Welcome to my 2025 trip report on Starlux!
Congratulations to Starlux for achieving the 5 Star Airline award by Skytrax in 2025.
This is Starlux A330-900neo departing from Taipei Taoyuan Airport.
You can check out my previous trip reports with this airline over here:
Premium Economy Class (A350-900), click here
Economy Class (A350-900), click here
Introduction
Flying with Starlux again was made when I notice the airline was operating the Airbus A330-900neo during this period. This is considered to be a rare aircraft model but the number of order for this aircraft type had recently went up with both premium and low cost carriers adding this aircraft type for fleet renewal or airlines such as Flyadeal adding this aircraft for fleet expansion. The closest rival to this aircraft model is the Boeing 787 and in terms of order and the number aircraft in operation is still quite ahead of this Airbus model but whatever it is, it is nice to have different aircraft types flying around.
At this point, the airline is operating 5 Airbus A330-900neo and will eventually a fleet of 8 and personally it's a good time to try out this airline's A330neo and compare the difference between this and the A350's economy class.
So without further ado, let's begin this trip report!
Booking with Starlux
In my opinion, this airline has one of the best websites and mobile app. All the important information I needed was listed.
Although the flight departure to Singapore is very early, one is able to land at around noon time and get to spend the 2nd half of the day in Singapore.
This is how much the airline was charging for base tier economy class ticket.
It is great that the airline indicates which seats are windowless.
Choice of meal (pre-order)
This was my pick (Below).
During my layover at Taipei TPE airport
I spent the 6 hours after my previous flight, resting at a closed food court at Terminal 2 as I didn't feel it is worth it paying for just a few hours of rest at a nearby accommodation.
You can see who dominate Terminal 2.
EVA Air Hello Kitty Check-in Kiosk
The check-in counter for my flight
The beautiful Snoopy theme boarding pass (Front)
(Rear)
The model of TPE airport.
Food court located a floor above the departure hall.
Once immigration and security check was done, I was at the airside.
There are also reclining (lie-flat) chairs available at the airside.
You don't need to be a business class passenger to enjoy this seat.
I was able to enjoy a short rest.
My flight was assigned to gate D5R, a remote gate! This was my first time departing this airport from a remote gate.
The escalator leading to the ground level.
These are the flights along with mine assigned to the bus gate. This means that we have to take the airport bus to our aircraft parked a remote parking lot. As much as I enjoy boarding the aircraft from the outside, today was not the case as it was raining quite a fair bit at that time.
There are 6 remote gates and all of them are assigned.
This is the assigned gate for my Starlux flight.
Starlux's Business Class Lounge
Seating area
The interior of the departure hall (airside).
There is even a mini library.
China Airlines Boeing 777-300ER
China Airlines Airbus A321neo
Starlux Airbus A350-900
My first sight of China Airlines A321neo featuring the Pokemon livery. (Sorry for the poor quality)
Starlux A330-900neo being pushed back for departure.
It was time to depart! I was on board the bus waiting for the clearance to taxi towards our aircraft.
As you can see it was raining at this point of time.
Our bus was parked closed to the sheltered staircase.
This is the Roll Royce Trent 7200 engine.
My ride: B-58301 (Photographed at Changi Airport)
Airbus A330-941 (Leased from ALC)
Delivered to airline in February 2022
Configuration: C28 Y269
Engines: 2 X Roll Royce Trent 7000
Built in Toulouse (TLS)
Age: 3+ Years Old (August 2025)
My route: TPE-SIN
Miles: 1,996
My seat: 33A (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Date of departure: 4th June 2025
Airline: Starlux
Flight: JX771
Route: TPE-SIN
Aircraft: Airbus A330-900neo
Registration: B-58301
Class: Economy
Seat: 33A
Departure Terminal: 2
Gate: D5R
Load: 70%
Flight Time: 4 hours
Actual Flight Time: 4 hours 4 minutes
Schedule Departure Time: 0800
Boarding: 0734 (By bus)
Push Back: 0839
Take Off: 0901
Schedule Arrival: 1240 (Delayed to 1300)
Actual Arrival: 1304
Departure Runway: 05R
Departure Weather: Raining
Arrival Runway: 20R
Arrival Weather: Partially Cloudy
Arrival Terminal: 2
Arrival Gate: E22
My flight experience
Our aircraft was parked at a remote parking lot so we have to take the airport bus over. This took quite a while as our aircraft was a wide-body and that means more passengers are expected so it should have taken a few bus trips to get all the passengers on board the aircraft. I supposed due to the lack of gates, that's why we had no choice. Anyway, once on board, I was impressed with the cabin interior. This 2-class configured aircraft operates on high demand regional routes and for Starlux's TPE-SIN route, we have seen all 3 aircraft models (A321, A330-900neo and A350-900) flying on this route and only the A350-900 has the premium class cabin and I am glad to have flown on it. You can check out the trip report over here.
