American Airlines and Taiwan's Starlux have upgraded their relationship from a basic interline deal to a full codeshare. In practical terms, American now sells seats on Starlux flights between Taipei and Los Angeles, Ontario (California), San Francisco and Seattle, while Starlux puts its code on select American domestic flights out of Los Angeles and Phoenix. For anyone booking a transpacific trip, that means one ticket, one booking, and checked bags that travel all the way through.
The curious omission is Phoenix. Starlux flies from Taipei to Phoenix, which is an American hub, yet that route didn't make the initial codeshare list. Still, the connector piece matters: Starlux passengers can now reach more US cities on a single American ticket via its West Coast and Phoenix gateways.
Here's the catch for points enthusiasts: a codeshare is a commercial arrangement, not a loyalty one. AAdvantage members cannot currently earn miles on Starlux, redeem miles for its business or first class, or enjoy elite perks like lounge access when flying the Taiwanese carrier. Nothing reciprocal has been announced between AAdvantage and Starlux's COSMILE programme.
Contrast that with Alaska Airlines, which already lets its Atmos Rewards members earn and redeem on Starlux, including business class awards. Since American and Alaska are both oneworld partners, mileage reciprocity with Starlux would hardly be revolutionary. And that's the real prize here - American's own Pacific network is thin, and Starlux would hand AAdvantage members an appealing new route into Taiwan and onward across Asia.
One thing to keep expectations low on: Starlux first class awards via American. The airline reportedly faces resistance from Cathay Pacific over joining oneworld, and even its own members pay steep rates - 120,000 COSMILE miles one-way between North America and Asia. With miles saleable at four cents apiece, that's roughly $4,800 before taxes. One blogger recently did exactly that, paying about $5,100 all-in for LAX-Taipei in first class, complete with access to LAX's private PS terminal and a cabin that's essentially an extra-private business seat rather than a full suite. Worth it, apparently - but no clever award shortcut.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: the new codeshare makes booking Starlux transpacific flights with American connections genuinely easier, and deeper loyalty integration looks plausible down the line. If you're holding AAdvantage miles and dreaming of Starlux's cabins, though, that day hasn't arrived - watch this space rather than book on hope.
