Future of flying may be shaped by these creative airplane cabin ideas.
Discover the future of in-flight comfort —here are the 2024 Crystal Cabin Award winners that are revolutionizing the way we travel. This year's top awards in aviation cabin interiors boast a more democratic approach to boosting traveler experiences. From reconfigurable economy cabins to innovative safety features for all passengers, here's what this year's winners have in store.
The 2024 Crystal Cabin Awards celebrate the most groundbreaking developments in airplane cabin design. The longlist encompasses future-ready projects from launch-ready airline collaborations to experimental innovation.
One eye-catching project is Ameco's Fly-Buddy Hub, the “flexible social hub” that sees rows of seats rearranged for six passengers to face each other. This year saw a total of 28 industry experts announce the winners at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany.
Among the winning entries is Diehl Aviation's Wellbeing Zone, partnered with Qantas for their ultra-long-haul flights, which threaten to connect Sydney to London and New York. This design envisions a spacious area between the A350's premium economy and economy cabins, providing room for passengers to stretch their legs, grab a snack, and move along time zones.
Caroline Oxley, of the Crystal Cabin Award Association, tells CNN Travel that 2024's finalists portray a markedly stronger focus on improving experiences for all passengers. Diehl and Qantas' Wellbeing Zone, initially a business class feature, is now transformed to better serve economy-class flights.
In the Health & Safety category, Accenture GmbH's “Accenture PED safety bag” won. It caters to addressing increasing concerns regarding lithium battery fires on airplanes, aiming to extinguish any possible fires for up to six hours with its built-in fire-resistant materials. Oxley deems the innovation “absolutely convincing.”
Another noteworthy entry in the Health & Safety category is AirPRO by Schroth Safety Products, in partnership with Teams and DesignBüro Stühmer/Scholz. It proposes a passive airbag lap belt aimed to protect passengers from injury in the event of a crash. This safety device pairs with sensors beneath the seats to be triggered within a second.
The Crystal Cabin Awards prioritize making aviation more Earth-friendly. The 2024 victor in the Sustainable Cabin category is Diehl Aviation's green alternative to airplane walls, the “ECO Sidewall.” Diehl Aviation wasn't the only entrant in this category aiming for eco-conscious innovation: Recaro Aircraft Seating's R Sphere seats envision plush seating made from recycled materials. These seats are fully recyclable, potentially reducing CO2 emissions by 63 tons per aircraft annually.
The University category showcases promising airplane innovation from universities. Tongji University of Shanghai scooped the 2024 award for its “Flexifold” seating, a design adaptable for economy class seat layouts.
Notable university nominees included the University of Sao Paulo, teaming with Embraer for an aircraft-wide noise-cancelling device, making in-flight headphones unnecessary. University of Virginia Tech partnered with Boeing, All Wheels Up, and Collins Aerospace to create the Wheelchair Space and Securement System (WSSS)—a wheelchair-compatible seat allowing users to stay in their chairs throughout the entire duration of the flight. This design now forms the foundation of Collins Aerospace's wheelchair aircraft solution, generating widespread interest in the aviation industry.
Cabin Concepts Winner: Factorydesign, Coop. BermudAir “The BermudAir Aisle Class Suite”Material and Components Winner: Collins Aerospace “STARLight”Cabin Systems Winner: Safran Cabin “theCUBE”Health & Safety Winner: Accenture GmbH “Accenture PED safety bag”Passenger Comfort Winner: Diehl Aviation, Coop. Qantas Airways Ltd “The Wellbeing Zone”IFEC and Digital Services Winner: Thales Avionics “FlytEdge”Sustainable Cabin Winner: Diehl Aviation “ECO Sidewall”University Winners: Tongji University, Coop. Dupont “Flexifold”
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These innovative designs are set to revolutionize the way we travel by improving in-flight comfort, with projects like Ameco's Fly-Buddy Hub converting rows of seats into a flexible social hub for six passengers. The 2024 Crystal Cabin Awards also celebrate safety innovations, such as Accenture GmbH's lithium battery fire safety bag, aimed at enhancing the overall travel experience.
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