Thales' innovative suite for accessible in-flight entertainment wins the Crystal Cabin Award in the special category "Best Customer Journey Experience" at the APEX Awards in Long Beach, California.

Long Beach, October 30, 2024 – This groundbreaking solution supports passengers with visual and hearing assistance needs and has triumphed against strongcompetition, including Skyted's whispering headset "Skyted 320" and Spafax's "Connected Content Stream" (CCS).

The Crystal Cabin Award is the leading global award for aircraft cabins and on-board products. The winners are determined by 27 experts from various fields within civil aviation.

Thales' "Suite for Accessible IFE Solutions" represents a significant step toward inclusive flying. Developed in collaboration with leading accessibility organisations, it offers a comprehensive set of features for passengers with special needs. This includes a user-friendly interface with 13 intuitive gesture controls that mimic smartphone and tablet interactions. A highlightis the industry's first Signing Avatar, which complements subtitles and communicates in multiple languages using sign language—truly a breakthrough for the industry.

Image Download: Access photos of the award ceremony here.

The special category "Best Customer Journey Experience" includes all products that enrich the passenger experience through hardware or software solutionsthroughout the entire travel process, from planning and booking to the journey itself and the post-landing phase. Submissions can be aimed at passengers, airlines, manufacturers, and/or suppliers. This category, launched in conjunction with the North American APEX EXPO, aims to showcase inspiring examples of how new products and services can be developed around personalized passenger experiences.

This category complements the existing eight categories of the Crystal Cabin Award, which is awarded annually in Hamburg. These categories include "Accessibility," "Cabin Concepts," "CabinTechnologies," "Health & Safety," "IFEC & Digital Services," "Passenger Comfort," "Sustainable Cabin," and "University."

The application phase for the eight main categories of the Crystal Cabin Awards is still open! Until November 6, 2024, the Crystal Cabin Award Association and the panel of 27 experts are looking for the most innovative ideas in aviation for 2025.

For more information about the application process, visit: www.crystal-cabin-award.com  

The Crystal Cabin Award is supported by:
Platinum Sponsors: AERQ (Category Sponsor: Cabin Concepts), Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Category Sponsor: Sustainable Cabin)  

Gold Sponsors: Airbus, The Boeing Company,Collins Aerospace, Diehl Aviation, Lufthansa Technik, Safran, Thales, Thompson Aero Seating  

Online Sponsors: Jetliner Cabins, Sekisui Kydex  

Crystal Cabin Award Show Partners: Aircraft Interiors Expo, Jetway Communications  

Trophy Sponsor: Krüger Aviation  

Media Partners: Aircraft Interiors International, APEX, Flight Chic, Flightglobal, Future Travel Experience, Inflight Magazine, PaxEx Aero, Runway Girl Network  

Become a sponsor and supporter of the Crystal Cabin Awards! For information on sponsorship opportunities and packages, contact Jette Koch: jette.koch@hamburg-aviation.com

An overview of the finalists, including English press texts and contacts as well as images of the winners, can be downloaded here

Media Contact:  
Crystal Cabin Award e. V. | Hamburg Aviation
Angus Baigent
Phone: +49 152 227 811 08
angus.baigent@hamburg-aviation.com
www.crystal-cabin-award.com

About the Crystal Cabin Award The Crystal Cabin Award is THE international prize for innovations in the field of aircraft cabin. Under the motto "Let your ideas take off," a high-profile jury of renowned scientists, engineers, representatives of aircraft manufacturers and airlines, and specialist journalists awards exceptional cabin concepts and products. The competition was initiated by the Hamburg Aviation aviation cluster and is organised by the Crystal Cabin Award e.V. Since 2007, this unique award has been presented annually at the Aircraft Interiors Expo held inHamburg. The trophies have now become a globally known and coveted seal of quality.