China Airlines Chases After STARLUX With Plans To Launch New Taipei-Phoenix Flights

China Airlines has announced it will be launching flights between Taipei and Phoenix just a couple of months after fellow Taiwanese carrier STARLUX announced its own service between the two cities. China Airlines will begin its route a month earlier than STARLUX, with the first flights due to commence this December – its flights will also stop at Los Angeles on the return journey.

The airline cited Phoenix as an “emerging tech hub” with growing demand for business travel. It will operate flights three times per week starting on December 3, with STARLUX’s route not due to launch until January 2026.

China Airlines To Launch Taipei-Phoenix Flights This Winter

China Airlines Airbus A350-900 landing at NRT shutterstock_1708507810 — Photo: Ryken Papy | Shutterstock

According to the airline, it will use its Airbus A350-900 aircraft to serve this thrice-weekly service between Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Frequencies will be every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and the airline is even offering up to 14% discounts on economy return fares to drum up interest.

This comes hot on the heels of STARLUX’s Taipei-Phoenix announcement, with news of this route first emerging in May. Earlier this week, STARLUX laid out more details about the service, revealing it would be operating three weekly flights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interestingly, China Airlines’ flight to Phoenix will then stop over at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on the return leg, before continuing to Taipei.

Flight	Route	Departure Time	Arrival Time
CI36	Taipei to Phoenix	10:55	08:00
CI35	Phoenix to Los Angeles	11:55	12:20
CI35	Los Angeles to Taipei	14:50	21:30 (+1 day)

China Airlines said,

“As part of its efforts to connect Taiwan with key industrial nodes across the world, China Airlines will become the first Asian carrier to fly to Phoenix, Arizona, an emerging tech hub with a growing demand for business travel.”

Two Taiwanese A350 Services

STARLUX Airlines Airbus A350-900 LAX shutterstock_2294198927 — Photo: GingChen | Shutterstock

Like China Airlines, STARLUX will be using the Airbus A350-900 on this route and the two airlines have mostly chosen different days to operate their services. This means there will be nonstop connections between Taipei and Phoenix on each day of the week except Monday and Saturday.

So which airline is the better to fly with? Looking at their A350 layouts, STARLUX offers four cabin classes – including dedicated first class suites in the front – while China Airlines’ A350s have three cabin classes. Both aircraft can accommodate a total of 306 passengers. STARLUX is regarded as a premium boutique airline and has a five-star Skytrax rating, while China Airlines has a four-star rating.

Airline	Class	Layout	Seats
China Airlines	Business	1-2-1	32
	Premium Economy	2-3-2	31
	Economy	3-3-3	243
	Total		306
STARLUX	First	1-2-1	4
	Business	1-2-1	26
	Premium Economy	2-4-2	36
	Economy	3-3-3	240
	Total		306

One perk of flying with China Airlines is the airline’s codeshare partnership with Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the US (as measured by network size) and also the biggest carrier flying out of Phoenix. China Airlines said it will be offering interline ticketing to “more than 30 inland American cities,” and all within the same terminal for ease of travel. From PHX, Southwest flies to over 60 airports, including a few international destinations like Cancun, Mexico.

1st Nonstop Flight To Asia: STARLUX Airlines Planning To Launch Phoenix-Taipei Service

Flights could start in early 2026.

China Airlines Continues US Network Growth

China Airlines Airbus A350-900 — Photo: KeleX Pictures | Shutterstock

China Airlines will be the first Asian operator to fly to Phoenix, with the airport becoming the sixth addition to its flourishing US network and its seventh in North America. The carrier has been flying to the United States for over 50 years and currently serves Los Angeles, New York JFK, Ontario, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as Vancouver in Canada.

It will soon be bolstering its presence in New York with more frequencies to the city’s main airport, New York JFK, and also plans to become a tenant of the airport’s upcoming New Terminal One, slated to open next year.