Starlux Airlines A321 Business Class Review Flight Details:
- Related Trip Report: LA to Paris The Long Way
- Date: August 5th, 2023
- Flight Number: Starlux (JX) 1203
- Route: TPE 8:30 AM – MFM 10:15 AM
- Scheduled Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Seats: 2A and 2C
- Miles and Points Redeemed: 15K Alaska Airlines Miles
- Lounge: Starlux Galactic Lounge Review
- Previous Flight: Starlux A350 Business Class Review
Starlux A321 Business Class Review Introduction
After an amazing flight on Starlux’s long-haul A350 business class from LA to Taipei and visiting the Starlux Galactic Lounge, my partner and I looked forward to reviewing Starlux’s regional business class on its A321neo. Starlux flies 2-3 times daily from Taipei to Macau, and the route is typically flown on the A321neo or the A330neo. I selected the 8:30 AM flight on the A321, given the convenient layover after our flight from LAX and the opportunity to review Starlux’s business class on its smallest aircraft.
How does Starlux’s flagship business class experience compare to what’s on offer with the A321 for shorter routes?
Booking Starlux Business Class with Miles
Before delving into the Starlux A321 business class review, I wanted to briefly cover how this flight was booked with miles. As noted in my trip introduction, Starlux announced a partnership with Alaska Airlines in April 2023. The partnership enables Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members to redeem miles on Starlux flights.
As a part of launching its partnership with Alaska Airlines, Starlux offered flights within Asia for 15K miles in business class. After the August 2023 promotional period, rates increased to 37,500 miles for this flight.
Starlux A321 Best Seats and Seat Selection
Before the flight, my partner and I reserved our seats by contacting Starlux Airlines. As noted in my previous review, Alaska Airlines bookings with Starlux still cannot be managed online.
Below is the Starlux Airlines A321neo seat map. The A321 business class cabin only has 8 seats arranged in a 2-2 configuration. If traveling in business class, I recommend selecting seats 2A, 2C, 2H, or 2K, as these seats offer a larger footwell than the rear row. My partner and I selected seats 2C and 2A and were excited to see what Starlux’s service would be like in the small business-class cabin.
Starlux A321 Review: Gate and Boarding
My partner and I left the Starlux Galactic lounge about 20 minutes before boarding. I enjoyed catching glimpses of the Starlux A321 we were due to board shortly and the Starlux A350 we just flew on from Los Angeles.
I loved the look of the black-colored and Starlux-branded tug pulling our A321neo to the gate.
At the gate, one agent made nonstop announcements for 20 minutes. We weren’t sure what was being said, but I hope everyone was well-informed about the details of the flight 😂
We waited for group 1 to display on the monitor so that we could board as business class passengers and made our way to the Starlux A321.
Starlux A321 Business Class Review: Seat
One of the remarkable aspects of Starlux Airlines is that you are guaranteed a lie-flat seat in business class whether you fly on its smallest A321, larger A330, or flagship A350. So even on this less than 2-hour flight to Macau, we could enjoy the comfort of a lie-flat seat, which is certainly something you do not encounter much in the US or Europe (outside of widebody repositioning flights).
Likewise, Starlux is the only airline offering lie flat seats between Taipei and Macau as EVA Air and Air Macau offer business class recliner seats.
Below are pictures of the seats arranged in the 2-2 configuration.
While not as private as the business class suites with privacy doors on Starlux’s A350, this seat is more than adequate and comfortable for a short flight.
As with the A350, I love Starlux’s rose gold accents in the cabin, such as on the headrest, seat belt, and privacy screen.
To the right of the seat, you’ll find buttons to fine-tune the seat position or quickly switch from fully upright to lie flat. Beneath the privacy screen was a pocket containing the safety card, the menu for today’s flight, and the same decent over-ear noise-canceling headphones from our LA flight.
I especially liked the starry sky accents on the center console and pull-out tray table you’ll see further below.
As you recline the seat, you’ll notice a reading light available.
On the opposite side of the seat, you’ll find a universal electric port, USB port, headphone jack, and a cup holder.
Beneath the center console is the storage area for the fold out tray.
To the right of the tray is the inflight entertainment remote. You’ll notice our estimated flight time of only 59 minutes! I like that Starlux includes the flight time on its inflight remote so you can know how much time remains at a glance.
