business class product in the future. FYI, they just ordered 17 Airbus A350’s, which signals exciting times ahead for this company. I can’t wait to watch them grow!
And now, let’s pick it up on the approach into Penang…Wait, what? We’re landing already? As much as I was looking forward to visiting Malaysia for the first time, getting stuck in a holding pattern for an hour (or 5) wouldn’t have been a problem for me.A pre-landing snack to officially end the in flight service. And would you look at that? A star to represent Starlux airlines. God I hope this airline survives!Okay, here’s where things get a little bit depressing again. As of March 8th 2020, Starlux officially dropped this route to Penang due to low demand. That’s unfortunate, because just look how beautiful this place is!Welcome to Penang! Although that’s not something you’ll get to experience on Starlux anymore, I do have hope they can hold on long enough to survive the coronavirus situation.This was a *fantastic* experience, but wow. What an unfortunate time to be launching a new airline.Just a feeewwww more inches….Regular viewers of my videos know that the unbuckling of my seatbelt upon arrival can only mean one thing: Gushy and heartfelt shoutouts to my amazing Patrons, of course! To Joshua Bedel and Riley Wingo and everyone else: I love you guys!Oh my God I’m in Malaysia. Scratch another destination off my list!A brief temperature check is how this Starlux review ends, but don’t you worry: I passed that, I’m healthy, and I’ll catch you in the next one!If I stay healthy that is. *cough*
Pros and cons of Starlux Airlines A321 business class
Spoiler alert: there are a lot more pros to Starlux business class then there are cons. This is an amazing airline which was built from the ground up to do everything better than its competition. From what I experienced, they are following through on that mission magnificently.
Pros
Starlux business class is an incredible value for the money. Yes, the seats are similar to what you might find on some other airlines (they are based on the same seats in Air China business class), but the cabin crew and meal options are fantastic.
Speaking of food, this flight down to Penang was my best business class meal ever. It was easily restaurant quality, and something that I would’ve paid upwards of $30 for on the ground.
The cabin crew was the most professional and friendly that I’ve experienced in a very long time. Come to think of it, the only other cabin crew that I’ve ever experienced that was better than Starlux was on a Japan Airlines flight from San Diego to Narita back in 2018.
Cons
The Starlux lounge at the Taipei airport wasn’t all that impressive. The food was just OK, and the lounge itself was incredibly small. Granted, they only had but a few daily flights operating back in February when I flew with them, so I imagine they’ll move to a bigger lounge when they add more flights.
At the time of this writing, their flights are still very limited. They’ve experienced some growing pains (especially due to COVID-19) and growth has been slow. In other words, they don’t have a vast network of flights yet.
Great review! Seems like other folks in other places know how to execute an airline start-up…here we just get Baltia and Pan-Am or Easter version 5.0. Fingers crossed for Breeze though…
Despite all their good efforts facilitating customers, our family’s recent ordeal with Starlux Airlines at Tokyo’s airport left us utterly disheartened. As we hurriedly attempted to catch our 3:30 PM flight back to Taipei, our one-year-old toddler suffered a distressing fall, necessitating urgent attention. Unfortunately, our plea for assistance to Starlux’s emergency line was met with indifference, as they claimed an inability to aid us in making our flight.
Upon reaching the airport counter with a mere 30 minutes left, our distress deepened. A second call to Starlux’s emergency line resulted in a minimal gesture of partially waiving the handling charge, but this offer was unfairly selective, leaving me, the father, to shoulder the full burden.
This experience has raised serious doubts about Starlux Airlines’ commitment to passenger care and service. The callous response in a situation involving an injured child is both shocking and disappointing. As travelers, we anticipate empathy and support in times of crisis, yet Starlux’s indifference has left our family questioning the airline’s priorities. Our distressing encounter serves as a cautionary tale, prompting fellow travelers to consider the human aspect of airline service beyond schedules and urging Starlux Airlines to reassess their approach to customer welfare.
Thank you for sharing – I’m surprised how unwilling (and/or unable) they were to assist you in this situation. I’d like to think that this was a rare incidence of poor customer support, as my experience with Starlux was great overall.
Starlux Just flew from LAX to TPE Economy Seats are terrible, if person is reclined you can’t get out also seats are not comfortable. Customer service terrible english is not good, i know…. but telling me I cant make my flight cause the connection is late (there flight) so my new flight the next day will be at 2030 when they mean 1230 is a problem…. customer no service only available 930 am to 530 pm.. I was told i would not be reimbursed since my flight the next day was early. Wont fly on this airline again why take the chance. 11 hr layover after 1 day delay
Sorry you had such a bad experience Frank! It might be worth trying to follow up with their customer service department to see if there’s anything they can do after the fact. It’s a bit of a long shot, but worth trying IMHO.
James
Great review! Seems like other folks in other places know how to execute an airline start-up…here we just get Baltia and Pan-Am or Easter version 5.0. Fingers crossed for Breeze though…
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks James! I keep hearing really good things about Breeze – hopefully they’ll still be around when I get back in the air.
LoveTravel
Despite all their good efforts facilitating customers, our family’s recent ordeal with Starlux Airlines at Tokyo’s airport left us utterly disheartened. As we hurriedly attempted to catch our 3:30 PM flight back to Taipei, our one-year-old toddler suffered a distressing fall, necessitating urgent attention. Unfortunately, our plea for assistance to Starlux’s emergency line was met with indifference, as they claimed an inability to aid us in making our flight.
Upon reaching the airport counter with a mere 30 minutes left, our distress deepened. A second call to Starlux’s emergency line resulted in a minimal gesture of partially waiving the handling charge, but this offer was unfairly selective, leaving me, the father, to shoulder the full burden.
This experience has raised serious doubts about Starlux Airlines’ commitment to passenger care and service. The callous response in a situation involving an injured child is both shocking and disappointing. As travelers, we anticipate empathy and support in times of crisis, yet Starlux’s indifference has left our family questioning the airline’s priorities. Our distressing encounter serves as a cautionary tale, prompting fellow travelers to consider the human aspect of airline service beyond schedules and urging Starlux Airlines to reassess their approach to customer welfare.
Scott (SANspotter)
Thank you for sharing – I’m surprised how unwilling (and/or unable) they were to assist you in this situation. I’d like to think that this was a rare incidence of poor customer support, as my experience with Starlux was great overall.
I’m sorry you had to go through this.
Frank
Starlux Just flew from LAX to TPE Economy Seats are terrible, if person is reclined you can’t get out also seats are not comfortable. Customer service terrible english is not good, i know…. but telling me I cant make my flight cause the connection is late (there flight) so my new flight the next day will be at 2030 when they mean 1230 is a problem…. customer no service only available 930 am to 530 pm.. I was told i would not be reimbursed since my flight the next day was early. Wont fly on this airline again why take the chance. 11 hr layover after 1 day delay
Scott (SANspotter)
Sorry you had such a bad experience Frank! It might be worth trying to follow up with their customer service department to see if there’s anything they can do after the fact. It’s a bit of a long shot, but worth trying IMHO.