Alaska Airways Provides Partnership with Starlux Airways

Alaska Airlines has launched a partnership with Starlux Airlines. The Taiwan-based carrier becomes the US loyalty program’s latest addition, and it turns out that it’s quite an exciting one.

In fact, Alaska Airlines has become Starlux’s first ever airline partner. With this development, you’ll soon be able to redeem Alaska miles on another carrier across the Pacific, with great pricing at the outset.

Alaska Airlines Launches Partnership with Starlux Airlines

Alaska Airlines and Starlux Airlines have officially launched a partnership. The news comes on the same day that Starlux flew its inaugural transpacific flight from Taipei to Los Angeles.

With the partnership, Alaska Airlines members can now earn Alaska miles on all Starlux-operated flights.

The carrier flies to 16 destinations across Asia, as well as a single route to North America that connects Taipei to Los Angeles.

You’ll have to wait until later on this year to redeem Alaska miles on Starlux flights; however, you might want to keep an eye on availability when it happens.

Once redemptions become available in Summer 2023 for Starlux flights between Taipei and Los Angeles, the cost will start at 20,000 miles in economy, 40,000 miles in premium economy, and 60,000 miles in business class. While Starlux also has a First Class cabin on this route, unfortunately, redemptions with Alaska miles won’t be possible for the airline’s most premium product.

To put this in context, the cost in economy will be 10,000 miles less than the “starting from” prices on the Alaska Mileage Plan award chart, premium economy pricing is in-line with the chart, and business class pricing is 10,000 miles over the minimum price.

The exact date for the launch has yet to be released, and it remains unknown what possibilities there will be for redemptions with Starlux to its other destinations. Passengers will be able to combine flights with Alaska Airlines and Starlux, allowing for easy connectivity.

This is welcome news for anyone with a good stock of Alaska miles who will be looking to fly across the Pacific in style at some point in the future.

How Is Flying with Starlux Airlines?

The most exciting part of this development is that Starlux has an excellent reputation for its premium cabins. The airline is also relatively new, as it operated its first flight in early 2020.

Until this partnership was inked, it was very difficult to redeem points for business class flights with Starlux, since the only way to do so was with its own Cosmile program. While there is currently only a single route to North America, the airline has 15 other Airbus A350-900 aircraft on order, which will likely result in the addition of more long-haul routes.

On the Taipei–Los Angeles route, Starlux operates its flagship Airbus A350 aircraft, complete with four cabins.

The business class and First Class products appear to be very competitive, and come complete with sliding doors for added privacy.

If business class or First Class are outside of your budget, the pricing for premium economy and economy flights is quite competitive. The economy cabin has a 3-3-3 configuration, which isn’t ideal for anyone travelling as a couple of solo, but could still work in a pinch.

The food and beverage service also appears to be worthwhile, with the signature yakiniku donburi available as one of the options you can order onboard or pre-select in advance of your flight. The food and beverage menus are designed in conjunction with Michelin restaurants, offering passengers an elevated onboard dining experience.

Conclusion

Alaska Airlines has launched a partnership with Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines. As of today, you can earn Alaska miles on Starlux flights, and later on this summer, you should be able to redeem Alaska miles for flights with Starflux in economy, premium economy, and business class.

The latest addition to Alaska Airlines’s list of partners is indeed quite a strong one. The limited-time award pricing is also an attractive selling point, although it’s unknown what it will cost once regular pricing kicks in.

If you’re looking for a way to cross the Pacific in style later on this year, be sure to keep an eye out for Alaska miles redemptions with Starlux Airlines.