Starlux business class awards are suddenly everywhere on Alaska Mileage Plan — and if you don’t jump on this now, you’ll be kicking yourself when the space vanishes like every other decent Asian carrier redemption.

As of mid-July 2026, you can reliably find two business class seats on LAX-TPE and SFO-TPE flights for the next several months at saver levels. That’s almost unheard of for a product this good. Alaska prices these transpacfic hops at 75,000 miles one-way in business (5,001-7,000 mile band on the current Asia-Pacific chart). Round-trips clock in around 150,000 miles total when you string two saver awards together. Short-hop connections beyond Taipei — Bangkok, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City — often price at 50,000 or 60,000 one-way, letting you build genuinely useful itineraries with a free stopover in Taiwan.[[1]](https://onemileatatime.com/news/redeem-alaska-miles-starlux/)[[2]](https://frugalflyer.ca/blog/starlux-business-class-guide/)

Compare that to the cash price north of $5,000 round-trip and you’re looking at one of the better value propositions in the current award landscape. Taxes hover around $46 each way. Not zero, but hardly painful.

The Product: Underrated, Unapologetically Excellent

Starlux’s Airbus A350 business class is a private-suite setup with sliding doors, 4K IFE, solid food, and attentive service that punches above what you’d expect from a relatively young carrier. It’s widely considered one of the most premium products flying to Taipei right now — quieter and more consistent than many legacy carriers on the same route.

Versus EVA Air Royal Laurel on the identical LAX or SFO run? Starlux feels fresher and more spacious; EVA’s older 777s and 787s still deliver excellent hard product and that famous Taiwanese hospitality, but the suites aren’t quite as private. JAL on the same transpacific? Excellent hard product and perhaps the best service in the sky, but you’ll usually pay 10,000–20,000 more miles each way and availability is stingier. Starlux wins on pure “I can’t believe this is bookable” factor right now.[[3]](https://thriftytraveler.com/news/points/book-starlux-alaska-mileage-plan/)

The airline flies nonstop from LAX, SFO, Seattle, and even Ontario and Phoenix to Taipei. From there the network fans out across Asia with the same business class product on shorter sectors that price absurdly low on Alaska miles.

Getting the Miles In Fast

You probably already have transferable points sitting in Chase, Amex, or Capital One. Transfer to Alaska Mileage Plan (still branded that way on the transfer portals even if the program is now officially Atmos Rewards) and they usually post within 24-48 hours. Capital One is often the quickest; Amex can take up to a week when they’re feeling dramatic. Avoid Marriott if you value your sanity — the 3:1 ratio stings unless you have a massive pile of Bonvoy points you’re desperate to unload.

Bank of America co-branded Alaska cards remain the easiest way to manufacture miles directly if you’re not sitting on a big transferable balance. Just don’t sleep on the transfer timing. Book the award first if possible, then move the points.

Search directly on alaskaair.com after logging in and selecting “Use miles.” Third-party tools like AwardFares make scanning multiple dates faster, but final booking still happens on Alaska’s site. Availability loads 330 days out, with one saver seat typically released at calendar open; more pop up closer in on these routes right now.[[2]](https://frugalflyer.ca/blog/starlux-business-class-guide/)

Yes, dynamic pricing exists and you’ll occasionally see 175,000-mile quotes. Ignore those and keep searching different dates. The 75k sweet spot is real and currently abundant.

This window won’t last forever. Starlux is growing, Alaska partners get more popular every year, and wide-open award space on a genuinely excellent Asian business class product is the kind of anomaly that gets corrected quickly.

Action item: Log into Alaska tonight, check LAX-TPE and SFO-TPE for your preferred dates through early 2027, and book two seats before the algorithm or revenue management team wakes up. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to burn some points on a proper Asian trip, this is it.