Crystal Cabin Awards 2022 presented in Hamburg

Elevate by Teague and NORDAM proved the deserving winner in the Cabin Concepts Category. This visually arresting design uses floating furniture attached to wall braces to give a freer, more organic and immersive feel than comparable premium accommodation concepts for single-aisle aircraft while offering airlines the same seat capacity. 

Sweden’s DIAB scooped the award in the Sustainable Cabin category with its Recyclable Panels for Cabin Interiors. Diab, in co-operation with AkzoNobel, Rescoll and Roctool, has pioneered a thermoplastics manufacturing process to produce totally recyclable panels. Ken Kirtland, a U.S. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, topped the University Category for coming up with electric aircraft to fly short routes sustainably. His Portal concept envisages a new type of zero-emission electric-powered aircraft to ferry passengers between local hubs in a cabin featuring all-premium seating with panoramic window views.

No less than three winning designs focused on enhancing the feel-good factor in the Passenger Comfort category. The "Dedicated Space" system by Anuvu and Southwest Airlines promises faster in-flight internet by combining aircraft hardware with intelligent software. The "SpaceChiller" cooling unit by Collins Aerospace is designed to provide chilled snacks and drinks within easy reach of passengers, while consuming only half as much power as conventional systems. The "Pulse" power supply by Thales Avionics allows passengers to charge their mobile phone or tablet during the flight with an USB-A, USB-C or a wireless connection

The Safran Cabin “Fire Resistant Cargo Container” topped the Health and Safety category and wowed the jury by offering fire containment for Class D fires for up to six hours. The device gives passengers, crew and operators an additional level of protection from a potentially catastrophic in-flight threat.

Meanwhile, the "Cordillera" system by Caeli Nova won the Cabin Systems category. In-flight cabin decompression can present an emergency scenario. The Cordillera system lets airlines open direct routes over mountain ranges an extends flying times in high altitudes after a decompression incident from 22 to 180 minutes. Until now, airlines had to circumvent high terrain such as the Himalayas, Rockies or Andes. One route that would become widely available using Cordillera is airway L888, which crosses the Himalayas and is 30 minutes faster than other routes between Europe and parts of Asia. This could save USD 500 million and 1.2 million tons of CO2 annually by allowing direct routes across mountainous regions without any weight or maintenance penalty.

Under the motto "Let your ideas take off", a jury of scientists, engineers, representatives of aircraft manufacturers and airlines as well as trade journalists has awarded prizes for exceptional cabin concepts at the annual CCA in Hamburg since 2007. The competition, organised by the Crystal Cabin Award e.V., was initiated by the Hamburg Aviation cluster.

tn/pb