STARLUX Airlines, an upstart carrier based in Taipei and a partner of Alaska, is changing its COSMILE awards for tickets issued on or after October 3, 2023.
There will be some adjustments on the number of miles required for award tickets, and a stopover is no longer allowed in Taipei on connecting itineraries.
You can access STARLUX Airlines here.
Intra-Asia Awards Round-Trip
Asia – North America Awards Round-Trip
And then policy change:
For round-trip award tickets, no stopover is allowed between the departure and the turnaround point and between the turnaround point and the destination. The country of turnaround and transfer point must differ from the departure and destination. For example, stopover in Taipei is not allowed for a round-trip ticket departing from Osaka to Bangkok via Taipei.
Conclusion
These STARLUX awards require a rather ridiculous amount of miles, and why not allow a stopover in Taipei?
They are a startup airline that needs to offer more than its main competitors, China Airlines and Eva, both also based in Taiwan and part of alliances.