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      Crystal Cabin Award 2019 Shortlist Revealed

      January 22, 2019  | Written by Stephanie Taylor
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      Emirates first-class suite featuring digital windows. Image via Hamburg Aviation

      Now in its 13th year, the Crystal Cabin Award continues to receive exciting new entries from airlines, suppliers, universities and major aircraft manufacturers. The ceremony will be held at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce this year for the first time.

      Hamburg Aviation today revealed the 2019 Crystal Cabin Award (CCA) shortlist. It features 94 submissions from 22 different countries – a record high for the sixth consecutive year. The total number of submissions surpassed 100 for the first time in the history of the award.

      Shortlisted entries cover innovations across all cabin classes, from Emirates’ first-class suites, equipped with digital windows, to Panasonic’s business-class sleeper seat with added “wellness” functionality, to Recaro’s ergonomically adjustable long-haul economy seats.

      A conceptual image of the “1 for all” cabin layout designed by a Hongik University student in collaboration with Adient. Image via Hamburg Aviation

      Non-traditional cabin layouts also feature: A student at Korea’s Hongik University, for example, has devised a concept called “1 for all” in collaboration with seat manufacturer Adient. It interweaves different seat classes to use space more efficiently, meaning first-class and economy passengers may find themselves next to, or even above or below one another.

      ACM’s SMEATED app will teach “at-risk” passengers how to sit more ergonomically. Image via Hamburg Aviation

      Whichever way passengers are seated, Aircraft Cabin Modification GmbH (ACM) believes smartphone technology can improve comfort with its SMEATED app. Using sensors in the seats on long-haul flights that continuously monitor the passenger’s posture, ACM says the app can foresee potential back problems after landing and advise affected passengers on how to sit more ergonomically.

      International Water Guard’s system gives flight crew control over how much water they load for each flight. Image via Hamburg Aviation

      Greener cabin solutions include a system developed by Canadian company International Water Guard that allows crew to check the fill level of an aircraft’s drinking water tank while on the ground, and to specify the refill level in five percent steps, so that the correct amount of water is added in relation to flight length rather than the tanks being filled to the brim every time.

      A 27-member jury is now due to select three finalists for each of the eight categories: Cabin Concepts; Cabin Systems; Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity; Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment; Material & Components; Passenger Comfort Hardware; University; and Visionary Concepts.

      The finalists will be announced at the beginning of March and will pitch their concepts to the jury in person at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg before the 13thedition of the CCAs, including a gala dinner and prizegiving ceremony, takes place at in the trading floor hall of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on April 2.

      To see the winners of the 2018 Crystal Cabin Awards, click here.