Taiwanese high-end carrier STARLUX Airlines today launched direct flights to Seattle, the home airport of Alaska Airlines. This new route was announced earlier this year, Simple Flying reported. The service connects the Taiwanese capital Taipei with the US city and offers customers what they expect as “World class” as well as convenient connections on the Asian side. Of course, Alaska Airlines also offers STARLUX passengers connections to over 100 cities in the USA via its network.

Related

Alaska Airlines asks USDOT to enter into a STARLUX code-sharing agreement

The filing states that the two airlines plan to put their code-sharing agreement into effect on August 16.

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 first flight is marked with the registration B-58505, a practically brand new aircraft that shipped from Toulouse on March 1st of this year.

Three other airlines compete on the same route, namely 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 this regard, it lags behind. Take a look at the table below with data from aviation analytics provider Cirium for September 2024.

Its competitors are all established airlines, giving them a slight advantage when looking only at direct routes, despite the fact that they all only launched the route last year (see below).

Photo: danielou_shots | Shutterstock

The all-important Alaska Airlines codeshare

What makes STARLUX special is the connectivity it offers thanks to its partnership with Alaska Airlines. The ability to offer Taiwanese passengers connecting flights to nearly 100 destinations in the US is undoubtedly a major selling point. Brett Catlin, Vice President of Loyalty, Alliances and Sales at Alaska Airlines, said:

“STARLUX offers an industry-leading product with great inflight service and access to a number of dream destinations across Asia. With the arrival of STARLUX in Seattle, 13 of our global partners now serve our home base, from which we offer more daily flights and destinations than any other West Coast airline.”

Related

Alaska Airlines wins Starlux as mileage plan partner

Mileage Plan members can collect miles on STARLUX flights and redeem them for flights starting this summer.

In addition to the US feeder network, STARLUX also has its own network in Asia with more than 20 destinations. These include 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 only our newest destination, but also a key milestone in our expansion strategy in the US. Thanks to our valued partner Alaska Airlines, we will be able to connect passengers from over 100 US cities to the Asia-Pacific region via the West Coast for the first time. We are excited to bridge continents, expand travel options and provide exceptional service to our customers.”

Photo: Seattle Airport

It’s not too often that an airline is as heavily involved in the opening of another airline’s new route to its home airport as Alaska Airlines. STARLUX’s opening ceremony in Seattle was attended by Alaska officials, including Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison.

This undoubtedly reflects the importance of the new route for both parties, with Alaska benefiting from a more extensive network and STARLUX gaining a competitive advantage.