Do I Need An All Star Airline Paddleboard? Pros, Cons and Who's It Best For

Do You Need a Starboard All Star Airline Paddleboard?

The world of inflatable paddleboarding has evolved far from just being the popular option for people to learn on and use in the summer. High-performance inflatable sups are now more prevalent on the water with the paddleboarding market reaching riders who want more speed, efficiency, glide and distance on their boards without sacrificing portability with a solid board. 

Of course, premium performance usually comes with a premium price tag. So the real question is: do you actually need an All Star Airline paddleboard, or is a standard inflatable touring SUP worth it for your paddling style? Let us provide this quick review. 

The SUP Racer's Choice of Board is always an All Star Airline.

Package included in purchase of All Star Airline.

What is the Starboard All Star Airline Paddleboard?

The Starboard All Star Airline is the multi-race winning inflatable race paddleboard, the All Star Airline has won numerous world titles and victories, including major successes at the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships and winning 'Best Race Board' 2026. They have a unique tension system design, which along with a premium construction, delivers one of the lightest but stiffest boards on the market.

Designed with paddleboard racing in mind, they feature a longer, narrower shape for covering distance quickly on flat water, coastal routes, or fitness paddling sessions.

How the Starboard Airline Technology works.

One of the biggest criticisms of inflatable paddleboards has always been flex. Standard inflatables can feel slightly soft underfoot, particularly for heavier riders or paddlers covering longer distances. Excessive flex can reduce glide, waste energy, and make the board feel less stable at speed.

'The patented Airline Technology utilises a pre-set free-floating cable. It is attached to the nose, goes under the bottom and ends at the fin box. The preset cable is slightly shorter than the board so, when the board inflates, the cable comes under tension and stiffens the board significantly.' (Starboard SUP Website). This improves the rigidity of the board without having to increase the air pressure, whilst the slight nose rocker with the tension increases efficiency and glide when cutting through chop on the water.

Is the Starboard All Star Airline the board for you?

As a premium race paddleboard, this board is for an intermediate to expert paddler. The sizes on the All Star range are narrow and not the most forgiving on stability, with the widest board being 28" wide. 

This board is perfect for you if you are looking to get into the race SUP world, as the All Star Airline is marketed toward SUP racers who want an inflatable race board that still feels fast and responsive. Whether that be with a local training spot, on shorter races where speed is the focus, or long-distance, endurance style races, similar to the Head of the Dart challenge, the All Star Airline is the board to go for due to the tension system improving stiffness and power transfer.

The All Star Airline is also a suitable board if you want a premium touring board too. You may not care about racing competitively, but when paddling you want something faster, more efficient, and more exciting to paddle over long distances. The shape and glide of the All Star means that you get an efficient session with maximum glide on your trips. The All Star Airline is a super popular board in our area for those that like a SUP around Brownsea Island, this is normally a 3.5 hour trip but with the All Star you can knock it down to even under 3hours!

Still not sure? Here are a few more added bonuses to getting an All Star Airline:

• Increases fitness: A lot of buyers use the All Star Airline for fitness training, long-distance paddling, and fast cruising. The board’s speed and glide make workouts more efficient and enjoyable compared to standard all-around inflatables.

• The All Star shape is designed as an “all-water” race board, it can handle all conditions you may face; flat water, coastal chop, rivers, and rougher conditions. That makes it attractive for paddlers who want one high-performance board for varied environments as some touring boards are with flat-water in mind only.

Who Should NOT Buy the Starboard All Star Airline?

An All Star Airline paddleboard is built for performance, but not every paddler needs that level of speed and technology. For many people, a standard inflatable SUP is more practical and affordable.

You Only Paddle Occasionally - If you only paddle a few times each year, a premium airline board is probably more than you need. Casual paddlers usually won’t notice enough performance difference to justify the higher price. Check out All-Round SUPs instead.

You Mostly Paddle Casually Near Shore - If your paddling is relaxed and close to shore, stability and comfort matter more than speed. A regular all-around inflatable SUP will likely feel easier and more enjoyable to use.

You Already Own a Good All-Around SUP - If your current board already works well for your needs, upgrading may not make a huge difference unless you specifically want better speed or long-distance performance.

If you want one of the fastest and stiffest inflatable race paddleboards available today, the Starboard All Star Airline is difficult to beat. For paddlers focused on touring efficiency, fitness, endurance paddling, or SUP racing, its Airline technology delivers performance that feels remarkably close to a hardboard, all while still fitting in a backpack.

Ready to upgrade? Check out the Starboard All Star Airline now!