Starlux Adds Ontario, California: Intriguing
Intro
Starlux, the latest airline to open long-haul flights out of Taipei, has just announced its latest destination in the USA, and I have to say that I am slightly surprised (well, kind of). Seeing as I live a 30-minute drive from Ontario, I am going to take a jab at understanding why they decided to launch operations. Let's get into it!
The Details
As of June 2nd, 2025, Starlux will become the second airline to serve the Ontario to Taipei route. The 6,800-mile route (ish) will operate 4x weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with an A350-900. These A350s are gorgeous, featuring 4 first-class suites, 26 business class seats, 36 premium economy seats, and 240 economy seats. The schedule is as follows:
JX10: Taipei-Ontario departing 8:05 PM arriving 5:05 PM
JX09: Ontario-Taipei departing 11:10 PM arriving 4:15 AM (+2 days)
I do find it interesting that they have decided to keep the plane on the ground for over 6 hours in Ontario. Presumably, it will be for those looking to make connections in Ontario (the 5:05 arrival) and then operating the double redeye back.
My Jab At The Equation
As I live in Southern California and actually attend university there, I am going to take a stab at why Starlux is adding Ontario.
There is a huge population from multiple countries/places in Asia, and one of these is Taiwan. I've been up to Riverside multiple times and have come across many people who live in Taiwan. Heck, even someone I know in Atlanta happens to always transit in LA when heading to Taiwan, as she prefers it.
China Airlines has served this route since 2018, and it has done so well that they even operate this flight daily. Just looking at the statistics, I imagine that this route will do well for Starlux.
So, I guess with the two above reasons, I think it makes sense that Starlux is beginning service to Ontario. Although I would have loved to see the Starlux launch service on the East Coast, passengers should welcome any other route additions.
Final Thoughts
Starlux has just announced its latest expansion into North America, and I am guessing it is one that most of us didn't see coming: Ontario, California. Considering that Starlux just launched a second 3x weekly service in Los Angeles, they will now be serving "the area" up to 14x weekly, which is quite a high number. For those looking to head to Taipei, I imagine that the route out of Ontario might save a couple of 💵.
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