In Hamburg, we’ve had the latest round of winners of the Crystal Cabin Awards. Let’s see what innovations caught the judge’s eye this year.
Various categories were challenged, with the winners announced at an awards show in Hamburg.
A jury of 28 industry experts selected the eight most innovative products from a wide range of submissions. Overall, the award-winning entries represent a vision of air travel that is more connected, more comfortable, more sustainable and more accessible than ever before.
Let’s take a look at the winners and what they presented to get the award.
Cabin Concepts: Factorydesign, Coop. BermudAir “The BermudAir Aisle Class Suite”
The BermudAir Aisle Class Suite is a business class passenger seat for single-aisle aircraft flying from the USA to Bermuda utilising Embraer E175.
It was created by converting 2-2 economy seats into a 1-1 suite. This solution is extremely cost-efficient and sustainable, as over 70 per cent of the existing seats are reused. Instead of designing new seats, the existing seats were remodelled to provide more comfort and additional storage space.
Cabin Systems, Materials and Components: Collins Aerospace “STARLight”
STARLight by Collins Aerospace is a structural technology that uses advanced composite designs, robotic manufacturing, and sustainable materials to reduce the weight of aircraft components while also lowering manufacturing costs.
This technology enables airlines to efficiently design their cabin spaces without adding extra weight and offers enhanced thermal and acoustic insulation properties.
Health & Safety: Accenture GmbH “Accenture PED safety bag”
Lithium-Ion battery fires pose a potentially catastrophic risk to flight safety. The Accenture Personal Electronic Device (PED) safety bag is the first to meet the highest standard UL 5800 Performance Level 1, which ensures complete containment of fire, smoke and toxic gases in the event of lithium battery failure.
With increasing use of personal electronic devices and rising reports of lithium battery fires in aircraft, this bag offers double protection: the inner bag keeps out flames and heat, while the outer bag prevents smoke from entering the cabin. The intelligent insulation ensures that the outer temperature of the bag does not exceed 85°C. The jury was impressed by the fact that in the event of a burning PED, an aircraft can continue to fly safely for up to six hours before reaching an airport.
Passenger Comfort: Diehl Aviation, Coop. Qantas Airways Ltd “The Wellbeing Zone”
With “Project Sunrise”, Qantas plans to redefine the historic Kangaroo route from London to Sydney by flying passengers non-stop in less than a day. These direct flights from Sydney to London and New York will set new standards for ultra-long flights, with particular emphasis on passenger comfort and health.
The Wellbeing Zone offers science-based wellness products, biorhythm-optimised lighting and real glass doors. This area is accessible to all passengers, supports healthy eating and offers space for physical activity.
IFEC and Digital Services: Thales Avionics “FlytEdge”
Thales Avionics‘ FlytEdge is the first cloud-based and natively digital in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution. This platform enables the rapid integration of any web application, including streaming services, and offers fully remote operation, software and content updates anytime, anywhere.
FlytEdge offers full autonomy for airlines and continuous evolution, supported by innovative technologies such as edge caching and cross-content recommendations. This ground-breaking solution optimises airline operations while enhancing the passenger experience.
Cabin Systems: Safran Cabin “theCUBE”
Safran‘s galley waste disposal unit theCUBE can be easily integrated into any unused space in the galley and is automatically flushed by simply closing the door, making it easier for the cabin crew to operate. With a plug-and-play concept and utilising the standard ARINC rail, it is easy to install and remove, simplifying maintenance and adding flexibility for the airline.
The CUBE uses 30 per cent less water per flush than conventional disposal units and automatically activates UV light for odour control and bacteria prevention when closed. This ensures a leaner, more efficient and more hygienic waste disposal system on board.
Sustainable Cabin: Diehl Aviation “ECO Sidewall”
Through the use of lightweight materials and innovative design, the weight of the sidewall has been reduced by 10 per cent, which reduces the CO2 footprint in the production phase by 19 per cent and CO2 emissions during operation by 10 per cent. Advanced technologies also reduce waste from prepreg blanks by more than a third.
This holistic approach makes the ECO Sidewall a particularly environmentally friendly solution that fulfils customer expectations for sustainable products and processes.
University: Tongji University, Coop. Dupont “Flexifold”
The “University” category is one of the most innovative areas of the Crystal Cabin Awards and is intended to provide a forum for particularly creative designs. This year, the award goes to a team from Tongji University in Shanghai for the “Flexifold” concept. The innovative economy seat offers airlines more flexibility and new revenue opportunities. A folding and snapping mechanism provides efficient body support.
The design combines lightweight and comfort with three cushions for customisable privacy, recline angle and footrest that can be easily attached to existing seats.
In Quotes
Ralf Gust, President of the Crystal Cabin Awards Association commented:
“This year’s submissions included many outstanding innovations that set new standards for the passenger experience by better recognising and responding to the individual needs of passengers – across all ticket classes,”
“The Crystal Cabin Awards 2024 have once again shown that innovation in the aviation industry continues unabated. It is impressive to see so many creative solutions developed to make travelling more comfortable, safer and more environmentally friendly. We are proud to recognise these ground-breaking developments and look forward to seeing the impact these innovations will have on the future of flying,”
Another round of interesting winners
It’s always interesting to look at the Crystal Cabin Award winners, with the innovations that are coming forward – both visible to the passenger and those just out of sight.
With the move to sustainability, reuse and lightness in the cabin to reduce fuel burn, along with technologies to improve well-being onboard – there is plenty of room to improve the passenger experience onboard.
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