At the front of the seat, you’ll find the entertainment system and the footwell area. Unlike our flight from LA, which featured Dodgers-branded items, Starlux’s flights from Taipei currently feature Spiderman branding (as shown on the display). Next to the screen is a coat hanger, and beneath is a small storage shelf.
The footwell area in the first row of seats should be large enough for most people to sleep and recline comfortably.
At the seat, we found the same excellent blanket and pillow we had on our previous flight.
Starlux A321 Business Class Review: Menu
After settling in our seats, the flight attendant warmly introduced herself, walked us through the seat features, and gave us an overview of the inflight menu. I was excited to see that Starlux offers signature cocktails even on this short flight. The menus read as follows:
Starlux Airlines offers the ability to pre-order your inflight meal. At the time of writing, you cannot reserve a meal yet if you booked through Alaska Airlines. Below is a picture of the pre-order meal options for the flight. I appreciate Starlux offering realistic photos of what you can expect for your inflight meal.
Our flight went out with five of eight seats filled, and our flight attendant suggested we could try one of each meal entree if we wished. Although I was pretty full from the previous A350 flight and reviewing the Galactic Lounge, we tried a bit of each option for the review :)
After taking our meal orders, we were presented with a refreshing welcome drink and a warm towel.
I then had another opportunity to watch Starlux’s fun space-themed safety video.
Starlux A321 Business Class Review: Taxi and Takeoff
As we taxied, my eyes were peeled outside, looking at EVA Air, Starlux, and China Airlines aircraft.
I found the number of parked China Airlines 747 Cargo planes with engines stripped off interesting. China Airlines plans to retire its 747 cargo planes over time, so I’m not sure if these parked planes are just being kept for parts for now or where these retired planes will eventually move to.
I enjoyed the views out the window as we took off.
Starlux A321 Business Class Review: Meal Service
Shortly after takeoff, the curtain ahead of us was closed so the crew could begin prepping the meal service. I liked the wooden floor accents used in the galley.
Given our estimated time in cruise flight was less than 1 hour, our meals were presented on a single tray. I assume on longer flights the meal is served in separate courses, like our A350 flight from LA.
Nevertheless, I liked the way our meals were presented with nothing served in plastic. The tapas and pinchos were the perfect size and delicious. I wish more airlines would offer a tapas-like option rather than requiring a commitment to a single main entree. We also enjoyed the Bi Luo Chun Galaxy cocktail.
Focusing on our other meals, I loved the texture of the chicken thermidore and the turnip and parma ham soup was simple yet delicious. I was glad to see the same unique salt and pepper shakers from our previous flight and liked that the soup was served from a container you could sip from.
The New Zealand beef cheek was just ok. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the sauce and would recommend the other options we tried over this.
To finish our meal, we had some iced americanos, which were presented in Spiderman cups so we could continue drinking them even during the all-too-soon descent into Macau.
Overall, I was very much impressed by what Starlux had to offer on such a short flight. The food was mostly delicious, and you often won’t find signature cocktails and iced espresso-based drinks on other airlines.
Starlux Business Class Service
Service was about as good as it could be on such a quick flight. The crew had to hustle to serve food and drinks to the business class cabin but was friendly and proactive in clearing trays and offering refills. We were asked how our meal experience was and if anything could be improved. Our flight attendant also asked how we found our A350 flight from LA.
Starlux WiFi
As with our flight from LA, business class passengers received complimentary wifi. Given how quick this flight, I didn’t have the opportunity to put it through its paces but had no problem connecting and viewing a few web pages.
Approach into Macau
I enjoyed taking in the views as we approached Macau while listening to Starlux’s soothing landing music included below.
Starlux A321 Business Class Review – The Pilot Debrief
Starlux amazed me again on this A321 flight from Taipei to Macau. A lie-flat seat, delicious food (with cocktails and espresso-based drinks), attention to detail, and excellent service typically are not found on flights this short. Given I’ve now experienced Starlux on its longest and one of its shortest routes, I strongly recommend them on any flight in its network. They certainly stand up to other heavyweights in the region, including EVA, Singapore, and Cathay Pacific.
I look forward to seeing Starlux grow and develop in the coming years. I hope to fly with them again soon as they increase the number of US destinations they fly to.
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