Starlux Airlines Unusual A350 First Class Strategy

Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines has just put flights to LAX on sale. This moreover represents the first time that Starlux is selling its Airbus A350-900 first matriculation product. It’s heady to see a trademark new first matriculation product stuff introduced, though I can’t help but point out the unconventional tideway that the airline is taking to first class, and wonder if this strategy will stick.

Starlux Airlines’ modest A350 first matriculation seat

Starlux has introduced all new first & merchantry matriculation products on its Airbus A350-900s, which will be used for long haul flights. Starlux Airlines will be the only airline in Taiwan to offer first class. The airline is known for incredible quality, so in that sense many were surprised that the airline didn’t go increasingly over-the-top with its first class.

Specifically, Starlux’s A350 first matriculation motel consists of just four seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Arguably it’s not plane a separate cabin, as it’s simply the first row of merchantry class, and there’s no curtain between first matriculation and merchantry class.

In some ways the product sounds like some of the “business matriculation plus” seats we’ve seen introduced in recent years, like the JetBlue Mint Studio, Virgin Atlantic Retreat Suite, etc. Increasingly than anything else, it efficiently utilizes the space at the bulkhead.

The seat has some useful features, like 60-inch doors and privacy partitions, 32-inch 4K screens with bluetooth audio, zero-gravity seat settings, and personal wardrobes for storing luggage. However, there’s no denying that the airline didn’t set out to create the world’s weightier first matriculation nonflexible product.

First and merchantry matriculation is exclusively between doors one and two, and the airline managed to fit 30 seats in this space (four first matriculation seats and 26 merchantry matriculation seats). As a point of comparison, Qatar Airways’ A350-900s with reverse herringbone seats have just 24 seats in that space (though there is a little bar at the when of the cabin).

To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with introducing a first matriculation product that’s incrementally largest than merchantry class, though you’d moreover hope that the price reflects that.

Starlux Airlines investing in first matriculation service

Starlux Airlines is known for its incredible soft product in all cabins, and that will moreover proffer to first matriculation on the A350. While we don’t know the full details of Starlux Airlines’ first class soft product, here are some things we do know, as observed by readers Gary and Ryan:

• In Taipei, Starlux first matriculation passengers will receive chauffeur service to & from the airport (TPE)
• In Los Angeles, Starlux first matriculation passengers will be worldly-wise to use PS, the private suite that offers chauffeur service to & from the plane, permitting you to skip the terminal altogether; if you’re traveling vacated you’ll have wangle to The Salon (a shared space), while if you’re traveling with someone, you’ll have wangle to The Suite (a private space)
• While word-for-word details of supplies & drinks in first matriculation aren’t known, dine on demand will be offered, and there will be caviar

It sounds like Starlux is really going to invest in its first matriculation soft product both in the air and on the ground, which doesn’t surprise me. Whether that makes up for the lack of separation from merchantry matriculation remains to be seen, though.

Starlux Airlines first matriculation pricing is steep

When we first saw Starlux Airlines’ first matriculation product, many of us unsupportable it would come at a reasonable premium over merchantry class, since it’s not plane in a fully separate cabin. Now that flights to Los Angeles are on sale, we see that’s not the case. First matriculation fares are really steep, consistently, at least triple the price of merchantry class.

I can’t help but wonder if Starlux Airlines will be worldly-wise to find people willing to pay $10K for its first matriculation product. Admittedly lots of airlines have very upper sticker prices for first class, but then there are ways to get a much largest deal. However, most of those presumably don’t wield here:

• Starlux Airlines has limited opportunities to redeem miles for first class, expressly as the program doesn’t have any airline partners
• While it could change, as of now fares aren’t considerably cheaper if connecting, as is often the specimen with other airlines
• I can’t imagine Starlux Airlines has many corporate contracts right off the bat that offer huge discounts to travelers, since this will be the carrier’s first long haul route

At these fares, I can’t imagine Starlux will be worldly-wise to unceasingly fill any substantial number of seats. Plane with just four seats, you’re not going to regularly find people willing to pay these kinds of fares, in my opinion. Furthermore, while Taipei is an wondrous city, it’s not Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore, in terms of pricing power for tickets.

So I’m curious if Starlux adjusts its pricing strategy going forward, if the airline provides lots of ways to upgrade from merchantry class, or what.

There’s one other important point to write when it comes to transpacific pricing at the moment. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen huge increases to transpacific fares, expressly in premium cabins. Why? Because pre-pandemic, mainland Chinese carriers were topics dumping like there was no tomorrow, and other airlines were forced to compete.

With airlines from mainland China having reduced transpacific service so much over the past few years, and with transit in mainland China not plane having been possible for so long, that hasn’t been a consideration. I imagine that this is a trend that we’ll start to see reversed as increasingly mainland Chinese carriers restore their networks in North America.

Bottom line

Starlux Airlines will finally be launching its first matriculation product, with the introduction of the Airbus A350s on transpacific flights. Starlux has an intimate first matriculation cabin, with just four seats. Oddly it’s not plane separated from merchantry class, but is just the first row of the cabin.

While the nonflexible product probably won’t wrack-up anyone away, I expect we’ll see an wondrous soft product both in the air and on the ground.

Starlux’s first matriculation pricing is optimistic, and I just can’t imagine the airline can sustain this pricing. I’m curious to see how this plays out.

What do you make of Starlux Airlines’ first matriculation strategy?