The Crystal Cabin Awards brings out some of the best — and the worst — imaginative new airline concepts.
One of the more, uh, interesting ideas was Ameco’s ‘Fly-Buddy Hub,’ which imagines a reconfigured economy cabin allowing travelers to sit opposite one another.’
And that’s not all…after social hour the convertible seats transform into beds.
Another of this year’s winners was Diehl Aviation for its ‘Wellbeing Zone,’ developed with Qantas for the airline’s upcoming ultra-long-haul flights dubbed ‘Project Sunrise.’ Besides offering healthy snacks, TV screens guide travelers through stretching exercises and bars to help them balance during the upcoming record-breaking flights. But this isn’t just for first-class and Business passengers; it’s accessible to all.
‘Factorydesign’ won an award for their ‘BermudAir Aisle Class Suite’ for Bermuda-based airline BermudAir, which looks exclusively for the first-class and business set. Comfy, if you can afford it.
In the safety innovation category, the AirPRO by Schroth Safety Products ‘ lap-belt airbag’ combines an integrated airbag with crash sensor technology under the seat, quickly activating the airbag in the event of an impact. Smart.
We’d vote for the ‘Wellbeing Zone.’ Anything to make airline travel more endurable.