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- Starlux Airlines is launching a new Airbus A350-1000 with an expanded business-class cabin.
- The Taiwanese airline is known for offering more affordable business-class seats on long-haul flights.
- Business Insider took a look at the aircraft’s interior at the Singapore Airshow.
Taiwanese airline Starlux is set to fly a new Airbus A350 variant that will expand its number of business-class seats by over 50%.
The seven-year-old startup is introducing 18 new A350-1000s to its fleet, with the first delivered in January.
Its A350-1000 configuration offers 40 business-class seats, up from 26 on Starlux’s current A350-900s.
The new aircraft adds 30 economy-class seats, bringing the total to 270 in coach. The rest of its A350-1000 offerings are unchanged from the A350-900, with 36 premium economy seats and four first-class suites.
Starlux showcased its new plane at the Singapore Airshow this week, and Business Insider went aboard for a look.
The aircraft is the longest commercial A350 to date, which explains the additional seats.
Starlux, which calls itself a ’boutique international airline,’ aggressively ties its brand to the luxury aspects of flying.
It’s known regionally for selling business-class tickets on short and medium-haul flights at roughly $1,500.
Some of its longer routes, such as San Francisco to Taipei, can offer regular round-trip business-class fares as low as $2,600.
Since launching flights in 2020, the Taiwanese airline has increasingly leaned on premium seat offerings, a trend among full-service carriers as market prices for economy seats have generally fallen.
Starlux’s A350-100 features business-class seats that are largely the same as those on its A350-900.
They’re semi-private suites with a 24-inch screen and seats that can fully recline.
The light under the passenger seat number changes from green to red when do-not-disturb mode is activated.
A sliding privacy door is configured from the outside.
Cabin crew typically open and close the doors for passengers, but an emergency latch on the inside also allows the sliding panel to come loose.
The seats feature a ‘Zero G’ function inspired by NASA technology.
Essentially, that means the seat elevates the head and feet over the rear for better posture, so the passenger’s body resembles a “W.”
An extra lamp provides ambient lighting in addition to the regular A350 ceiling bulbs and a reading light.
Starlux’s business class also features a cubby for charging and storing personal electronic devices.
Like the A350-900, the new aircraft features windows that dim with the touch of a button.
If a passenger has two windows next to their seat, they can dim the second with a remote.
The four first-class seats are in the same cabin as business class, with a 36-inch screen.
These seats have no overhead luggage compartments; instead, they feature a personal closet for each passenger. They’re lined with leather, while business class seats are made of fabric.
There is no curtain or wall separating Starlux’s business and first-class areas.
Starlux’s A350-1000 offers a fairly standard economy-class seat for international airlines.
In-flight entertainment is available for every seat, with an extendable screen for those sitting in the front rows.
A notable change from the A350-900: On the new aircraft, rows of economy-class seats aren’t aligned.
Chatting with a passenger across the aisle may prove more difficult on the A350-1000.
The new A350-1000 will first serve Starlux’s Taiwan-Tokyo flights.
The new plane is also scheduled to begin flying Starlux’s Phoenix route this summer. Starlux flies to 31 destinations, with five routes to the US.
Read the full article here