Our aircraft pushed back about 10 minutes behind schedule and we were given some updates on our flight including the short delay during the preparation for taxi and this is due to late loading of cargo according to the Captain. We should also be expecting some turbulence especially during take off and that did happen but it was nothing bad. The cabin crew were made to sit at one point due to some bad turbulence but overall the flight was not too bad.
The cabin seat is comfortable and so is the 2-4-2 configuration, popular among the economy class regular flyers. This Airbus A330-900 competes with the Boeing 787 and so far only one operator is operating both types in the fleet, can you guess which airline is that? Answer is at the bottom.
For the inflight meal service, those who pre-ordered their meals online get their meals first. This meal service took a bit long to finish due to some bad turbulence along the way which forced the crew to buckle up. After the meal service, we were given a snack service prior to arrival, I thought the standard of the meal and snack was pretty good on this flight. As for the cabin crew, the ones served my aisle were nice and helpful.
While the inflight entertainment on the seatback worked well, not so for the wifi system as it was undergoing some system upgrade therefore wifi (for internet access) is not available on this flight, however I could access the airline's entertainment system on my device.
The weather around Singapore was better and we landed at Changi Airport in good flying condition. Although we landed late, it was a comfortable flight, one that I don't mind flying longer on.
Business Class
Seat map of the A330-900 business class (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
There are 28 Safran Skylounge Core seats installed on Starlux's A330neo aircraft and are configured in a 1-2-1 configuration. As you can see from the seat map below (Photo: Aerolopa.com), you can choose sitting by the window, or by the aisle (for the seats close to the window side) and for the middle seats, you can choose to sit away from the aisle or closer to the aisle.
These seats are 20 inches wide and can be converted into a lie-flat bed. Each business class passengers get to enjoy entertainment on the 17.3 inches touchscreen display that comes with bluetooth pairing with your own devices. There are small storage spaces and the usual Universal AC, USB-A and -C sockets are available. In addition, wireless charging pads are available.
You can check out One Mile At A Time's trip report of the business class product of this aircraft model over here.
The seat map of the business class (A330neo)
Business Class Seat (Photo: Starlux)
Economy Class
For the airline's A330neo configuration, there are 269 seats featuring the Recaro CL3710 seats which are configured in a 2-4-2 arrangement. Each seats comes with a 6-way adjustable headrest and a bi-fold table. Each passenger in this class gets to enjoy a 13.3 inches HD touchscreen which also comes with bluetooth pairing. There are shared charging ports (USB type C and universal ports) available at each row of seats and for the USB type A charging and earpiece ports, they are located below the IFE screen.
The seat map of the economy class (A330neo)
Front Cabin
Rear Cabin
This is my seat, 33A - perfectly aligned with the roll royce trent 7200 engine.
Recaro's economy class product is truly very popular among the airlines.
The mood lighting matches the cabin interior.
The 2-seater configuration in Economy Class for the window sides on the A330 is very popular among solo and couple travellers.
Another view of the A330neo cabin
The cabin crew were preparing the cabin for departure.
The last rows of the economy class cabin in the front cabin.
The front view of the economy class cabin
Legroom space is pretty good especially with the absence of the IFE box.
Cabin view of Starlux's A330neo economy class
The light panel on the side of the overhead bin compartment is one of the new features found on the A330neo cabin.
The view from my seat
The Universal socket can be found in front of each passenger (in between the 2 seats as show below).
The windows on the A330neo is smaller compared to the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.
More photos of the seat
The seat is quite comfortable and would be even better without a seat mate.
Each passenger was given a pillow and blanket.
The headrest is easily adjustable.
The massive IFE screen size is impressive.
Legroom space is adequate for me.
The Snoopy theme Welcome Screen Display!
As I am tall, I had to adjust the head rest.
Vietjet Air and EVA Air aircraft in sight!
I was able to stretech out my legs a bit at the side panel.
The overall comfort of this seat is good on this relatively short flight.
The bi-foldable tray table
Half opened
Fully opened
This holder can be used to support your handphone and drink. (Below)
Each row of 2-seater will share one universal socket which also comes with USB type A socket. For the 4-seater (middle seats), there are 2 to be shared with 2 passengers.
On the side of each seat, there is a coat hanger.
What's provided for each passenger?
Safety Card
Inflight duty-free magazine
Inflight magazine
Disposal Bag
A set of headphone (Quality is not bad).
Snoopy theme plastic bag. This is Linus and Lucy!
Even the aluminium foil that covers the hot meal also features the snoopy characters.
My breakfast
I chose the Tomato Beef Brisket Stew with Penna Pasta.
Snoopy theme wet towel
Inflight Entertainment
The screen resolution is absolutely top notch with a HD quality and it is still quite clear even with the light reflection.
This is a reminder from the crew to follow the airline's protocol. Who can blame them due to the recent incidents especially regarding the power bank issue.
Comparing the selection of movies with my previous flight with the airline, there seems to have more options.
I was able to enjoy a couple of movies on this flight.
