This New Airline Is Raising the Bar, From First Class to Economy

Starlux Airlines, a Taiwan-based carrier that just celebrated its inaugural flight from Taipei to Los Angeles on April 26, bills itself as a “luxury airline.” That may sound like a contradiction at a time when airlines are anything but luxurious—and the only new brands to make their debut in recent years, Breeze and Avelo, have distinguished themselves with low fares.

Indeed, Starlux got off to a bumpy start, having launched just before the pandemic in January 2020. Given the slow reopening of tourism in Asia, it’s yet to reach profitability, though its new US route helps meet the newly surging demand for trans-Pacific travel.