It has Skytrax 5 stars and First Class: the new luxury airline that will land in Europe starting this summer

Until now, on long-haul, it had only ever looked to the American market, connecting its Taipei hub with two airports in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, LA International and Ontario, Seattle, San Francisco, and Phoenix.

But from next August 1, Starlux Airlines will put its first foot in Europe, connecting Taipei to Prague with three weekly flights that will become four with the start of Winter 2026-2027.

 

We are not talking about just any vector, but about one of the very few in the world that for the quality of its on-board service and the comfort of its cabins can boast the Skytrax 5-Star rating, an accolade it was awarded in June 2025, just six years after it began operations. At the Skytrax Awards 2025, the carrier had been Awarded as the 'Most improved' in Asia and global level.

According to the specialized website aeroroutes.com, it will take off from Prague on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 10:20 a.m. to arrive in Taipei at 5:10 the next morning. In the reverse direction, the flight will operate on the same days of the week with takeoff ten minutes after midnight to arrival in the Czech Republic at 7:50 am. The connections, however, do not yet appear in the company's booking system in the specialized airline booking websites.

 

The choice of Prague was somewhat surprising for a few reasons. The Czech capital is certainly not one of Europe's great metropolises and, at the moment, its only major carrier is the low-cost Smartwings, which in past years has gradually 'eaten away' pieces of the former national airline Czech Airlines until it was completely absorbed just over a year ago.

But even if Czech still existed, Prague would be Skyteam territory, speaking of international alliances, while Starlux is poised to make its entrance into oneworld. However, it should be noted that at 'Vaclav Havel' already land a number of airlines from the Asian East, including Korean Air and Asiana Airlines from Seoul, Hainan Airlines from Beijing, and China Airlines, which by the way flies there right from Taipei. So some deep-rooted strong 'connection' with some countries in that region must be there.

The routes will be operated with one of the carrier's ten A350-900s in force (which also received its first -1000 a couple of months ago), planes outfitted in four classes with four First Class suites (1-2-1), 26 seats in Business (1-2-1), 36 in Premium Economy (2-4-2), and 240 in Economy (3-3-3).

The six A330-900s (but five more are coming in the next few months) dealing with high-demand regional connections are instead set up in only two classes, with 28 seats in Business and 269 in Economy.

Completing the fleet (which now has 30 aircraft) are thirteen two-class Airbus A321neo (with 8 seats in Business and 180 in Economy) and, indeed, an A350-1000 (with two more coming soon) that has on board 4 First Class suites, 40 Business seats, 36 Premium Economy seats and 270 Economy seats.

Currently, Starlux has codeshare agreements with only two companies, Alaska Airlines and Etihad Airways, and interline with American, which are a 'telltale' of its imminent entry into oneworld. Its loyalty program is called Cosmile and is organized into 4 tiers (tiers). The starting one which is called Traveler.

There are three statuses: Adventurer, which is achieved with 30,000 miles or 25 flight sectors in 12 months that entitles you to dedicated check-in counters and an extra suitcase in the hold, Explorer (50,000 miles or 50 flight sectors), which adds lounge access, priority boarding and priority baggage claim (all extended to any travel companion) and Insighter (120,000 miles flown or 100 flight sectors; always in 12 months) that gives access to a dedicated telephone concierge service, extension to a second travel companion of the previous level's priorities, a third checked bag, free cancellation in case of award ticket cancellations, and free choice of any seat on board.