Somehow, this ended up being the main reason why I am in Vietnam. It is also the main aim of my trip. I have been wanting to try out Starlux ever since the airline started, and have been mentioning it for a couple of months now. It has always interested me, and Starlux is by far the most intriguing of all new airlines in recent years. They have marketed themselves as a boutique luxury airline. They are, after all, the most successful new airline in the past five years. I can’t think of anything else that interests the aviation industry as much as Starlux. They were founded by Chang Kuo-Wei with an Eva background. He is also a pilot and even piloted some of the aircraft in the early days. I will be flying with them from Ho Chi Minh to Taipei, which is one of the sweetest spots for redemption on the Alaska Mileage Program. I cleared out some of my remaining miles from the Cathay First Class ticket and topped up a little. I paid 15,000 Alaska Miles and 45.96 SGD in taxes and fees. That is pretty affordable considering everything, and I am so excited to be flying on my first-ever Starlux flight! 

Checking In

Ideally, you will want to fly in the other direction instead, seeing that it will be more reflective when you are flying out from Taipei, their hub. It will also allow you to have access to their flagship Galactic Lounge. Sadly, that does not fit into my schedule. Ho Chi Minh is one airport that you do not want to arrive late for. The queues are ridiculous! You will want to allot more time for it. I got to the airport at around 9am for my flight. Somehow, Starlux doesn’t offer a mobile boarding pass here, either. They use check-in counters B towards the left of the terminal. The check-in counters are nicely segregated into premium cabins as well as economy class.

There was quite a line for Economy Class, but the premium ones stayed fairly empty. I was immediately helped by a friendly lady who checked me in. Immediately, you can already see signs of the Snoopy collab! You can see it from the super cute baggage tags to the boarding passes. This is definitely one of the most special ones that I have ever got throughout my travels. I will cherish it! I wanted to upgrade to First, but they don’t do same-day upgrades. 

The immigration lines were super long! There are no priority lines or a fast track for business class passengers on Starlux. It took me around 1 hour to clear them. Thankfully, the lounge here doesn’t matter to me at all. You do get priority lines for security! This will save you around 15 minutes or so. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a product. I even skip the lounge and head to the gate ahead to check out the plane. We will be flying on B58508 today! 

Boarding Process

Boarding is scheduled for 10.50am for my flight departing at 11.30am. We were assigned gate 16. It seems to be a pretty full flight. I made sure to be at the gate ahead of time and to be one of the first to board! The A350 is their flagship plane and comes with their best products. Boarding started with elite status holders and first class before business. I got some really nice pictures of the plane at the gate. Boarding started slightly late, and I managed to be one of the first to board and get some really nice pictures of the cabins.

I was warmly welcomed at the door by Alice and Isabelle, who were working my aisle. They are excellent and so polished. Isabelle then ushered me over to my seat. All of their crew are so well trained and all. They even helped me with my bags. Top-notch service I have encountered in the world. I took the chance to get some nice pictures of the various cabins. Boarding is very peaceful and calm, especially since I am in the last row. The rest of the plane boarded through the second door. I love the look of the cabin! So chic!

Right after, the crew also came over to offer their signature welcome drink, which is a passion fruit juice and a refreshing cold towel. Isabelle is very friendly and welcoming. We had a little chat about Starlux and the Snoopy collab. The crew also came by to present the menu and to take meal orders while on the ground.

I also got a glass of champagne while on the ground. They do a pretty solid pour of Laurent-Perrier. Business class looks to be very heavily staffed. There are about 5 to 6 crew members who work in business and first class. While on the ground, they constantly come around to check the cabin, clear stuff, and conduct security checks. We had a slight delay and push back around 11.40am. They can delay as long as they want. I am enjoying myself. Two of the seats are blocked off for crew rest. We took off at 11.50am, slightly behind schedule, which I’m totally fine with!

Starlux A350 Flagship Business Class

The 350 is the flagship aircraft of Starlux, and it comes with four different cabins. They have first class, business class, premium economy and economy class. They do have a very small “first class” cabin, if you would call it, since they are just the first row in business. The bulkhead seats are different from the rest of the cabin and specially designed. It is just not in a different area by itself. More pictures on this later. Coming back to the business class cabins. The Collins Aerospace seats are designed by BMW Designworks and come with a privacy door. The seats are 19.6″ wide and convert fully flat. It also comes with a 24″ 4K UHD touchscreen display and a Wireless charging pad. I went for the last row on the right aisle. I will be seated in 7K. The two middle seats are used for crew rest. 

I wanted to get the best privacy and space for taking pictures. Business Class seems fairly empty with only 9 seats taken up. There was one passenger in First Class. Business Class is in a 1-2-1 configuration in reverse herringbone style. Most of the seats are more or less the same. Solo travellers are best on the sides, and the middle will be good for couples. Either go for the first row or the last. The seats even come with doors, or I would call them privacy screens, since they don’t cover the top and bottom. The doors are locked by the crew during takeoff and landing. 

The seats are very private and lovely. It is well-padded, and I love the cool look of the finishes. It is very sleek. The seat can be directly reclined into the bed. It comes with an ottoman for your leg rest and then part of the bed when fully flat. Left on the seat, you can find a plush pillow and blanket. 

