Welcome to my part 2 of my Starlux Experience! B-58501's delivery flight (Photo: Dn280)Introduction The timing of the return flight is less than desirable especially for those enjoying their holiday and returning home to Singapore. I prefer the afternoon flight which...
Welcome to my part 2 of my Starlux Experience!
B-58501's delivery flight (Photo: Dn280)
Introduction
The timing of the return flight is less than desirable especially for those enjoying their holiday and returning home to Singapore. I prefer the afternoon flight which means half a day to spent on the day of departure. At the time of booking, only China Airlines (among the Taiwanese airlines) offered the afternoon flight for the TPE-SIN sector. EVA Air does fly twice daily but the flights departing from Taipei is at 0740 and 0955 about 2 hours apart.
Since my flight was departing at 8.10 am, I had to wake up around 4.30 and leave the hotel about 6 a.m. I chose the Hotel Novotel located very near the Airport Hotel MRT station for convenience to get to the airport but that doesn't matter as there is a complimentary shuttle bus transport to the airport which takes around 10 minutes. So without further ado, let's begin this return flight with Starlux! This time, I will be checking out the Economy Class. Is the Economy Class product as competitive with the top tier airlines? Do read on to find out.
Photos of my time in Taipei
This is Ximending, it is worth visiting this place for good food.
A typical street in Taipei
This is the Danshui old street and it is one of the popular street markets in Taipei.
This is Valentine's bridge during sunset
Isn't it lovely?
Taipei 101
We decided to drop by here to enjoy the best of Din Tai Fung. In my opinion, this is better than Singapore's version.
Steamed chicken
Seafood fried rice
Xiao Long Bao (Little basket bun)
The popular Taiwanese beef noodle
Sweet and sour soup
Small chinese buns consist of bean paste
The Taipei airport line is more convenient to travel around especially from the Taoyuan Airport to Taipei City.
This is Novotel Taipei Taoyuan Hotel.
The room was small but comfortable enough for the one night stay.
At the lobby, what caught my eye was the plane models on display.
This is China Airlines Boeing 747-400
There are more than 100 smaller models on display! This is definitely avgeek heaven.
This airport was formerly known as Chiang Kai-Shek international airport until 2006, was opened for commercial operations in 1979. Before 1979, Taipei Songshan Airport handled international flights but ever since Taoyuan took over the international flight duties, Taipei Songshan handled mainly chartered flights, intra-island flights and limited international regional flights. Currently this airport is a hub for China Airlines, EVA Air, Mandarin Airlines, Starlux, Tigerair Taiwan and Uni Air and is located at Dayuan District, Taoyuan. It is about 40 km west of Taipei and is the largest airport in Taiwan. The airport currently has 2 terminals in operation with a 3rd terminal currently being built and has 2 runways 05L/23R and 05R/23L, with a 3rd runway being built to manage the increased traffic once the new terminal starts operation.
About the upcoming terminal 3, it is about half completed (November 2023) and scheduled to finished in 2026. Which airlines will be operating out of this new terminal? Nothing has been decided but I will update this post once more information on this new terminal is revealed.
The future of Taoyuan Airport
The MRT system certainly makes life easier connecting to other places from the airport.
On the day of departure
The hotel shuttle bus took about 10 minutes to reach the airport, terminal 2.
Once there, we took the escalator to the departure hall.
The last time I was here, I flew with EVA Air.
See how busy the traffic is at this time.
Starlux's check-in desk is at row 1 which is located at a corner of the terminal.
Here we are, this time flying on Economy Class.
My Economy Class boarding pass without the spiderman theme.
Once done, I made my way to the observation deck located at the 3rd floor.
A nice layout of the airport.
There is a food court at this level. At that time, many stalls were closed.
Here is the observation deck, it is a must visit for all aviation enthusiasts.
Once I was done, I made my way to the airside.
This is the airside of terminal 2.
I did another check on my flight, it was going ahead on schedule.
There are a number of lounges to visit but unfortunately no lounge access for me.
The terminal may be showing its age but it is quite a pleasant airport to hang out. The airport-wifi connection is quite good.
I did a bit of walk checking out both end of the pier.
My first look of B-58501, the airline's first A350-900. She was my ride to Singapore.
There are lots of sitting areas at the gate and they are well decorated.
There is even a train model and track over here.
It's nice to see the taiwanese culture in the terminal.
There are duty-free shops and resturants near the main concourse of the terminal.
What do you think of the decoration put up by the airport management?
Overall I prefer Taipei Taoyuan Airport to Singapore Changi Airport.
For a few reasons:
-Observation decks (Terminal 2 North and South) for plane spotters
- Limited carpeted area at the airport means easier for passengers with carry-on luggages
- Nice decoration promoting the country's culture
- Security check is done after immigration (with the exception of terminal 4 SIN)
- More local food options
- Better public transport system (The train connects to all terminals and goes directly to the heart of Taipei with an option of taking the express train) and bus system.
Once I was done, I made my way to the departure gate.
This is where my flight departed from.
It's time to board!
My ride: B-58501
Airbus A350-941 (Owned)
Configuration: F4 C26 W36 Y240
Engines: 2 X Roll Royce Trent XWB-84
Delivered to the airline in October 2022
Age: 1+ Years old (November 2023)
480th A350 built
Built in Toulouse (TLS)
Route: TPE-SIN
Miles: 1,996
Date of departure: 20 September 2023
Airline: Starlux
Flight: JX731
Route: TPE-SIN
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Registration: B-58501
Terminal: 2
Gate: D9
Load: 70% in Y Class
Seat: 58J (Middle seat)
Schedule departure: 0810
Boarding: 0737
Push back: 0805
Take off: 0828
Schedule arrival: 1240
Actual arrival: 1232
Departure runway: 23R
Arrival runway: 20R
Economy Class
There are 240 seats in the airline's A350-900 aircraft and the seats are configured in the standard 3-3-3 layout. For this airline's configuration, there are forward and standard seats. Row 32 to 37 are forward seats and they cost more than the standard seats. Why do they cost more? I have no idea. I paid for the seats at the rear cabin, a pair of seats by the window just behind the wing.
For the economy class seats, they have a seat width of 17 and 1/2 inch and the legroom space is between 31 and 32 inches. The bulkhead and exit rows offer more legroom space but the problem is they are close to the lavatories and galleys which may be a bother for some.
The economy class seats are designed and manufactured by Recaro and based on the airline's requirement to include a 6-way bendable headrest similar to the Premium Economy seats and an ultra-thin backrest design to enhance comfort level for the passengers.
The seat is comfortable, but would be better with seat padding in my opinion.
These were my seats. Look at the alignment of the window and the seat, it is certainly not ideal for photography.
The IFE screen of the Economy Class compare to the Premium Economy is slightly smaller. My partner and I find the seat pitch to be tight.
Look at the cabin ambiance, I am a definitely a fan of these colours.
A starlux cabin crew was preparing the flight for departure.
Each economy class passenger gets a set of pillow and blanket.
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