American and STARLUX Launch Codeshare Across the Pacific

American Airlines and Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines have announced a codeshare partnership that links the Taiwanese carrier’s transpacific flights with American’s North American network, widening a relationship that began as a simple interline arrangement in 2025.

What the Codeshare Covers

Under the agreement, American will place its code on STARLUX services from four West Coast airports to Taipei: Los Angeles, Ontario, San Francisco and Seattle-Tacoma. The codeshare takes effect on 30 September 2026, and bookings opened as soon as the announcement was made. A Phoenix-Taipei codeshare is listed as pending regulatory approval.

Passengers will be able to buy tickets for business class, premium economy and economy through aa.com and American’s mobile app. AAdvantage members will earn miles and Loyalty Points on the codeshare flights, which is the main commercial change from the earlier interline deal.

STARLUX said the partnership gives travellers single-itinerary connections between its Taipei hub and cities across the United States. Its own announcement describes an initial set of 20 US destinations reached through connections at Phoenix and Los Angeles, including Boston, Miami, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Washington, D.C. The airline also said it plans reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits, allowing members to earn and redeem miles on eligible codeshare flights.

Why It Matters for Both Airlines

For American, which has no flights of its own to Taiwan, the codeshare offers a way to sell Taipei and onward Asian connections without deploying its own widebody aircraft. Anmol Bhargava, the airline’s senior vice president of alliances, said the collaboration “strengthens our global network and unlocks new competitive itineraries.”

For STARLUX, the benefit is feed. The carrier has been building its US presence and recently added Phoenix-Taipei service. It serves 34 destinations across Europe, the United States and Asia, and holds a Skytrax five-star rating. Chief executive Glenn Chai described American as “an ideal partner, with a network across North America that complements what we’ve built across Asia.”

The product on the Asian side is a selling point in American’s description of the deal. STARLUX business class offers lie-flat seats with privacy doors, while premium economy has leg rests and retractable footrests.

The Competitive Picture

The codeshare adds to a crowded set of US-Taiwan options. Taipei is a major connecting point for Southeast Asia and Japan, and US carriers have been looking for ways to extend their reach there without committing aircraft to thin secondary routes. Codesharing lets American sell those connections under its own flight numbers while STARLUX keeps operating the long-haul sectors.

Neither airline has given a date for deeper integration of loyalty programmes beyond the earning arrangement, and the Phoenix route remains subject to approval. Customers booking in the meantime can already combine STARLUX transpacific legs with American domestic flights on a single ticket on the four live gateways.