Today we’re flying from Taipei Taiwan to Hakodate Japan. This was somewhat last minute for us, we were originally planning on going to Aomori to see the Cherry Blossoms in Hirosaki but due to the weather, the cherry blossoms had bloomed early and we didn’t want to miss them, so we decided to last minute change to Hakodate on Hokkaido. So with day old tickets, we headed to the TPE airport to try out Startlux Airlines’ A321neo in Economy. Starlux is an interesting airline, it’s a startup and unlike most airline startups, it’s not a low cost/low service model, they are aiming to be a luxury full service airline to compete with others like EVA and Singapore Airlines.
Bottom Line: Starlux is a fantastic airline. There’s just nothing bad to say about the Starlux Economy experience on the A321neo. Food, seat comfort, service, in seat entertainment, WiFi, amenities, etc. All just perfect. I would love to ride with Starlux again and hope to soon.
TPE Airport Check In and Boarding
We arrived at the TPE airport about 2 hours before departure. We checked in at the Starlux counter to get our boarding passes. They did weigh our carry on bags, and mine was slightly over, but the agent said it was ok, just don’t do it again. We then passed through security and exit immigration.
We had be relaxing in the Plaza Premium lounge when it became time for boarding. There was a last minute gate change to a much further away gate so we had to hustle down to the gate. This is a bus gate, pretty common here at TPE.
We boarded the bus and rode out to the Starlux A321neo on this rainy morning.
Airbus A321neos are usually easy to tell apart from the A321ceo, the Neos have the eyeliner around the windows. This isn’t always the case as there are some A320ceos with the eyeliner, but for the most part, they are neos.
It’s raining here today so we headed up the covered stairs and kept mostly out of the rain. The Starlux livery is pretty great. Very classic looking despite being a brand new airline.
Startlux A321 Economy Cabin
First impressions of the cabin are very good. The Starlux A321neo is clean and well appointed.
The cabin is arranged into the standard 3-3 seating arrangement. Starlux has 180 economy seats in their A321s. There’s no “extra space” economy section, just business in the front and then economy seats behind.
We placed our bags into the overhead bin and settled into our seats. We lucked out, there’s an empty middle seat between us.
Starlux A321 Economy Seats
Leg room is very good, especially for an economy seat. Even with my backpack below I had plenty of space for this 3 hour flight up to Japan.
In each seat was a pillow, blanket, and headphones set. For a short flight, Starlux isn’t holding back on the amenities.
The boarding process is a little hectic and loud, I think there is a tour group on the flight and they’re not exactly the most experienced travelers. Their guides and flight attendants are moving people around, stowing bags, adjusting seats, etc.
As the boarding process was finishing up, the pilot gave his welcome and said it would be a 3:10 flight to Hakodate
Starlux A321 Economy In Seat Entertainment
The in seat entertainment offered by Starlux on the A321 is top notch. The screens are bright and responsive.
The selection of movies and shows is also very good. This flight is only 3 hours and there would be more than enough to keep someone entertained for this flight 10 times over.
Starlux also has free Wifi onboard, I connected and did a little surfing around once in flight. The system worked great, plenty fast for scrolling around and light streaming.
Starlux A321 Departure and Takeoff
We pushed back from the gate right on time. As we did, the safety video was shown.
The passengers on this flight are very loud. Lots of talking and moving about. It’s like I’m on a flight to GSP, feels just like flying home, not sure I like that very much.
We took off into the cloudy rainy day and I put on a movie. “The Menu” I’d not seen it yet and Val encouraged me. I settled into the flight, I’m always amazed at how comfortable a flight is when there’s no person sitting in the middle seat, just that little extra room to move about.
Starlux A321 Economy Lunch Service
We got a notification on our screens that we could view the lunch and drinks menus. I’m really impressed so far with Starlux.
On the in seat entertainment there was a lunch menu.
Starlux drinks menu.
There was also a little blurb about the signature cocktail.
The flight attendants worked front to back and distributed meals and drinks.
The meals came on a single tray with all of the individual dishes covered.
I opted for the beef along with a beer. That is one area that Starlux could improve, they need a better beer selection.
Lunch was very good, especially for economy. I still think Singapore is better, but this is very solid.
Next came ice cream for desert, I thought it was chocolate, but I was wrong. It was tangerine but brown. Not bad, just not what I expected.
Starlux A321 Economy In Flight
Drinks and tea/coffee were offed, I declined. Trash collected and I settled into the remaining 1:45 minutes of the flight.
It’s been nice and smooth in flight, but no views yet. It’s pretty cloudy outside.
I put the moving map onto the empty seat’s screen between Val and I.
Busy flight attendants. Duty free shopping was very popular on this flight.
Starlux A321 Bathroom
The lavatories on the Starlux A321 were fairly clean and large enough but nothing special. I guess I was expecting more as the rest of the flight is really world class.
Starlux A321 Approach and Landing
With around 35 minutes left in the flight, the pilot told us we’d started our decent and would be landing soon. Outside the clouds had finally broken and we got a glimpse of the northern parts of Japan.
As we continued our decent, the flight attendants came through to collect any more trash. They also told us we cannot use headphones during landing, not sure why, seems a little odd but ok.
Outside it looks like we’ll have a nice clear day here in Northern Japan.
We got a great view of Hakodate as we approached the HKD airport.
A few seconds later we touched down right on time.
Starlux A321 Final Thoughts
Starlux is a great airline. It’s very easy to see Starlux gets their inspiration, Singapore. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing though. Singapore, in my opinion is the best airline in the world. Even on short haul economy flights(Singapore 737-8 Max Economy Review). Starlux is really giving Singapore a run for their money. I loved the great service, comfortable seats, extensive entertainment options, and tasty lunch. I cannot recommend Starlux and their A321 enough, it’s a great airline.
Do I think Starlux is better than Singapore, no, probably not. But I’d have to try out their long haul business class product to compare. I’ve heard good things so it’s certainly on my list.
Follow Our Trip to Japan and Taiwan
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Flight Review: Starlux Airlines A321neo Economy TPE-HKD
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Flight Review: Japan Airlines 737-800. J Class CTS-ITM
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Flight Review: Japan Airlines 767-300 Economy. ITM-HND
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Flight Review: Delta Air Lines A350-900 Delta One Suites Business Class Review. HND-ATL