Starlux vs EVA Air: Taiwan’s Two 5-Star Airlines Compared

Pick EVA Air if you want the safer bet on service, a Star Alliance airline, premium economy, or a nonstop from Houston, Chicago, Dallas, New York or Washington. It ranked No. 11 in the world at the 2026 Skytrax awards and No. 8 on AirlineRatings.com’s 2026 safety list.

Pick Starlux if you fly from Ontario or Phoenix, want a business class seat with a door, or want a new airplane. Every one of its 34 passenger jets is a current-generation Airbus, against about 27% of EVA’s fleet.

This comparison uses Skytrax, AirlineRatings.com, both airlines’ published fleets, route launches, cabin specs and 2025 results, as of November 2026. For a third option on the same runway at Taoyuan, see our EVA Air vs China Airlines comparison.

Service and ratings

Both airlines hold Skytrax’s top grade. EVA Air kept its 5-Star rating for the 11th straight year in 2026, and Starlux kept the rating it first earned in 2025.

On Skytrax’s 2026 world ranking, EVA came 11th and Starlux 13th. Starlux is the one moving faster: it jumped five places from 18th, while EVA moved up one from 12th.

Each airline also won a world title. EVA took best premium economy, best premium economy amenities and most family-friendly airline, and Starlux was named the world’s cleanest airline, a category covering seats, tray tables, carpets and lavatories.

Both sit on our list of the best airlines in the world, in the same tier as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Edge: EVA Air. Two Skytrax places ahead, with a decade longer at 5 stars.

Safety record

Neither airline has lost an aircraft or a passenger. EVA has been flying since July 1991, so its clean record covers 35 years; Starlux began flying in January 2020, so its record covers almost seven.

AirlineRatings.com put EVA at No. 8 and Starlux at No. 11 on its list of the world’s safest airlines for 2026.

The honest reading is that both are very safe airlines. Three places on a list of the world’s top 25 is a small gap, and EVA’s lead rests on a much longer record.

Edge: EVA Air. The same clean record over five times as many years, and a higher 2026 ranking.

US routes

EVA flies from Taipei to 8 US mainland cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth (since October 2025) and Washington Dulles (since June 26, 2026).

Starlux flies to 5, all in the West: Los Angeles (since April 2023), San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario in Southern California, and Phoenix, which opened on January 15, 2026, with three flights a week.

So the two airlines overlap on three West Coast routes. East of Arizona only EVA flies nonstop, and in Ontario and Phoenix only Starlux does.

Frequency tells the same story. The Taipei Times counted 98 EVA round trips a week to 10 North American cities in June 2026, against about 70 for China Airlines and Starlux combined.

Starlux sells connections through partners instead. Its codeshare with Alaska Airlines covers onward flights across the US, and American Airlines began selling seats on its Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Ontario flights for travel from September 30, 2026.

Edge: EVA Air. Three more US cities, and the only nonstops of the two from Texas, Illinois, New York and Washington.

Fleet and aircraft age

This is Starlux’s clearest win. Its 34 passenger jets in April 2026 were 13 A321neos, 8 A330-900neos, 10 Airbus A350-900s and 3 A350-1000s, every one a current-generation type.

EVA’s long-haul backbone is still 32 Boeing 777-300ERs, plus 17 A321-200s and 9 A330-300s. Its 8 Boeing 787-9s and 13 787-10s are about 27% of the passenger fleet.

EVA is catching up. It has 24 A350-1000s, 18 A321neos and 13 more 787s on order, while Starlux has 42 more Airbus jets on order, including 15 A350-1000s.

EVA is still much the bigger airline. It reported NT$220.3 billion in consolidated revenue for 2025, about five times Starlux’s NT$44.05 billion in operating revenue, and Starlux carried 4.9 million passengers that year.

Edge: Starlux. An all-new fleet against an airline that still relies on 777s.

First and business class

Starlux sells something EVA does not: first class. Each A350 has four first-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout that turn into flat beds, ahead of a business cabin of 26 seats on the A350-900 and 40 on the A350-1000.

In business class, the comparison splits into seat against service. Rachel Yuan of Points Miles and Bling, who flew all three Taiwanese airlines in business, wrote in March 2026 that Starlux’s A350 seat, a reverse herringbone with sliding doors, is “miles ahead of EVA’s best seat.”

She gave EVA the service. EVA “excels in soft product and consistency,” she wrote, serving meals course by course, while Starlux “stands out with a more modern, fun hard product” and service that was excellent but “not quite at EVA’s level.”

Her verdict was “a toss-up depending on your priorities,” and she ranked Starlux first overall. Our ranking of the best business class airlines covers how both compare with the rest of Asia.

Edge: Starlux. The only first class of the two, and the newer business seat with a door.

Premium economy and economy

EVA’s premium economy was named the world’s best by Skytrax in 2026. On its 787-9s it is 28 seats in a 2-3-2 layout with 42 inches of pitch and a 15.6-inch screen; on its 777-300ERs it is 2-4-2 with 38 inches.

The catch is the 787-10, which EVA flies with only business and economy. Check the aircraft on your flight before you book that cabin.

Starlux sells premium economy only on its A350s: 36 seats in a 2-4-2 layout with 40 inches of pitch, a legrest and a 15.6-inch 4K screen. Its A321neos and A330neos have no premium economy at all.

In A350 economy, Starlux gives 31 to 32 inches of pitch, 17.5-inch-wide seats and a 13-inch 4K screen, per The Points Guy’s look at the cabin. Our list of the best premium economy airlines ranks the cabin across Asia.

Edge: EVA Air. The world’s best premium economy, and 2 more inches of pitch on its newest seat.

Alliances and miles

EVA has been a Star Alliance member since June 2013. You can earn and spend United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan or ANA miles on its flights.

Starlux is in no alliance. Its own program is Cosmile, it has a loyalty partnership with Alaska Airlines, and AAdvantage members now earn miles on American-coded Starlux flights, with more reciprocal benefits promised but not yet in place.

Oneworld is the obvious fit, since Taiwan’s other full-service airlines are already split between Star Alliance (EVA) and SkyTeam (China Airlines).

Starlux wants to join oneworld, but its CEO told shareholders in 2026 that Cathay Pacific, a founding member with a veto on new members, opposes the bid.

Edge: EVA Air. A full alliance, with status and lounge access across Star Alliance.

Who should pick which

From Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle, where both fly, it comes down to cabin and miles. Choose EVA for premium economy and Star Alliance, and Starlux for the A350’s business seat or first class.