The armrest on the side can be adjusted and put down for a wider surface when in bed mode. 

Jacket hook near the entrance.

In the corner over here at the bottom, there are some reading materials as well as a slot for your loose and small items. The storage here is pretty good. 

Coming to the table, the table slides out under the television screen itself. It is of a good size for both dining and working.

Back to the TV, the seats come with a 24 Inch 4K touchscreen. The quality is top-notch and very informative. The in-flight entertainment system comes with plenty of options, including HBO Max. There are plenty of movies and TV shows for your viewing. This is paired with noise-cancelling headphones. I did wish that they had a filter on the system to showcase which shows are in 4K quality as well, to pair with the screen. 

Wifi is also available and easy to connect to. It is free for first class, business class and premium economy passengers. For economy class, they get access to messaging. 

The seat controls are intuitive, and the panel is touchscreen. This is where you can control the lighting, seat position, and even the crew call bell. I love that they had some preset seat positions and even a Zero Gravity one, which is awesome. 

The platform here offers plenty of space for your items. They even have a little compartment over here for small loose items like your passport and phone. This comes with a little ledge to open it, which is quite loud. It might provide extra security against theft.

I love how gorgeous the light is here, which adds a little residential vibe and classiness to it. The side compartment here offers a large space. It comes with a vanity mirror inside, and this is also where the headphones are. You can also find power sockets and the WiFi charging pad here.  

Here is what the seat looks like when fully flat. I am unsure if it comes with any additional bedding or a mattress pad. Slippers are available upon request. 

There are three toilets for the use of business class and first class. They are well-maintained by the crew throughout the flight. In the toilets, you can find Huygens amenities. There are also dental kits and mouthwash available, which I appreciated. 

Check out these toilet papers! I appreciate Starlux going the extra mile! Those landing strip prints are funny! 

Here are some other pictures of the business class cabin. 

They are currently running a Snoopy collab with some themed items. Upon knowing that it was my first time, Isabelle came by with even more Snoopy-themed gifts. Let me also share some pictures of the other cabins. 

Other Cabins 

First Class

Premium Economy 

Economy 

Meal Service

I can’t find a way to preview the menu online in advance for your flight. They do have 2 international options that you can choose ahead of time. These were the same as those on the onboard menu. There is an additional Asian selection onboard. You can find the menu for the flight here. The options are impressive for a short 3-hour flight. I just decided to do it the normal way around and order from the menu on board.

Besides this, they have a separate wine list available. How impressive is this? They were pouring a very respectable Albert Bichot Chablis 1er Cru 2022. With how short the flight is, the crew immediately sprang into action the moment the seat belt sign was off. I decided to go for the international option and got the Pan-Seared Beef Tenderloin, which seems far more interesting. Orders were taken on the ground. Both the appetiser and main course were served together on a tray. They were nicely presented with their bread selection and the drink. I got their signature cocktail as recommended by the crew. Everything is served with a white tablecloth. I love everything. The Grilled Prawn salad was amazing with a nice char. The same goes for the steak, which is so flavourful and well-cooked. This is always a tricky dish to perfect in the air. The accompanying hash was lovely too. What an impressive meal!

I had their Citrus Mist cocktail. The cocktails are created by a renowned mixologist from Tainan Bar TCRC and Bar Home. The longan and genmai-based cocktail is amazing. I love the Chiayi Longan liquor. This is one of the best that I have had in the air. I am craving for it right now too. Starlux is also such a showoff for having whisky ice too! 

I also tried all of their signature cocktails! They are all so good! Don’t miss out on Sci-fi Cosmos, which is their signature drink. It is pretty awesome too. The drinks menu is really solid. Kavalan is available too. 

I really wish that I had more time to drink more! Non-alcoholic drinkers will also like their cold-pressed juice. 

They made the most out of the short flight duration. The crew were polished and friendly. The purser also came by to personally welcome every business class passenger. This is so impressive. Staff service is excellent. Soon after, the desserts and fruits were served on another tray. They were alright, nothing too memorable. I got some carrot juice and Kavalan to go with them. 

I lounge back after the meal, and we still have some time to go. I knock back a couple more of those Citrus Mist, which is my favourite drink onboard. Each time, the crew got me a new glass and a new block of whisky ice. The flight certainly went by fast! To finish up the service, the crew came by to thank every passenger and offer some candy while prepping for arrival.

Conclusion

This might be unique to Starlux, but it does feel rather weird to me, especially on a route this short. After the service was completed, a majority of the crew simply took their rest in the empty business class seats. There were like 4 to 5 cabin crew doing so till we were preparing for landing. I meant the seats were empty, but to see the crew resting on a 3-hour flight seems weird. This is in addition to the 2 standby crew already paxing. I thoroughly enjoy this flight. It certainly ranks among the top for me. I am glad to have a glimpse of the Starlux product. The crew service is excellent. The same goes for the outstanding catering! I love their drinks. This actually puts even the likes of SQ and Cathay to shame. I can’t wait to fly with Starlux again and really try them on a long haul! This is one of the top 10 airlines in the world! How lucky for Taiwan to have 3 home airlines! Try them if you have the opportunity! You will not be disappointed! Great job, Starlux!