The inflight route map
The cute animated safety video reminds me of Virgin Atlantic's version.
The most important thing about these videos is to catch the passenger's attention and some of the information is important as you never know when you need to use them when an emergency occurs.
Always follow the crew's instruction!
As you can see from this reflection, I had a seat mate.
With that, the safety video has come to an end.
The inflight map display also features several views to allow you to enjoy the flight map even more.
I enjoy the pilot's view as there is some technical information of the aircraft's performance such as the cruising speed and the flight level that the aircraft is at and the current heading.
At this point of time, we were on final approach.
This IFE system also allows you to use the Picture in Picture option which you can check your flight's progress and also watch your movie at the same time.
Online Inflight menu is available.
Surfing the internet on this flight was not available due to a system upgrade.
What one can do is to use the online streaming (airline's entertainment) or the messaging option for the following apps as shown below.
I can also monitor my flight's progress on the inflight's website.
The view from my seat
Although we were ready, we were informed by the ATC to wait.
About ten minutes after our schedule departure time, we were given the green light to taxi.
We were in front of this EVA Air's aircraft.
Finally we were cleared to enter the threshold of the runway.
Rolling down the runway in this rainy condition.
We took off in this rainy condition.
However there wasn't much turbulence during the initial climb.
The main difference between this A330neo (new engine option) and the A330ceo (current engine option) are the more advance engines (Roll Royce only) and the smaller winglets compare to the older A330 model.
Personally I feel the A330neo is quieter and flies smoother than the older A330 varient.
Goodbye Taiwan, see you soon!
It took about 20 minutes to get out of this bad weather and there were bumps along the way.
Finally we were out of this dreadful weather.
At this point of time, we were flying over the South China Sea.
This is why I choose row 33A, to get beautiful view likes this.
About 4 hours later, we started our descent into Changi Airport.
Weather in Singapore was much better and at this point of time, we were on final approach towards runway 20R.
Flying past the cargo hanger.
We touched down smoothly.
Reverse thrust was deployed as we slowed down to taxi speed.
We taxied past terminal 3.
Since our gate is located at Terminal 2, it took a while to reach our gate.
We parked besides a Singapore Airlines A350-900.
We have reached our gate.
Flight Summary
With that, my trip to Japan and Taiwan came to an end.
Hope you enjoy this trip report!
My ratings
Airline Website/Mobile App: 5/5
Airport Experience (TPE): 5/5
Inflight Service: 4/5
Seat Comfort: 5/5
Inflight Entertainment: 4/5
Cabin Ambiance: 5/5
Seat Condition: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
InFlight Meal/Beverage: 4/5
Punctuality: 4/5
Overall Rating: 46/50
Percentage: 92%
Tubulence level: 3/5 (For the worst part) - occasional turbulence during the take and off and during the cruising part
Conclusion
This was my 3rd flight with Starlux and once again the experience didn't disappoint. For the TPE-SIN route with Starlux, all 3 aircraft types have appeared and how they are being deployed is based on supply and demand. So for thosse wondering why isn't premium economy class offer on this route is likely because the airline has premium economy class focus on other routes and will we see the airline's A350 (the only aircraft type with the premium economy class) returning to Singapore, yes, probably the high demand season and that is likely happen during the school holidays.
I really like the Airbus A330neo, personally I find the cabin interior to be an improvement over the A330ceo and just like my previous A330neo experience with Virgin Atlantic, I enjoyed the quieter cabin and the less congested 2-4-2 configuration compared to the 787 and 350's 3-3-3 Y class configuration. Both Starlux's A330neo and the A350 has a similar economy class cabin, main difference is the 2-4-2 configuration on the A330neo vs the 3-3-3 configuration on the A350. As for the business class product, the A350-900 which is mainly deployed on international routes looks slightly better than the A330neo product but in my opinion, both are impressive and I hope to try out those products in the near future.
Starlux has recently clinched the 5-star rating by Skytrax and it is not a surprise at all, with impressive cabin products on all the 3 aircraft types, it is certainly giving the other 2 rivals, EVA Air and China Airlines some form of headache, competiting with each other on routes not only in Asia, also routes in U.S.A as well. There have been rumours this airline has plans to fly to Europe but it is not easy to gain airport slot in any of the top airports as there a lot of factors to consider such as the terms and condition set by the airport, the slot availiablity, suitable flight timing for the flights (so that the flight can be easily connected to and from other flights (especially regional flights) and other variables.
My plan in the near future is to fly on this airline's Airbus A321neo, most likely next year in 2026.
So with this trip report coming to an end, stay tuned for my next trip report, this time to Europe with Qatar Airways and British Airways, coming up soon.
Hope you find this trip report useful.
Have a good one!
Charles
For my previous trip report (Jetstar Japan KIX-TPE A320 flight), click here
(If you are happy with my work, feel free to contribute by donating any amount over here. Greatly appreciated!
Quiz: Which airlines operates both the Airbus A330neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner models?
The answer is Virgin Atlantic
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