October 14, 2016: Airlines, IFE and aircraft interior companies and academics who have developed innovative product have a chance to have their work recognized in a prestigious awards program. 2017 will be the 11th year of the Crystal Cabin Awards, and its organizer, the Crystal Cabin Award Association, is searching for the most innovative ideas in the aircraft interiors market to compete for the prize.
Submissions for the Crystal Cabin Award 2017 must be made by November 4 at www.crystal-cabin-award.com. The winners will be crowned, as always, as part of Aircraft Interiors Expo (April 4-6, 2017) in Hamburg.
The prize has become the most highly regarded honor in the cabin industry. Last year saw 78 submissions make the shortlist, with the winners including cabin innovations and on-board products from major players like B/E Aerospace and Boeing, but also from newcomers such as the aircraft seat startup, Rebel.Aero.
To see the winners and runners up from the 2016 event, CLICK HERE.
Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, summarized the growing importance of the industry prize at the 10th anniversary awards dinner for the Crystal Cabin Award in April 2016. “The Crystal Cabin Award is kind of a culmination of what defines the industry. It needed focus, it needed to bring all the entities together to a cohesive group where there would be a lot of cross- fertilization of ideas. And when they started it 10 years ago it was an interesting development, something that nobody else had done before. They made it to what it is today and we’ll go on for the next few years I hope.”
Overview of the eight Crystal Cabin Award categories:
• Cabin Concepts
This category is provided for full cabin concepts that are already flying or are market-ready. The Cabin Concepts category is tailored for airlines as well as manufacturers and design companies.
• Cabin Systems
The Cabin Systems category comprises all innovative products that will bring airlines a major benefit in operations and efficiency. Such products could include galleys, lavatories, trolleys, air conditioning systems and seat concepts, with a focus on operating efficiency (e.g. lightweight structures, easy installation, better use of cabin space, etc.)
• Electronic Systems
The Electronic Systems category caters for the fastest growing product range in the aviation industry and includes inflight entertainment as well as on-board connectivity and communications solutions.
• Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment
This category combines different classes of innovations. An entry for this category must either reduce negative effects on the environment, or minimize health & safety hazards and security problems for passengers, staff, or live cargo.
• Material & Components
In this category, the Awards jury is looking for new materials or new material applications for cabin systems that cut production costs and maximize usability.
• Passenger Comfort Hardware
Entries to this category must improve passenger comfort within the cabin, either for all passengers or for specific groups of passengers. The category includes all hardware used directly by the passenger, including seats and seat-related products such as tray tables, partitions, lavatories, premium class and VIP products.
• University
This category provides room for college and university students to present their visions for innovative products and concepts for aircraft interiors.
• Visionary Concepts
Visionary Concepts can give an impression of aircraft cabins of tomorrow, through technical concepts, ergonomic ideas, and aesthetic design. The category relates to engineering concepts and design studies that have not yet been implemented.
A detailed explanation of all categories as well as the Entry Form for the Crystal Cabin Award is available online from the official website, which has been redesigned for the jubilee year: www.crystal-cabin-award.com. Submissions must be made by November 4.
