The entry phase has begun for the 2020 Crystal Cabin Awards, the 14th year of the initiative that honours the best ideas and innovations for aircraft cabins. Every year the shortlist for the awards, organised by Hamburg Aviation, is a glimpse into what passengers may soon encounter on board, as well as some of the latest and greatest airline investments.
In 2019, the coveted trophies were taken home by winners including Airbus, Collins Aerospace and United Airlines, who made it through selection rounds from a record initial 100 applications from 22 countries. Airbus won with the Lower Deck Pax Experience, a design with flexible compartments that enable an aircraft cargo area to be used by passengers. Collins Aerospace took a prize for its Flex Duet self-service area for snacks and drinks, while United Airlines won with ‘Entertainment for All’, an IFE system providing barrier-free accessibility for impaired passengers.
The submission phase for the 2020 Crystal Cabin Award runs until 18 October at www.crystal-cabin-award.com. The awards ceremony, as always, will take place as part of Aircraft Interiors Expo (31 March – 2 April 2020) at Hamburg’s Chamber of Commerce. The 2019 ceremony demonstrated the Crystal Cabin Awards’ status as the industry’s leading accolade worldwide, with speakers such as Emirates CEO Sir Tim Clark taking to the stage.
Following the initial submission stage and subsequent review by the jury of 27 experts, three finalists in each category are invited to present their concepts to leading industry representatives at the Final Viewing.
“The competition honours clever, ground-breaking innovations in cabin fittings, promoting comfort and technological process in air travel,” commented Hamburg’s Governing Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher.
The eight Crystal Cabin Award categories:
Cabin Concepts
This category honours integrated cabin concepts already in deployment or just short of market-readiness. The category is aimed at manufacturers, design firms and airlines.
Cabin Systems
The Cabin Systems category brings together innovative products that deliver a significant benefit to aircraft operators in terms of operation and efficiency. Examples include galleys, toilet systems, trolleys, air conditioning and seats, judged primarily from efficiency perspectives such as weight and use of space.
In-flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC)
This category encompasses the most rapidly growing group of products in the aviation industry: solutions for uninterrupted internet connectivity above the clouds along with in-flight entertainment concepts that incorporate the simple use of a passenger’s own smartphone or tablet.
Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment
Entrants to this category have to demonstrate that their product or concept achieves a significant reduction in environmental impact or a significant increase in wellbeing and/or safety standards for passengers, freight or live cargo.
Materials & Components
This category awards new materials for the cabin, along with means of using them, to reduce costs and increase user-friendliness.
Passenger Comfort Hardware
This category reflects the increasing expectations for passenger comfort. It is oriented at products that produce a significant increase in comfort for individual passengers or passenger groups. Examples include seats, baggage lockers and first class modules.
University
The University category provides students with the opportunity to present their trailblazing products and ideas for the aircraft cabin to industry specialists and the general public.
Visionary Concepts
This category rewards concepts for the aircraft cabin of the future. Above all, it is aimed at engineering and design studies that show what air travel could look like tomorrow.
