American Airlines Expands Starlux Partnership: Does It Signal Bigger Asia Plans?

Published Sep 22, 2026, 5:14 PM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Fort Worth-based American Airlines is deepening its partnership with the Taiwanese carrier Starlux. This new agreement will see both airlines offering codeshares on respective flights, signalling the potential for further alliances in the near future. Starlux is one of three major airlines from Taiwan, including China Airlines and EVA Air. The new partnership builds on the existing interline agreement between the two carriers, which allowed passengers to book and travel on both airlines and through check bags to the final destination. From September 30, 2026, codeshare flights will be available on both airlines' services, allowing passengers to travel on a single reservation from the likes of Chicago to Taipei on a mixed itinerary. Starlux And American Airlines Strengthen Their Partnership For Flying To And From Asia Credit: Robin Guess | Shutterstock By the end of the month, travelers will be able to purchase Starlux tickets that include up to 26 domestic flights that are operated by American Airlines. In addition, American flight numbers will be placed on Starlux operations to and from Taipei to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Ontario International Airport (ONT), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). International flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) remain absent from the Aeroroutes list, but it is likely to come online soon given the full list of domestic routes as part of the codeshare agreement. Full route details in the second section below. For Starlux, this deepened partnership expands the airline's reach into one of its most important markets. Starlux is an award-winning carrier with brand-new Airbus A350 jets with both state-of-the-art business and first-class cabins. Alongside its partnership with American, it already has an expanded codeshare agreement with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, and between the two carriers they share a reciprocal frequent flyer rewards program. Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines for comment on its strengthened partnership with Starlux; however, an airline spokesperson could not immediately be reached. Credit: Just dance | Shutterstock As part of the agreement, a total of 26 city pairs are included in the codeshare agreement. According to Aeroroutes, 10 domestic routes are added from Los Angeles, and another 16 from Phoenix. Below is the full list as of September 22: From To Los Angeles (LAX) Atlanta (ATL) Charlotte (CLT) Chicago O'Hare (ORD) Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Denver (DEN) Las Vegas (LAS) Miami (MIA) New York JFK (JFK) Orlando (MCO) Philadelphia (PHL) Phoenix (PHX) Albuquerque (ABQ) Atlanta (ATL) Austin (AUS) Boston (BOS) Charlotte (CLT) Chicago O'Hare (ORD) Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Denver (DEN) El Paso (ELP) Kansas City (MCI) Las Vegas (LAS) Orlando (MCO) St. Louis (STL) San Diego (SAN) Tucson (TUS) Washington Reagan (DCA) For Starlux, this codeshare agreement brings the airline to a closer playing field with its Taiwanese competitors, with China Airlines (a SkyTeam member) having an extensive partnership with Delta Air Lines, while EVA Air ( Star Alliance) partners with United Airlines. Starlux Airlines Continues To Grow Since Its Founding In 2018 Credit: Allora Empire Art | Shutterstock Starlux is a relatively new airline, having only been founded in May 2018, and commenced operations in January 2020. Based at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport(TPE) , with other operations focused at Taichung International Airport (RMQ). It has a fleet of 34 aircraft and operates to a total of 37 destinations. This week, at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in London, Starlux was awarded the 'World's Cleanest Airline' after being ranked number one globally for overall cabin hygiene and cleanliness. This was evaluated by thorough inspections of the seats, tray tables, carpets, cabin panels, and lavatories. This built on top of the airline's second consecutive 5-Star airline certification from Skytrax. Starlux has a growing international network beyond the United States, with an extensive network of flights across Asia, including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Macau, with one European destination being Prague. The airline has hinted at four new international gateways set to launch in the near future, including Barcelona, Zurich, Sydney, and Auckland.