On January 18, 2024, Starlux launched flights between Taipei and Chiang Mai, its second destination in Taiwan after Bangkok.
Continue reading to learn more about the new route.
Starlux Airlines’ New Taipei – Chiang Mai Route
Starlux’s inaugural flight took off from Taipei Taoyuan Airport’s runway 05R at 1:01PM and landed on Chiang Mai Airport’s runway 36 nearly four hours later, at 3:54PM local time. The flight was operated by an Airbus A321neo registered B-58207.
Going forward, Starlux plans to operate the route three times a week (with some extra flights scheduled in January, February, and March) with the following schedule:
- JX751 / Taipei Taoyuan – Chiang Mai / 1:20PM – 4:15PM / Tue, Thu, Sat
- JX752 / Chiang Mai – Taipei Taoyuan / 5:15PM – 10:15PM / Tue, Thu, Sat
The flights connect relatively well to the airline’s US-bound flights with passengers traveling from Chiang Mai to both Los Angeles and San Francisco having about 90 minutes to transfer. In the other direction, however, the connecting time is, at about seven or eight hours, not ideal.
Starlux will continue to use the A321neo on the Taipei – Chiang Mai route. The aircraft is equipped with 8 lie-flat business class seats in a 2-2 layout and 180 economy class seats in a 3-3 layout for a total capacity of 188 passengers.
Starlux is the fourth airline to offer non-stop flights between the two cities. Both of the other two major Taiwanese full-service airlines – Star Alliance member EVA Air (daily) and SkyTeam member China Airlines (mostly 5x week) – fly to Chiang Mai. Thai AirAsia flies on the route daily too.
Starlux Airlines Also Serves Bangkok
As mentioned earlier, Chiang Mai is Starlux Airlines’ second destination in Thailand as the airline also serves the country’s capital, Bangkok. With the Bangkok route having much higher demand (albeit also supply), Starlux operates two daily flights.
On one of those, the airline uses the narrowbody A321neo – the same type as it uses on the Chiang Mai route – while on the other flight, it uses the widebody A330-900neo. The Starlux A330 is equipped with 28 staggered business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout and 269 economy class seats in a 2-4-2 layout for a total of 297 seats.
There are multiple daily EVA Air, China Airlines, Thai Airways, and Thai Vietjet Air flights on the route too.
In an effort to boost tourism between Thailand and Taiwan, Thailand temporarily offers visa-free access to Taiwanese tourists. The scheme is scheduled to run until May 10, 2024, at this point. It remains to be seen whether it will be extended or not.
Summary
Starlux Airlines continues to expand its network. In addition to launching flights to San Francisco, opening an office in Taichung ahead of launching operations from the city, and planning to launch flights to Hakodate in February 2024, the airline recently added flights between Taipei and Chiang Mai.
The Taipei – Chiang Mai is operated using A321neos and is scheduled to run mostly three times a week (with some extra flights over the next couple of months). Chiang Mai is Starlux’s second destination in Thailand after Bangkok.
