Welcome to my 2026 edition of my Starflyer experience!
This is Starflyer Airbus A320ceo and I photographed this at Fukuoka Airport.
Introduction
Flying to Fukuoka was very much in my mind as I wanted to visit this city to enjoy my Japanese time. The last time I went there was a year ago when I flew there for a short stopover (Solaseed and Skymark flights) so this time I would stay for a few days over there. The question is which airline would fly me there. I thought for a while and ended up I decided on Starflyer.
At the time of booking, I was scheduled to fly on the airline's A320neo but a few days before the flight departure, I received a notification of an aircraft change and that is the A320neo swopping for the A320ceo, but the good news is I would be flying on another A320ceo as the A320 I flew with this airline before left the fleet a few years ago. So without further ado, let's begin this trip report.
Booking with the airline
This time I decided to book with ANA so that I can accumulate mileage points with EVA Air. (Star Alliance)
I chose the window seat for this flight.
The airline's network (September 2026 update)
(Photo: Starflyer's website)
After departing from my hotel around 10.50 am, it took me about 10 minutes to reach the train station. By now, I am used to taking the trains and Japan has one of the most efficient train systems in the world, still impressed with it till today. Thanks to Goggle map, I was able to trace which route I should take to get to Tokyo Haneda Airport.
The train ride to the airport took about an hour with the need to change for another line. Despite the small inconvenience, it was still more economical to travel by this way.
Once we reached the train station, there is a signboard indicating which terminal you should be heading to.
Tokyo Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station
Welcome to Terminal 1 of Haneda Airport!
This airport has to be one of my favourites. All 3 terminals have sufficient restaurants and cafes to enjoy, observation decks to do plane spotting, good transport in and out of the airports and there are lockers (chargable) to leave your luggage so that you won't have to tag them along if you are early.
Although it was crowded, I managed to make my way to where I need to go without issues.
There is also retail outlets in this terminal to check out.
Fortunately for the travellers on that day, there were few flight cancellations and lengthy delay.
It was a busy travelling period for the locals.
There are self check-in and luggage kiosks available.
The question here that some of you must be wondering, is it better to hang out to grab a bite at the airside or landside for domestic flights. There are more choices at the landside, so come early and enjoy your meal before your flight. For domestic flights, there is only the security queue to be concerned of. However, there are dedicated security areas for different airlines so the queues won't be long. For me, at the time of departure, it took less than 5 minutes to clear security.
Starflyer's check-in counters are located at the south wing of Terminal 1. You have to use security checkpoint A to get to the airside.
The luggage storage area. (chargable)
I prefer the Yoshinoya in Japan mainly because they serve Non-halal options such as pork and it is absolutely delicious.
One can also spend hours at this airport doing window shopping.
There is even a dedicated exhibition of the history of this airport.
It brings back memories of the past when the airlines were operating the Boeing 747 on the domestic routes.
The old airline uniforms on display
A JAL Boeing 747F (Freighter) aircraft on display with the front cargo door opened.
Anyone else misses the regular sight of the Boeing 747?
This is the cockpit of the Boeing 747-400.
The previous generation economy class seats
The airside
The airside is limited in eateries and shops but there are plenty of seating areas with charging ports available.
This is where my assigned flight departed from.
It was certainly a wet and windy afternoon that day.
Time to board!
Welcome on board!
I am certainly a big fan of this classy livery.
Flight route: HND-FUK
Distance: 884km
My ride: JA26MC
Photo: Haru
My seat: 16A (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Airline: Starflyer
Flight: 7G51
Route: HND-FUK
Aircraft: Airbus A320neo changed to A320ceo
Registration: JA26MC
Seat: 16A
Departure Terminal: 1
Gate: 3
Load: 100%
Schedule Departure: 1555 (Delayed)
New Departure Time: 1610
Boarding: 1600
Pushed Back: 1622
Take Off: 1659
Flight Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Departure Runway: 16L
Departure Weather: Raining with Wind
Arrival Runway: 16L
Arrival Weather: Partially Cloudy
My thoughts
The flight announcement was made in regards to our flight due to bad weather therefore our aircraft arrived late. A lot of factors do consider when these sort of thing happen and it is best to understand what's going on and for this, I can't blame the airline or airport for the delay. Safety should never be compromised especially in bad weather. I hate the thought of going through layers of clouds for most parts of the flight only to experience heavy turbulence just to get to my destination on time and besides at this time, there was typhoon going on, passing by Philippines and heading towards Japan.
Once on board, I was greeted by a good set of crew. I made my way to the seat and it was the same one that I experienced in 2013. Once seated, the Captain made the usual announcement I managed to catch a bit here and there and it seemed that our flight was delayed due to the bad weather and he apologised for the inconvenience. (He spoke in Japanese). After 37 minutes later, we were on our way. There were bumps during our climb and it was only after reaching around 23,000 feet then the seatbelt sign was turned off after the clear blue skies greeted us.
Drink service commenced and we had the inflight entertainment screen to enjoy even though the contents is limited. There was no Wi-Fi available on this aircraft, not a big deal since it was a relatively short flight.
We started our approach after 1 hour 10 minutes in the air and it was not a surprise that we arrived late, about 44 minutes behind schedule. This lengthy delay was due to our extended time on the ground at HND as I suspect it was because of bad weather on route and the pilots decided to wait a while for them to clear before departing.
Overall, it was a memorable flight and I thought the crew handled well.
Welcome on board!
This is my window seat.
This aircraft features only 150 seats, 30 seats lesser than the standard configured A320ceo and that's why the legroom space is amazing!
