American Airlines has put its code on Starlux Airlines flights across the Pacific. American announced the codeshare on September 24, said select flights were bookable that day, and set travel to start September 30. AAdvantage members earn miles and Loyalty Points on those codeshare tickets. Spending miles on Starlux is something the two airlines say they'll work on later.
The routes
American's code goes on Starlux-operated flights to Taipei Taoyuan from four U.S. airports:
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Seattle-Tacoma
- Ontario, California
A fifth, Phoenix Sky Harbor to Taipei, is in the plan but waiting on regulatory approvals.
What AAdvantage members get today
American's release is precise about the benefit: members "purchasing a codeshare flight under the partnership can earn miles and Loyalty Points."
Loyalty Points are the part that matters for anyone chasing status, since they're what AAdvantage uses to decide elite tiers. The Points Guy describes the partnership as including both mileage and status earning.
The condition attached to that sentence is the one to read twice. It's the codeshare flight that earns, meaning the ticket sold with American's code on it. Buying the same seat directly from Starlux is a different transaction.
What comes later
Redemption. American's release puts it in the future tense, saying the two airlines "will work together on future opportunities including mileage redemption and additional travel benefits." The Points Guy reports the same thing: the airlines are working to allow mileage redemption on each other's flights.
So this is an earning partnership at launch. You can put a Starlux flight on an American ticket and collect miles and Loyalty Points for it.
That's the reason to treat the news as a first step. If you're sitting on an AAdvantage balance and hoping to fly a Starlux business class seat with it, the thing to watch for is American announcing that redemption has gone live.
Why Starlux, and why Taipei
Starlux is a fairly new airline that launched during the pandemic, according to The Points Guy, and it's rated a Skytrax 5-Star Airline per American's release. American's release describes a Business Class with lie-flat seats and a privacy door, and a Premium Economy with a leg rest and retractable footrest.
Taipei is the other half of the logic. American's release notes that Starlux passengers traveling between Europe and Asia can transfer easily at Taipei, which is the airline's hub. For American, a codeshare there buys connectivity into Asia without flying the metal itself.
American's release describes Starlux as serving 34 destinations across Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
Anmol Bhargava, American's Senior Vice President of Alliances, framed the deal around the destination: "Taipei remains a top destination for global business, visiting friends and family and leisure travel, and together with STARLUX Airlines, we're partnering to provide new travel options."
Glenn Chai, Starlux's CEO, put it in network terms: "This codeshare marks an important milestone for STARLUX. American Airlines is an ideal partner, with a network across North America that complements what we've built across Asia."
That second quote is the clearer statement of what this is. Starlux gets reach into North America it cannot fly itself, and American gets an Asian network it has not built.
Where this sits in American's partner shuffle
This is the second partner change from American this month. On September 9 it said it's ending its loyalty tie-up with Hyatt, with earning for linked AAdvantage members winding down through February 28, 2027.
What to do with this
If you're flying to Taipei in the next few months and you care about AAdvantage status, book the American-coded flight rather than the Starlux-coded one and collect the Loyalty Points. That's the whole actionable piece today.
If you were hoping to spend AAdvantage miles on Starlux, keep the news on your radar but don't plan around it yet. The airlines have said they'll work on redemption, so wait for American to announce it before you count on it.
Sources
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