I've flown business class on dozens of airlines. My favorite premium cabin is on this lesser-known Asian carrier.

I’m a regular business-class traveler, having flown on dozens of airlines and hundreds of thousands of miles over the years.

I often get asked the same question: What’s the best business-class seat you’ve ever flown in?

It’s not the usual fan favorites of Singapore Airlines or Emirates.

It’s Starlux Airlines, a Taiwanese carrier many Americans have never heard of.

Starlux first flew in January 2020 and bills itself as a “boutique” international airline that operates nonstop flights from Taipei to several US cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

My flight was on an Airbus A350-900 from Taipei to San Francisco, a nearly 12-hour overnight flight.

It was the second leg of a trip that started in Kuala Lumpur, and the entire itinerary cost 85,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

The cash fare on this route ranges from $2,600 to over $5,000, depending on the season, so the points redemption — Alaska is a Starlux partner — was a very good deal.

The whole idea from the beginning was to build a luxury airline from nothing with meticulous attention to detail and an emphasis on the small stuff.

After flying Starlux, those minor details made all the difference.

Here’s what my flight was like and why I’d easily book again.

Every seat in Starlux’s business class opens straight into the aisle, and every one has a sliding door.

The cabin is decorated with faux marble finishes and shiny black panels.

It honestly looks more like a boutique hotel lobby than the inside a plane.

This extreme attention to detail is what sold me most.

My favorite example: there’s a little gap under the storage cabinet door, so you can leave a charging cable running out of it with the door closed.

Exploring the seat illuminated several thoughtful design choices.

The pod felt deliberate in a way some brand-new airline seats just aren’t.

Some people call business class doors a gimmick, mostly because they don’t go all the way up.

Once the seat was flat and the door was shut, it felt like my own little room, further emphasized by the warm mood lighting, pristine leather accents, and large seat walls.

A flight attendant handed me pajamas before we’d even pushed back, so I changed right away.

After dinner, the crew made up my bed with a thick mattress pad and one of the softest blankets I’ve ever been given on a plane.

The footwell angles inward slightly, which makes it feel a bit tight when you’re lying flat, but I slept well regardless.

On an overnight flight this long, that’s what matters most.

Dinner is where Starlux left every other business-class flight behind.

It started with warm, fluffy garlic bread, which felt out of place alongside the Asian meal, but I was thrilled to see it.

When the flight attendant came to clear my appetizer, she asked if I’d like more bread, to which I obviously said yes.

Then a creamy miso mushroom soup showed up, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the best things I’ve eaten on a plane.

It was rich and savory, the kind of thing I can still taste if I think about it today.

The main was beef with fried rice, which was flavorful and cooked to perfection.

Dessert was Italian gelato that was actually soft enough to eat straight away, which basically never happens with ice cream at 38,000 feet.

Breakfast before landing: waffles with figs were also notable.

One of the few airline breakfasts I’d happily order again.

All of the food served looked as good as it tasted.

Every course was properly plated, the flight attendant talked me through each dish, and she reset my table between courses without me noticing.

Starlux isn’t perfect, and the first 20 minutes of my flight proved it.

Pre-flight service felt as if the crew was simply going through the motions rather than trying to create a good experience.

But when the meal service started, it was like a switch flipped.

One flight attendant greeted me by name and knelt down next to my seat to take my order.

At one point, my seatbelt locked up while I was reaching for my amenity kit; she saw it happen and handed me the kit before I’d said a word.

My main course came out a few minutes late, and she apologized profusely for it, which she really didn’t need to do, but it tells you what standard this crew holds itself to.

By the time dinner was over, even the crew members who’d seemed checked out at first were warm and attentive.

When I woke up and asked for tea, it was there almost immediately, with lemon and sugar on the side.

The other thing I love about Starlux is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

There’s a space theme running through the whole airline, from the Galactic Lounge in Taipei to the COSMILE loyalty program.

Since 2024, it’s been working with Peanuts, so Snoopy turns up on themed flights and merch.

On my flight, the entertainment screen displayed a Snoopy welcome for me, and I still carry my things in a Starlux Snoopy tote bag.

Even the toilet paper is custom printed with a runway design.

All of these things make the airline feel like it’s enjoying itself.

Starlux got the three things that actually matter right: the seat, the food, and the crew.

And it did it with a sense of fun that a lot of the big-name carriers have somehow lost along the way.

I’ve flown business class on dozens of airlines, including some of the world’s most famous seats.

If you’re flying between the West Coast and Asia, I’d book Starlux.

Starlux did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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