It's not just in the air, Starlux has earned a reputation for getting out of the cockpit and doing more. First class passengers at Los Angeles are directed through the exclusive PS LAX area before they board the aircraft, which is a small, but telling example of how much care this airline takes of all its touchpoints during a journey. So when I was passing through Taipei, the carrier's home hub, I was just curious what the first class ground experience would be like there. I found what was memorable, but perhaps not in the way you think.

 Different Paths Through Taipei

• Let's first take a look at how Starlux divides the quality of the ground service in Taipei Taoyuan Airport, as this is different from what most airlines offer. 
• The Huan Yu VIP Terminal is a special terminal for the beginning and end of your journey from which you can access Taipei. Passengers who would prefer to use Starlux's own first class lounge can also take advantage of that facility at the terminal, although if that is the case, it's unlikely that anyone will prefer it to the VIP terminal.
• If you are just transiting through Taipei on your trip to somewhere else, the VIP terminal will not be an option for you. Rather, you will only have the first class section of the Starlux Galactic Lounge, but will still be personally met and escorted to your connecting flight at your arrival gate by a Starlux representative.
• It's a strange arrangement for a carrier to pass off the benefits of their own high quality lounge to a third party for those who begin or end their flights at that lounge.

Walking into a Space Station sort of

Now comes the real fun Anyone familiar with the brand of Star Lux knows that their founder Captain K.W. Chang has a penchant for outer space and his passion is reflected in every aspect of Star Lux brand; from the uniform to the aircraft livery to the whole look. That is no less the case in the Galactic Lounge itself.

According to the airline, it's like a "journey through time and space" and the business class area is reportedly inspired by the capsule design of a train. There's a sense of being two design briefs amalgamated into one, the space theme and the train reference, but overall it's not exactly a great idea for one room.

The first class is a step up and not necessarily in a positive direction.When I visited, I was the only guest, so that's in line with what I've heard of the first class demand being rather soft, as it is at most other hotels. However, when I actually sat and took in the environment, I thought it was more like one of the space-themed rides at an amusement park that had been converted into a fast food restaurant lunchroom.

That could be a harsh critique, but the seating design just beggars the question, were comfort and high end aesthetics the priority here? The lounge furniture was remarkably low-key for a carrier that has other design elements that are more upscale, such as the ones it has signed up to make by Loro Piana, Huntsman and Aesop.

A Private Room that Felt more like a Time Out

A tucked-away corner of the lounge was a small private room, which was technically supposed to be mine, though as I was the only one there this must have been my private space anyway. In theory, it's nice to have a private, separate space like this, and the attendant made sure to close the privacy door every time, with the intention of providing a service gesture.

In reality, however, it ended up somewhat differently than anticipated. Being enclosed in that little room didn't feel like a luxury, it felt like it was out where no one could see us.

The Lounge's actual location-Food & Drinks

By any measure, the Galactic Lounge's drink selection is its hallmark as a first class lounge. The cocktail offerings were all quite good, as were the wines, which were actually pretty good, and the espresso was actually brewed by a barista, not a machine.

The dining is not like the snack spreads you'd see in lots of high quality lounges, but rather along an a la carte format. All items on the menu are intended to be eaten as a complete meal and not eaten in between gates. I asked my server for a tip, and he pointed me to the first two items on the menu, special to first class passengers, so I took the fish en papillote, with lemon and vegetables. It was good, not great, but good. I will give them the benefit of the doubt on the creativity, although I'm not blown away.

A quirky thing that stuck with me: The menu lists the calories next to each and every dish, and I was a little confused when I did that. My fish meal was a whopping 750 calories, and the burgers were 315 to 370 calories. I don't know how that works out in math, but it was quite a specific detail for the first class dining menu.

So, is it worth seeking out?

So, clearly my whole layover experience was better than I had thought, I don't want to minimize the negatives here. But when it comes to the quality of product on the ground, or on the ship, as the case may be the Galactic Lounge is not on par with Starlux's onboard first class product, or the smoother, ground-based experience Starlux provides on its PS LAX, for that matter. This lounge would be on the list of world's best first class lounges, but Starlux's real flying experience would have probably been one of the best in the sky today.

Bottom Line

So there is a great lack of online reviews of Starlux's first class section and I went with a curious sense of wonder. It has many of the right features on paper, privacy, strong drinks and a full a la carte dining menu. However, the overall design and atmosphere did not coalesce into something comfortable, or even really ‘luxurious'. Compared to the complaints of people travelling by air, it's a minor issue flying first class is a luxury that most of them never have. But, on the design and service side of things, this lounge is one of the more un-common places I've encountered in top-tier air travel.