Originally Posted by
pushmyredbutton
I wanted to provide my experience flying LAX-TPE on JX recently. Like others, the flight itself was good, although definitely not perfect and there are some areas that could be improved. Here are my takes:
- Check at LAX is a total cluster, and JX does *not* participate in precheck. Strongly recommend you walk over and clear TSA at T4 since the TBIT is insanely busy when JX departs.
- As mentioned in a previous reply, JX *does* in fact interline baggage to other airlines, including China Airlines and EVA if you ask.
- Lounge at LAX is the Qantas business lounge which is just "meh". At the time of night, it isn't very crowded.
- Boarding was alright, full flight, and they did a pretty good job of boarding biz first and segregating economy into separate lines
- J was 100% full when we flew, and we had the center pair in row 2. First impressions were that while the seat was comfortable, it was bordering on claustrophobic since you couldn't really see any part of the cabin due to the high walls in row 1, this is also amplified with how close the screen appears to your face. Hard to explain, but just felt really boxed in.
- Service, while well intentioned, fell short on the flight. English was limited, and all the FA's wearing masks doesn't really help with trying to read lips and comprehending.
- Perhaps this was just me, but the menu/meal service was a bit confusing. There is no dine-on-demand and I was never sure what course was coming next. Food quality was excellent and presentation was great.
- Wifi absolutely sucks - didn't become active until a few hours into the flight, and was never consistent when it did work.
- Minor, but unlike other Asian airlines, the crew seemed a bit hyper-sensitive about the seatbelt sign. I estimate it was on for nearly 70% of the flight even with light chop. Of course, it was freely ignored.
- The mattress pad is excellent, and the seat comfort in bed mode is also excellent. Be advised that the seat goes *very* low the floor when flat. I would have appreciated a better pillow, though. The one that is on the seat at boarding is the only pillow available.
- Upon arrival at TPE, be sure you have your boarding passes for your connecting flight. You will be led directly into the terminal, bypassing security (similar to NRT). If you don't have your onward boarding pass, it's very confusing to get to the transfer counter, and you then need to go through transfer security.
Overall, a good flight. I wouldn't go out of my way to fly JX again in business unless the price was right.
Following up with some
economy (
) experiences - had a chance to do 2 roundtrips of HAN-TPE-LAX, SFO-TPE-SIN, CGK-TPE-SFO-TPE-SIN recently:
- Starlux now participates in precheck! Although you can only add/confirm your TTN at the counter, but it does work
- On AS tickets, both revenue and miles, you can select your seats in the app exactly 48 hours before the flight (the timer is for each flight individually, if you have multiple flights)
- You cannot select bulkhead or exit row seats, even at checkin, on an AS ticket, and there is no option to pay for them. You can however choose the "Forward Seats" free of charge
- Entertainment is solid, with large screens and bluetooth(!!) connectivity. Movie and TV selections are above average for an Asian carrier
- Wi-Fi continues to be the worst out of any carrier that offers it - it's seriously that bad. Not only is it expensive at $30, but it rarely works. The portal either times out, connectivity is lost, or it's just too slow to even be usable. A massive fail for Starlux to offer Onair
- Seats are pretty comfortable, and there is deep recline. The recline is so deep, that if the person in front of you reclines, you can't realistically use your tray table; haven't seen this deep of a recline on other carriers.
- The beverage service is a bit awkward. During meal service, not all beverages are on the cart (ie. no Coke Zero, sparking water, beer...). If you ask for one, you'll be declined. You have to specifically ask them to get it for you separately
- Also, there is no service between meals, so if you want anything, it's best to use the call button
- Service is well intentioned, and the crew mostly speak good English, although language barriers still exist, but no worse than other airlines from the region
- Cabins are kept cold! Use the fleece blanket provided, or prepare in advance..
- There's no nice way to say this, but the passenger mix on Starlux reminds me of flying and connecting on one of the gulf carriers. There seems to be lots of first-time flyers that are attracted by price but don't behave or clean up after themselves very well...
- On that note, toilets are filthy and rarely cleaned
Overall, Starlux is
fine for what it is. I get the feeling they're going for the "luxury" vibe, but fail to pull it off cohesively. If earning AS miles wasn't such a giant pain, and there was some recognition of elite benefits (dreaming, I know), I would consider flying JX again.
For now, I think I'm much happier on JAL.