Remember 2023? Alaska Airlines and Starlux launched their partnership. Taiwanese carrier hit the US market. Award seats popped up for a day. Then they vanished. Gone.
But this week is different.
Big dump of availability just landed. Spotted by @milesmadeeasy, flagged by @findflightsforme 🚩
Here is the situation. Starlux isn’t in any global alliance yet. They hope to join oneworld. That means Alaska’s Atmos Rewards program is pretty much the only easy way to fly them with points. Until now, it was tough. Not anymore.
Over the next year. Transpacific routes. Plenty of dates are open. Not perfect, sure. But good. Really good. Some flights even have multiple business class seats available.
You can fly out of four US cities. Los Angeles (LAX). Phoenix (PHX). San Francisco (SFO). Seattle (SEA). Just check the calendar on Alaska’s site. Pick a date. See if seats are there.
So, what’s the cost? It’s based on distance, not fixed awards. This keeps it flexible, mostly.
- Under 1,500 miles? 15k points.
- 1,501–3,000 miles? 50k points.
- 3,001–5,000 miles? 60k points.
- 5,001–7,000 miles? 75k points.
- 7,001–10,000 miles? 85k points.
Transpacific usually hits that 75k-85k bracket. That’s steep maybe? For a flat-bed on Starlux, I’d argue it’s reasonable.
And here’s the kicker. Atmos Rewards lets you add a free stopover. Fly to Taiwan. Stay a few days. Then continue somewhere else in Asia. Or Europe. The rules allow it. It’s one of the program’s best features, period.
Why does this matter so much right now?
Look at the Pacific. It’s a desert of award seats. Mainland Chinese airlines are still recovering their capacity. Back in the day? They dumped space like it was free samples. Now? Good luck. Finding business class space across that ocean is hard. Very hard.
Starlux offers quality hardware. A350-1000s. A330neos. I’ve reviewed them. The product holds up. When they put seats up for awards, especially in bulk, you don’t just watch and wait. You book.
Just be careful about transferring points first. Bilt Rewards? Chase Ultimate Rewards? Don’t transfer until the seat is locked. Or at least check twice. Inventory moves. Fast. Someone else wants that flat-bed.
Worse case scenario? Alaska lets you cancel and redeposit your award ticket. It’s not free (partner fee applies), but you get your miles back. It’s low risk to test the waters.
Should you grab one? Probably. The availability might last a few days. Might vanish in an hour. Check the calendar. Look at the dates. Book before the window slams shut again.
At least for now, the doors are wide open. How long will they stay that way? Who knows. ✈️
