American Airlines just gained new ties to a premium Taiwanese airline with a fast-growing U.S. presence.
Taipei-based Starlux Airlines on Friday announced it reached an interline agreement with American. The arrangement will see the carriers cooperate on certain bookings — a move that could (perhaps) set the stage for a deeper partnership between the airlines, down the road.
American and Starlux’s agreement
As part of the agreement, travelers will be able to book itineraries featuring connections between American and Starlux. And, customers flying on those trips will see their baggage transfer over from one carrier to the other, just like it would on a flight between two alliance partners.
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Now, to be clear: This tie-up is a far cry from a full-fledged partnership like the one American enjoys with its Oneworld alliance partners — from British Airways to Qantas, Qatar Airways and others.
In the airline world, an interline agreement essentially allows two carriers to cooperate on a limited basis. As such, don’t expect to be able to earn or redeem your AAdvantage miles on Starlux flights any time soon — or to enjoy status perks if you’re an AAdvantage elite member flying with the carrier.
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Starlux gets closer to American (and Oneworld)
Still, Friday’s announcement signaled the beginning of ties between American and Starlux, known for its high-end service across the Pacific; TPG’s Clint Henderson described the carrier’s business-class product as “out of this world” on a flight last year from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).
Starlux currently flies to just one American hub at LAX, but plans to launch nonstop service to American’s Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) hub early next year — opening new connectivity opportunities with American.
That service is now scheduled to launch Jan. 15, 2026, Starlux said Friday.
As part of this new arrangement, you could soon be able to start a trip somewhere like Austin or New Orleans, fly to Phoenix, and connect to a Starlux flight to Taipei.
Eyeing Oneworld?
It’s worth noting that Starlux already has a deeper loyalty partnership with Alaska Airlines, American’s domestic Oneworld partner — and serves Alaska’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) home base.
The carrier also operates U.S. service to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California.
There’s been talk of Starlux hoping to become the newest Oneworld member; a Taiwanese media outlet previously reported (via One Mile at a Time) that Starlux executives hoped to join Oneworld in the near future (TPG reached out to the carrier to hear its latest thinking on the matter, but a Starlux spokesperson did not immediately respond).
EVA Air, Starlux’s Taipei-based competitor, is a member of the Star Alliance (which includes United Airlines). Taiwan-based China Airlines recently announced a new tie-up with Southwest Airlines.
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