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Flying Starlux and Japan airlines in business class: How I used Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to make it happen
While it’s getting more difficult to maximize your points and miles and fly in the front end of the plane without breaking the bank, it is still very possible. In fact, I was just able to do it on a recent trip to Asia. I found some incredible long-haul award redemptions on Japan Airlines and …
While it’s getting more difficult to maximize your points and miles and fly in the front end of the plane without breaking the bank, it is still very possible. In fact, I was just able to do it on a recent trip to Asia.
I found some incredible long-haul award redemptions on Japan Airlines and Starlux Airlines, and I was able to make my redemptions using a widely available mileage currency: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.
I flew Japan Airlines in business class to Tokyo from San Francisco for just 60,000 Mileage Plan miles. While this particular award availability can be scarce, if you are flexible, you can often duplicate this redemption to fly business class or even first class on Japan Airlines using either Alaska miles or, as I recently did again, American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
For my ride home, I used just 75,000 Mileage Plan miles to book a business-class seat on one of Alaska’s newer Asian airline partners, Starlux. It was my third time flying the Taiwanese airline, and I highly recommend you add it to your AvGeek bucket list.
Here’s how I found these business-class airline awards and booked the flights … and how you can, too.
Booking Japan Airlines business-class awards
Although not as widespread as in the past, Japan Airlines business-class awards are still lurking around, if you know where to look and how to book quickly.
While you could exhaustively search for awards on the Alaska Airlines and American Airlines websites, checking the various U.S. airports to which Japan Airlines flies, I recommend using an award search tool like PointsYeah or Seats.aero to see if you can find space at the lowest award levels. Simply put in your city pairs, and then you can set some filters to search specific airlines, including Japan Airlines, to generate results that show which miles you can use to book the route.
I booked my business-class ticket for September for just 60,000 Mileage Plan miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees, though I also could have redeemed 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
I recently found first-class award space on a Japan Airlines flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) departing in September for just 80,000 AAdvantage miles. For that same trip, I booked business class for 60,000 AAdvantage miles on the return from NRT to ORD, also on Japan Airlines.
These redemptions are out there and accessible, but, as I mentioned, you have to be flexible when it comes to your dates and departure airports. If you find availability, be sure to jump on it quickly because it disappears fast.
Related: Travel to Japan with points and miles: Best ways to redeem your rewards for flights and hotels
What it was like flying Japan Airlines business class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
I’ve flown Japan Airlines before, but I was again blown away by the incredible service and the fine food on the long journey I recently took. I was booked on Japan Airlines Flight 57 on a 9-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, ship (or registration) No. JA863J.
This 787 had 44 business-class seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, with the cabin split into two sections of business class. Bathrooms and a small galley were available between the two sections.
Unlike some of the other 787-9s in Japan Airlines’ fleet, this one featured the carrier’s Sky Suite seats. While they aren’t the most modern seats in the sky, they can feel ultraprivate thanks to their staggered configuration.
There were a blanket, a large pillow, headphones, slippers and a small amenity kit waiting at my seat.
Japan Airlines is collaborating with the company Heralbony for its amenity kits. While I support its mission of helping those with intellectual disabilities, I haven’t been impressed with the kits recently. They have all the basics, including a simple eye mask and pocket tissues, but they just don’t have the allure of previous Japan Airlines kits from Porsche Design. The Heralbony kit did have a USB charging cable and a cellphone cable, two fairly unusual amenity kit items.
The seats are wide and plush, turning into lie-flat beds with the push of a button. A flight attendant helped me put down a mattress pad before sleeping.
The food is where Japan Airlines really shines, though, as the carrier offers the option for a Japanese-influenced or Western-style meal served over multiple courses.
I chose the international menu for this flight. A first course of nuts and olives was followed by a plate of hors d’oeuvres that included tuna tataki, poached shrimp and a salad with a green goddess dressing.
For my main, I had USDA Prime beef tenderloin, pumpkin conchiglioni pasta and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, there was a pumpkin mouse with granola accompanied by green tea.
The best part was a prelanding snack of ramen … something I’ve grown to look forward to whenever I fly Japan Airlines.
As usual on Japan Airlines, service was flawless on my long transpacific flight.
Flight attendants came by with frequent drink refills and provided prompt service whenever I asked for anything, including copious amounts of coffee before landing.
I always love flying Japan Airlines and look forward to my next flights this summer.
Related: Japan Airlines’ A350-100 inaugural from New York to Tokyo: Same great service, fabulous new seats
Booking Starlux business-class awards
Starlux is a relatively new Taiwan-based airline that just started service in 2020. It flies from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), with flights to California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) starting June 2.
Although it is not in an airline alliance, it partners with Alaska Airlines, and redemptions in business class start at just 75,000 miles each way.
I reviewed business class on the airline last year, and it quickly became one of my favorite airlines. I was eager to try it out again.
I got very lucky and found a date that worked with my Japan trip in February on the airline’s route from Taipei to Seattle. I was able to book it at the lowest rate Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers, plus a very reasonable $19 in fees, taxes and surcharges.
