American Airlines and Taiwan's Starlux are upgrading their partnership from a basic interline deal to a full codeshare, and it kicks in from September 30, 2026. In practical terms: you'll be able to book a single reservation from a domestic US city all the way to Taipei, mixing American and Starlux flights with checked bags travelling through to your final destination.

The structure is straightforward. Starlux tickets will cover up to 26 American-operated domestic routes — ten spokes out of Los Angeles and sixteen out of Phoenix — while American will place its code on Starlux flights between Taipei and Los Angeles, Ontario (California), San Francisco, and Seattle-Tacoma. Phoenix international flights aren't included yet, but the domestic list there suggests they may follow.

Why it matters: Starlux has been the standout among Taiwan's three major carriers, but until now it lacked the deep US alliance its rivals enjoy. China Airlines partners with Delta through SkyTeam, and EVA Air works with United through Star Alliance. This deal levels the field and hints at more to come between Fort Worth-based American and the young Taiwanese carrier, which already runs a codeshare and reciprocal loyalty programme with Alaska Airlines.

There's a genuine quality angle here too. Starlux only launched in January 2020, yet its brand-new Airbus A350s now carry a proper first-class cabin alongside a strong business product. At this week's Skytrax World Airline Awards in London it was named the world's cleanest airline after inspections of seats, tray tables, carpets and lavatories, adding to its second consecutive five-star certification. Its network runs across Japan, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, plus a lone European route to Prague — and four new long-haul gateways (Barcelona, Zurich, Sydney and Auckland) are reportedly on the roadmap.

For anyone in the US considering Taiwan — whether as the destination itself or as a springboard into Asia — this makes a one-ticket itinerary realistic from cities as far-flung as St Louis, Tucson and Albuquerque, connecting through LA or Phoenix onto Starlux's transpacific service. Frequent flyers should also watch how the loyalty integration develops; Starlux's Alaska partnership shows the carrier is willing to share miles across alliances.

For a traveller weighing Taiwan against Japan or Korea as an Asia entry point, the case just got stronger: competitive one-stop pricing from secondary US cities, a genuinely premium long-haul cabin, and an airline that's collecting awards faster than airlines a decade its senior.