The rear view of the cabin
Seat width is 19.5 inches, about 2 inches wider than the standard seats.
Inflight Entertainment Screen is available on every seat on this aircraft.
View from my seat.
The choice of beverages available on this flight.
Front view of the seats.
These seats are one of the most comfortable ones installed on the A320/B737 aircraft (narrow-body).
Universal and Type-A-charging ports are available.
Each seat comes with an adjustable headrest and earplug sockets.
It was time to leave.
For this aircraft, there is no need to sit at the emergency row unless you are taller than 2 metres.
The cabin crew bid us farewell and thanked us for flying with the airline.
Each seat comes with a coat hanger located beside the screen tv.
Legroom space
Front view of the seat
The seat view across the aisle
Universal and USB type-A sockets
Even with the tray table extended out, there was still ample space for me to move around.
The weather in Tokyo at that moment.
What's provided for each passenger?
Inflight magazine
Disposal Bag
Safety Card
Does anyone know which other airline has this foldable-style safety card?
A choice of beverage was offered and I chose a cup of soup. There is even a cup cover provided, useful especially when flying through turbulent weather.
If I am not wrong, it was onion soup.
Window view photos (Take off to Landing)
This was my 2nd flight with this airline and once again departing in bad weather.
I spotted ANA's inspiration of Japan special livery during our taxi. This is JA871A (ANA's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft).
ANA's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner with the General Electric engines.
China Southern Airbus A330-300
We waited over here for a while with the Captain updating us on the delay.
Finally we were on our way and we departed in this absolute dreadful weather.
This brought back memories of my ANA's 787-8 flight but the turbulence was not as bad.
We had to navigate through the clouds but fortunately for us, it was only bumps and not the dreaded updraft and downdraft condition which I absolutely hate!
Soon, we were about to clear the cloudy condition.
At this point of time, we were out of the bad weather and for the rest of our journey, it was good condition.
With bad weather happening in Tokyo that means no Mount Fuji view but I managed to catch the view of that mountain in my previous flight.
For the rest of the flight, it was smooth.
Sunset was in sight as we were soon approaching evening time.
We had to made a few turns along the way as we prepared to line up for the runway at Fukuoka airport.
We started preparing to line up to land at Fukuoka airport after receiving clearance from the Airport Traffic Control.
The city of Fukuoka in gloomy weather.
Once the aircraft descended into around 500 feet, autopilot would be disengaged and the pilot-in-command completed the landing procedure. Of course the pilots can choose to use the Auto-landing function and this is up to the Captain or the company's policy.
Flaps is extended out to ensure the aircraft land at the calculated safe speed for arrival.
This would be my 2nd time arriving at this airport. The last time I was here was about a year ago and I flew with Solaseed Air to this airport and return on the same day with Skymark. This time I stayed for a few days to explore the city.
For my trip report of Solaseed Air, click here
Speed brake was deployed together with the reverse thrust to slow the aircraft to taxi speed.
We may have touched down late but what is important is the flight was uneventful and the delay lasted less than an hour.
We took less than 10 minutes to reach our gate from the runway.
We parked beside ANA's Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Our aircraft rested for a short while before heading back to Tokyo Haneda with a fresh set of passengers and crew.
My flight summary
Welcome to Fukuoka Airport!
Thanks for the ride, JA26MC!
It took about 10 minutes to reach the luggage carousel.
My luggage didn't take long to come out.
Once I picked up the luggage, I headed over to the arrival hall.
It is always a pleasant experience travelling in these Japanese airports.
I took the train from the airport to my accommodation.
This is the station I alighted and it took about 10 minutes to walk to my accommodation.
That's all folks! Coming up next, flying from Fukuoka back to Tokyo Haneda with ANA!
(ANA's Boeing 767-300ER interior)
My ratings
Airline Website/Mobile App (ANA): 4/5
Airport Experience (Tokyo Haneda): 5/5
Inflight Service: 5/5
Seat Comfort: 5/5
Inflight Entertainment: 3/5
Cabin Ambiance: 5/5
Cabin Condition: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Inflight Meal/Beverage: 4/5
Punctuality: 3/5 (Can't really blame the airline for the delay)
Total Score: 44/50
Percentage: 88%
Conclusion
On this flight, I was able to score myself the window seat and enjoy the extra legroom space, making this ride on board this A320 even more comfortable. Competition among the Japanese airlines is fierce and some of these airlines go out all the way to attract and lure passengers to fly with them.
A few advantages about flying with this airline are the comfortable seats and low airfare especially during off peak periods and you can also use ANA to book flights with this airline, allowing you to earn miles with ANA or any other Star Alliance members. The disadvantage is the airline's small network which the airline is operating to just a few destinations. For now, in addition to the domestic routes the airline is operating, it flies only one international route and that is from Kitakyoshu to Taipei Taoyuan airport, 3 times weekly until late October 2026. Meanwhile, the airline is currently replacing its fleet of A320ceo with the newer varient, the A320neo which the ANA Holdings, the parent airline, would be providing for the airline's fleet renewal. With JAL and ANA operating subsidiaries, competition is fierce but that's good for us as more competition on the popular routes means more competitive fares for us travellers. Hope you enjoyed this trip report.
Thanks for reading, have a great one!
Cheers,
Charles
For my previous trip report (Air Japan's last commercial flight from Singapore to Tokyo Narita), click here
Stay tuned for the next trip report (ANA's Boeing 767-300ER flight from Fukuoka to Tokyo Haneda), coming up next.
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