There is not a ton of availability, but you can occasionally snag it if you stay flexible and search frequently. I find that awards tend to be available either very close in (within a few days of travel) or very far out.
A quick search I conducted as research for this article found lots of availability for 175,000 miles each way, but the 75,000 miles for business class and 50,000 miles for premium economy were more elusive. I did find a few dates from LAX in premium economy for 50,000 miles.
Again, I recommend looking via an award search tool.
What it was like flying Starlux business class on the Airbus A350-900
Starlux has actually supplanted Japan Airlines as my new favorite Asian carrier. The 75,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles I spent for this redemption made it one of my best of the year.
My ticket got me into the incredible Starlux Galactic Lounge in Taipei, which is designed to look like a starship.
The lounge is filled with references to outer space and comes stocked with an array of fun food and drinks, as well as multiple hot and cold buffets and refrigerators filled with beverages and even ice cream.
You can also order food brought to your table via a QR code menu.
Starlux flies a fleet of Airbus A350-900s decked out in a starship-inspired design on its long-haul routes.
I was on a new A350 with the ship No. B-58507 and had seat 7A toward the back of the chic cabin.
There was a single row of first class on this plane at the front of the business-class cabin, but it would have cost $5,000 to upgrade from business class, so I couldn’t take one for the team this time.
Starlux A350s have 26 business-class seats arranged in a reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. There are six rows of four seats each, with only two center seats in the final row.
Starlux was the first airline with Collins Aerospace’s new Elements suite, which I find very comfortable and stylish. As an added bonus, each has a closing door for privacy.
At my seat, I found a cornucopia of goodies, including a well-stocked amenity kit, a big pillow, a blanket and slippers. In the seat’s cubby were a pair of Starlux-branded headphones, Acqua Panna water and a face mask.
The amenity kit was by a brand called “Three” and contained a plastic comb-brush combo, earplugs, socks, a toothbrush, Ora2 toothpaste and toilette wipes, as well as Three-branded lip balm, oil serum and moisturizer. Flight attendants also brought out pajamas for the long flight from Taipei to Seattle.
When I was ready to sleep, a flight attendant helped me make up the bed with a mattress pad for extra padding. Fully flat, the seat was about 77 inches long.
Service was top-notch, from boarding to deplaning, with flight attendants doing regular sweeps through the cabin to see if passengers needed anything.
The food on Starlux is great, too, with plentiful menu options that include something for everyone. Like on Japan Airlines, you can preorder meals in business and first class.
Food on this particular flight was superb, with a starter of a lemon-scented scallop served with Japanese ikura (salmon roe), a tomato salsa and crunchy seaweed. This was followed by a roasted red pepper tomato soup course and a choice of fresh bread. Next up was a main course of grilled iberico (Spanish) pork ribs and potatoes.
For dessert, I had a light passion fruit sorbet with a sea salt milk gelato sprinkled with some kind of sweet Taiwanese cracker. There was also a section of seasonal fresh fruit.
And that’s not all. As a prelanding snack, there was more bread, a Caesar salad and a “pizza” that was a bit like an open-faced tartine with cheese and beef ragu.
I didn’t get to try the midflight snack menu, but I could have also requested braised beef noodle soup or a chicken kebab. As it was, I practically rolled off the plane.
It was another fabulous flight with an early arrival into Seattle. Starlux really should be on your list. I can’t wait to fly the carrier again (when I can find that saver award space again).
The value of Alaska Airlines miles
Both of these redemptions point to the value of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, as the program is still one of the best ways to book premium-class airline awards between the U.S. and Asia, thanks to its many Asian airline partners.
Right now, there are several ways to earn more Alaska miles. Alaska currently has two cobranded cards with Bank of America. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 60,000 miles, plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, after account receive a 30% discount code for a future qualifying flight. The Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card is also offering 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23), though that offer requires making $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
Because Alaska is in the process of merging with Hawaiian Airlines, you can also sign up for two Hawaiian Airlines credit cards with the ability to transfer those HawaiianMiles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio.
Additionally, you can transfer points from Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to Alaska Airlines and indirectly send American Express Membership Rewards points to Alaska Airlines via the HawaiianMiles program, though the latter is only available through June 30.
One final way to earn Alaska miles is on the horizon. Alaska will soon have a premium card in its credit card portfolio. While we don’t yet know how high the welcome bonus will be, we do know the card will come with a $395 annual fee.
Alaska has confirmed that it will also earn 3 miles per dollar spent on all eligible foreign purchases, allow customers to waive a $12.50 award booking fee on partner award bookings and include a shortcut to elite status.
Bottom line
All in all, I had two incredible flights on two of the world’s best airlines that were (almost) all paid for with miles. It just goes to show there remains real value in collecting points and miles, even if ongoing changes to loyalty programs are making it harder to find exceptional awards.
It also speaks to just how valuable the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program can be. I’m excited to apply for the new premium Alaska credit card when it becomes available. Hopefully, I can use the sign-up bonus to fund my next flight on Japan Airlines or Starlux.
Related reading:
- The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare
- Best airline credit cards
- What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
