I’m a huge airline nerd, and this week I’ve been thinking about airlines within Japan, especially as I tighten up plans for an upcoming review trip. When I was writing up my review of Hong Kong Airlines, I randomly came across Japanese airline StarFlyer, as Hong Kong Airlines operates a plane that was transferred over from this airline. StarFlyer is a Japanese airline that was founded in 2002, and is headquartered in Kitakyushu, although it has a base at Haneda Airport as well.
My goodness, StarFlyer must have the sleekest brand out of any low-cost airline I’ve ever seen. Add that to the fact that they have seats with 34″ pitch (on their older jets) yet charge some of the lowest fares domestically within Japan, and I think I’m genuinely interested in this airline…I think J will understand.
StarFlyer: A Boutique Airline With Low Operating Costs
StarFlyer is an airline based out of Kitakyushu, Japan, though one of their bases is in Haneda. Up until 2020, the airline was run by Sadami Matsuishi, a hugely visionary Japanese businessman. Just to give you an idea of his vision, he’s quoted to deliver “an airline with emotion” (loosely translated from Japanese), and “providing a higher level of service than budget airlines while offering boutique flights that are priced lower than mega carriers”.
So what exactly is the onboard experience? Keishi from KNAviation reviewed StarFlyer in 2017, and I’ve pinched some photos (these older A320s represent seven out of their 11 planes):
StarFlyer A320 economy class (credit: KNAviation)
Not only is there 34″ seat pitch, adjustable headrests and PTVs, though there’s even in-seat power and footrests:
StarFlyer A320 Economy Class Footrests (credit: KNAviation)
The entertainment system doesn’t look particularly impressive, though it’s definitely better than nothing, especially considering the airline operates very short flights.
So how much does this premium airline cost? Not a lot. The airline frequently undercuts Japan Airlines/ANA on some of the thickest routes intra-Japan:
This is part of the airline’s ethos – they try and cut costs everywhere except where the experience matters. Why can’t all airlines be like this?!
Out of the airline’s Haneda base, the airline flies to Fukuoka, Osaka-Kansai, Kitakyushu, Ube etc., as well as between Fukuoka and Sendai, Nagoya, etc.
StarFlyer’s A320neos look comfortable, but less over-the-top
StarFlyer does operate four A320neos, which were delivered since 2023. These A320neos still look comfortable in the grand scheme of things, though are much closer to what I’d expect from a typical economy product – they still have adjustable headrests and footrests, though no PTVs, and the rear half of the plane has 31″ seat pitch (the front half, interestingly, still has 34″).
StarFlyer A320neo Interior
These A320neos probably would be my preference to fly if I was a frequent traveller within Japan, as they have free WiFi, whereas the old A320s don’t. But I’m not a frequent traveller within Japan, so…
This design website sums it up better than I could
StarFlyer partners with Matsui Design Studio for some of their onboard cabin design, and I think the site sums it up better than I could. Here are just some of the quotes on its StarFlyer brand website…
“The company is based in Kitakyushu, an important industrial city in Japan, and it is an airline of a new business model. It was looking for a designer eighteen months before it started the service. The company consulted Eishi Katsura, an associate professor of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, who teaches design for the course organized by Kitakyushu city hall, and was introduced to us.”
“We produced visually communicative modern design in “black + white” for which one finds no parallel elsewhere in the world (this is the most important) to emphasize a variety of fresh services and rules that the management came up with. ”
“Next was how to express the corporate principle “airline that is nowhere else.” We were sure that the most effective and immediate way to make people realize the existence of the airline would be to concentrate on how to build up the corporate brand through colors (visual information). We produced visually communicative modern design in “black + white” for which one finds no parallel elsewhere in the world (this is the most important) to emphasize a variety of fresh services and rules that the management came up with.”
“On the day when the airline went into service for the first time, all employees looked up at the proud brave figure of a black airplane, and their minds were united.”
The proud brave figure that united all StarFlyer employees
Hmm, I might want to fly this instead in Japan…
Earlier today, I shared an itinerary that I’d be flying within Japan during my 24h 20m layover at Tokyo Haneda. The current plan is to fly a Japan Airlines 767 to Osaka-Itami, and an ANA 777 straight back to Tokyo (I have a commitment in Tokyo later in the evening).
I’m already having second thoughts – would it make more sense to fly StarFlyer from Osaka-Kansai instead? Would it be too ambitious to try and rush between airports? Or is there another city that would make sense for me to fly to, especially one that I haven’t been to in longer?
I’m so intrigued by StarFlyer, and I’d be willing to go out of my way to try them once, given how good of a passenger experience they seem to provide at such a low cost.
Conclusion
When doing research on which airlines I could be flying within Japan, StarFlyer caught my eye, due to the premium experience it offers at a low cost. They operate A320s domestically within Japan, but have 34″ pitch (more than any other low-cost carrier), personal TV screens on their older fleet, and free WiFi on their newer fleet. This also seems to be something they are phasing out, as their newer fleet has 31″ pitch at some seats.
Have you flown StarFlyer before? Are they worth going out of your way to fly?
