Crystal Cabin Awards

Mid-Air Meet-Up

This year’s Crystal Cabin Awards entrants take-on the challenges of in-flight socialising, passenger comfort and sustainability to present the future of flying.

Celebrating innovation in the air, the Crystal Cabin Awards took place in March with the top prizes going to those pushing the boundaries in on-board products, systems and technologies.

Despite the global pandemic causing widespread disruption – grounding flights and keeping people apart – a number of the concepts presented were designed to bring travellers together in new ways.

In the Visionary Concepts category, Airbus was triumphant with its Airspace Cabin Vision 2030, which shows what the future of flying could look like. Cabin layouts will boast more flexible seating and sleeping configurations, while in-flight bars and lounges provide space for socialising. According to Airbus, passengers will have more choice and the flexibility to select a personalised flight experience based on their individual needs, whether they are travelling for business or leisure, alone or with family.

Also catering to the idea of bringing passengers together is Coffee House Cabin by Alejandro Lozano Robledo of the University of Cincinnati, winner in the University category. Developed with Boeing and the Live Well Collaborative, the concept features a long table for meetings and coffee breaks, and allows passengers to have their own personal workspace during flight. Retractable screens at the centre of each table provide a partition for privacy when required, with the seats able to rotate to face forward for safe take-off and landing.

Other projects to make the shortlist include Adient Aerospace’s SFA (Space For All) concept, which transforms a row of seats into a lie-flat surface for parents and children to sleep or play; and the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Loft, created for the airline’s first A350-1000 and offering the largest social space across the fleet.

Elsewhere in the awards scheme, sustainability was a key focus. In the Greener Cabin, Health, Safety & Environment category, Diehl Aviation won for its Greywater Reuse Unit, which sees waste water from the handbasin reused to flush

the lavatory. As a result, the aircraft has to carry less water reserves, making it significantly lighter; for a Boeing 787, this means savings of up to 550 tonnes of CO2 per year. Priestman Goode was shortlisted in this category too, for its lightweight meal tray in which every component is made from edible, biodegradable or commercially compostable materials.

Also focusing on green solutions are Eviation Aircraft and Alma Design, who won in the Cabin Concepts category for an electric commuter jet. Known as Alice Commuter, the aircraft is capable of carrying nine passengers a distance of 1,000km and operates at a fraction of the cost of conventional jets. According to the team, the zero-emissions concept will redefine how people travel regionally and usher in a new era of flying that is quieter, cleaner and cost-effective.

Other Crystal Cabin Awards winners included e2ip Technologies in the Material & Components category, with the printed electronics specialist impressing with its In-Mold Electronics panel that can be seamlessly integrated into any cabin design. And finally French aerospace company Safran, which picked up three awards: its Modulair S economy seat with eight-way headrest and built-in tablet holder was triumphant in the Passenger Comfort Hardware category; the Sophy smart trolley solution won in the Cabin Systems category; and Rave Bluetooth, promising uninterrupted transmission throughout the aircraft, took home the prize in the In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity category.

The awards were judged by a panel of aircraft interiors experts including representatives from Qantas, Delta, Etihad, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and British Airways, with this year’s ceremony taking place virtually. In view of the pandemic and its impact on air travel, organisers have announced the addition of two further categories – Clean & Safe Air Travel and the Judges’ Choice Award – which will be presented at the Aircraft Interiors Expo, now due to take place online from 14-16 September 2021. The Airspace Cabin Vision 2030 by Airbus (left) shows what the future of flying could look like; Coffee House Cabin (top) by the University of Cincinnati features a long table for meetings and co-working; the Alice Commuter (above) by Eviation Aircraft and Alma Design aims to make flying quieter, cleaner and more cost-effective