A fleet of Airbus A350-900 aircraft will power the transpacific trek, journeying 12 hours across some 11,000km.

Starlux also flies the Airbus A330neo and the Airbus A321neo aircraft – the narrowbody plane being equipped with lie-flat business class seats. The company’s first A350 was delivered in October and is part of an 18-strong order that was first placed in 2018 – back when there was little known about the start-up.

Starlux was founded by aviation tycoon Chang Kuo-wei, the former chairman of Eva Air – a highly-acclaimed Taiwanese airline decorated with awards for safety and service.

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His father, Chang Yung-fa, founded Eva. But a power struggle erupted after Yung-fa’s death and pushed Kuo-wei out, opening the door for Kuo-wei to use his experience to build a competing carrier.

Launching its inaugural flight in January 2020, Starlux bills itself as a “luxury” airline promising a full-service experience.

It’s actually one of the few start-ups to not enter as a low-cost carrier, like Avelo Airlines in the US and Norse Atlantic Airways in Europe.

The airline’s new flight to the US will be its first route outside Asia. Starlux hoped to start long-haul flights sooner, but its 2020 launch was unlucky timing as Covid-19 halted travel about three months later.

Nevertheless, the company will soon achieve its US milestone. Starlux already has partnerships in place, including with the LA Clippers, and it hopes to eventually join an airline alliance, COO KW Nieh told Executive Traveller in 2021.

Starlux’s A350s will be configured with 306 seats across four cabins, including 240 in economy, 36 in premium economy, 26 business and four in first.

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First and business come with the expected bells and whistles of premium cabins, including a privacy door and a lie-flat bed …

… a side table and a cubby for storage. Business class comes with a lamp as well …

… a large seat back screen …

… power ports (including wireless charging), a mirror and a remote, a large tray table and “Zero G” seats that help reduce fatigue on long-haul treks.

Decorative wall panels will put “passengers at ease as they board the aircraft,” according to Starlux.

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First class does come with a few added perks though, including a wardrobe and a 152cm-high sliding door, which is about 30cm higher than business class.

It also has a 81cm flat-screen TV – business class offers a 60cm screen.

The first class placement at the front of the cabin is actually similar to what airlines like JetBlue Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways are doing with their “business class plus”, which offers more space using the bulkhead.

While business and first are nice, a majority of Starlux passengers will sit in the economy sections. According to the carrier, regular coach has a 3x3x3 layout with adjustable headrests, a 33cm seat back screen and power ports …

… while premium economy is in a 2x4x2 layout with added amenities, like a footrest, a legrest and 100cm of pitch. The screen is also larger at 40cm.

It’s important to note that Starlux’s widebody plane is one of the first New Production Standard A350s produced, meaning it is 10cm wider than its predecessors and has improved performance.

Airbus launched the redesign in September with the option to have 10 seats per row in economy – a way to compete with Boeing’s upcoming 777X. Airbus’ 10-abreast seat layout.

However, Starlux has opted to keep the traditional nine-abreast seating on its A350s, so its premium and regular coach seats can offer more space and comfort.

Moreover, the new A350 design also offers dimmable windows that block 99.99 per cent of visible light. This, combined with Starlux’s special ambient lighting, can help reduce jet lag. Starlux is the only airline to customise it's on board lighting depending on the time of the year – the three modes include Chinese New Year, White Christmas and Moon Festival.

While each cabin screen on the A350 is a different size, every TV will offer 4K resolution and Bluetooth capabilities, meaning personal wireless headphones can be used on board.

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All Starlux passengers can pre-order meals on the Taipei to Los Angeles flights too.

The airline says it will offer “exquisite dining including Taiwanese signature dishes” that will create an “at-home experience in the air”.