American Airlines and STARLUX start codesharing on 30 September. That is the real news. The Oneworld question sits behind it.
Tickets are already on sale. You can book both airlines on one reservation. Bags check through to the final stop. American will put its flight numbers on STARLUX services from Taipei to Los Angeles, Ontario, San Francisco and Seattle. Phoenix is still waiting on approval. STARLUX will put its numbers on about 26 American domestic flights that feed Los Angeles and Phoenix. Think Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, New York, Boston and Washington Reagan.
That mix is useful if you are heading to Taipei from the US interior. Fly American into LAX or PHX, then step onto a STARLUX A350 for the Pacific. Or do it the other way and keep going into Asia on STARLUX’s own network.
AAdvantage members can now earn miles and Loyalty Points on select STARLUX codeshare flights. American confirmed that this week. Redemption is still being built. So you can collect for now. You cannot yet spend those miles on STARLUX metal.
That is a step up from last year’s interline deal. Interline only meant one ticket and through bags. A codeshare lets each airline sell the other’s seats. Mileage earn is the next layer. Full award booking would be the layer after that.
STARLUX already has a deeper deal with Alaska Airlines. Alaska is in Oneworld. You can earn and redeem there. American is the bigger US partner. Together they give STARLUX two Oneworld carriers without joining the club.
Is STARLUX one step closer to Oneworld? Commercially, yes. In alliance terms, not really.
Taiwan’s other two full-service airlines are already spoken for. China Airlines is in SkyTeam. EVA Air is in Star Alliance. Oneworld is the seat that is left. STARLUX has said for years that it wants that seat. The chairman has told shareholders the airline would work with members first, then apply. This codeshare is that work.
The block has not moved. Oneworld founding members can veto new joiners. Cathay Pacific is one of them. It has a large Taiwan market and has opposed STARLUX. That was confirmed at STARLUX’s own shareholder meetings this year. Philippine Airlines is joining the alliance instead. The Oneworld boss has not pushed the case. He talks about a consistent premium product, not about filling empty chairs.
American also has a joint venture with Japan Airlines. That gives it a reason to send Asia traffic through Tokyo, not Taipei. A bilateral codeshare does not change that math.
So treat this as what it is. A better way to book Taipei via LAX and Phoenix. A chance to earn AAdvantage miles on a sharp A350 product. Not a membership announcement in disguise.
Watch two things next. First, whether award tickets open on STARLUX. Second, whether Phoenix gets the American code. Until those land, and until Cathay changes its mind, STARLUX stays a partner on the outside.
STARLUX’s A350 business cabin is the reason this partnership is interesting. The hard product is already there. The loyalty piece is only half built. However, that is still worth using. Just do not confuse a codeshare with an alliance.
For now, book the codeshare if the timing works. Credit the flight to AAdvantage if you fly the American-marketed sector. Keep Alaska in mind if you want to spend miles on STARLUX today. And wait for redemption before you treat this as a full Oneworld substitute. It is not one. It is a useful bilateral deal that may, one day, become more.
