No, this is not a retirement announcement.
On June 30th, Starlux Airlines closed out a very short era of A350-900 operations at its newest North American destination, Phoenix, Arizona. The city’s airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, was selected as the inaugural destination for Starlux’s new A350-1000, which has been used on the route ever since. While it is exciting for the first destination for the type in North America to be somewhere other than LAX or SFO, it’s a bittersweet occasion as a brief epoch comes to an end. I chose to try and replicate the flight as best I could in Infinite Flight, and while the actual flight time turned out to be a couple minutes longer than the real-world one, I hope I did it justice. Without further ado, here’s STARWALKER 25.
Server: Solo
Airline: Starlux Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Origin: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona (PHX)
Destination: Taoyuan International Airport, Dayuan, Taiwan (TPE)
Flight Number: JX25
Route: KPHX-RCTP
Seat: 59A (Economy)
Time En Route: 13 Hours 46 Minutes
Sitting in the boarding area of Gate B23 at Sky Harbor while baggage and cargo containers are loaded onto our aircraft. Tonight’s flight is the last one for Starlux’s A350-900s out of Phoenix, as the route is being upgauged to the brand-new A350-1000 tomorrow. While it definitely will be interesting to see another A350-1000 here, it’s still going to be sad to have the A350-900s we’ve come to know and love disappear from here. This is also going to be our first-ever flight in economy on Starlux Airlines and we’re pumped to experience it!
Leaving the alley for a short taxi to Runway 26. Since we boarded, we’ve been very impressed with the economy seating on this aircraft. While it’s not at the level of the private, enclosed suites of business class or first class up front, the economy cabin’s seats are still very modern and comfortable and the cabin aura is still very spaceship-like, even beyond how an A350 normally is. It’s definitely looking very promising for the flight ahead.
The cargo ramp is passing by out the window as we get airborne from Sky Harbor. We’ve officially begun Starlux Airlines’s longest North American route, at just over 7,400 miles. Despite this flight being estimated at almost 14 hours en route, we’re not worried about any physical discomfort, as we have our row to ourselves, the cabin lights are dimmed, and most everyone else is too tired to carry on a conversation or otherwise make noise. Should be a nice, peaceful transpacific flight tonight.
Climbing over Goodyear, Arizona, on our way to our initial cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. The local airport is one of several aircraft graveyards in Arizona, where aircraft are stored awaiting refurbishment and sale to a new customer, parting out, or scrapping the picked-over hulk. It’s a rather bleak contrast, today’s widebody aircraft flying west to Taipei while yesterday’s widebodies are at the end of the line. South of us, the Sonoran Desert stretches off into the distance.
Getting ready to fall asleep after dinner east of the San Gabriel Mountains, over the high desert of the Mojave. Dinner tonight was a Taiwanese pork belly on rice with a side of vegetables. It was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. The economy dining on Starlux may the best we’ve had in economy class on any airline, anywhere in the world so far. Besides the food, we were provided with an amenity kit, pillow, and blanket better than most business class cabins outside of East Asia and the Gulf. Now that dinner is out of the way, we can relax and drift off to sleep as we approach the Pacific Ocean.
Around a little less than ten hours after falling asleep, we’ve woken up east of Japan. Once again, Starlux has proven tp be an industry leader in economy class, as we slept without interruption pretty much all of the was across the Pacific. Now that we’re up, we’re thinking of ordering a coffee to perk us up before arriving in Taiwan. Got to have energy for all the stuff we’re planning on doing there!
The distinctive sound of A350 flaps lowering fills the cabin as we begin our final descent into TPE. It’s sufficiently clear out that we can see the runway lights of the airport and a decent amount of the coastline through the clouds. For a transpacific flight not starting in a coastal state, we’ve made excellent time, having spent just over 13 and a half hours in the air. Soon, we’ll be on the ground in Taipei.
Landing in the very early morning at Taoyuan International on Runway 05R. The touchdown was magnificent, with our flight crew gently settling the jet onto the runway before pulling the thrust levers for the big Trent XWBs into reverse. As we slow down prior to exiting the runway, most passengers are slowly waking up. Guess it’s as nice a wake-up call as any.
Taxiing by Taoyuan Tower and a consistent line of full gates. Even a busy international airport like TPE has to get some rest. We’re likely one of the first long-haul arrivals of the day here, followes by many more from Europe, Canada, and the United States. Still feels weird seeing so many jets not doing anything.
Deplaned at Gate D15. After a wonderful flight, we’re walking away still reeling from how fantastic everything in economy class was. Though it’s common for many airlines, even highly-regarded ones, to skimp on their economy cabins, Starlux has delivered a top-notch product in economy. The food, service, comfort, and amenities were all as good as we could expect them to be, without any noticeable drawbacks. In conclusion, we would strongly, strongly recommend Starlux Airlines for anyone wanting an excellent economy experience traveling to Taiwan.
