Spending Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for new partner Starlux went live today. And availability between the U.S. and Taipei, Taiwan is amazing. You will frequently find seven or more business class award seats available if you wish to travel to Asia. And redemption pricing is good!

While space is available right away, there will be limited availability around Christmas and New Years. But if you’re looking at a trip next year you’ll find some of the best availability where you have your choice of dates. For instance this is a search of Alaska’s award calendar for April. Dates were the cost of a business class award is 60,000 miles means that Starlux has award space for at least seven passengers:

You’re going to find a lot of coach, a lot of premium economy and a lot of business class space on Starlux between Los Angeles and Taipei. You aren’t going to find first class awards.

Alaska Airlines no longer offers true award charts, but current pricing through August 31 for Starlux between the U.S. and Taipei is:

• 20,000 miles each way for economy
  
• 40,000 miles each way for premium economy
  
• 60,000 miles each way for business class

This is very reasonable! And the product is good! Although I expect pricing to go up in the coming weeks.

If you want to redeem for travel beyond Taiwan to elsewhere in Asia the costs get prohibitive.

• 65,000 miles each way for economy
  
• 85,000 miles each way for premium economy
  
• 130,000 miles each way for business class

Those prices are stupid! Especially since you can book U.S. to Taipei for 60,000 miles in business class and then separately book Taipei to Southeast Asia for 50,000 miles in business class and save 20,000 miles! (If you were just connecting elsewhere in North Asia you’d be looking at only 15,000 miles for that business class flight.)

Taiwan’s new Starlux Airlines is fascinating. It’s a revenge play by the former Chairman of Star Alliance carrier EVA Air who was ousted after his father’s death, the victim of an estate squabble stemming from plural marriage. He was son to the founder’s second wife, and ousted by the children of the founder’s first wife.

In fact when he was ousted it was done in the humiliating way possible. He’s a pilot and and flown for EVA to Singapore, and when he was removed he wasn’t even allowed to act as pilot on the way back.

StarLux has lost over $300 million since its founding in 2018 but expects to be profitable in five years. They currently fly to Los Angeles, and will launch San Francisco service in December. Eventually they hope to serve 15 U.S. destinations and are building an extensive route network in Asia.