Bunk beds on economy class aircraft are getting a seal of approval as launch approaches

Courtesy of Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand’s Skynest won the Innovative Cabin Concept category at the Crystal Cabin Awards in Hamburg.

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Hamburg, Germany
CNN
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Air New Zealand’s Skynest, the upcoming reimagining of economy class seating that promises bunk beds in the sky, has already caused a stir and excitement among sleep-hungry long-haul passengers.

Now the concept has received the industry seal of approval with a prestigious Crystal Cabin Award presented at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) 2022 in Hamburg, Germany.

Skynest won the Cabin Concepts award at this year’s ceremony recognizing innovations in aircraft cabin interiors. Speaking to CNN Travel at AIX, Lukas Kaestner, President of the Crystal Cabin Awards Association, said Air New Zealand’s win was remarkable as this category often rewards ideas that are exciting but are far from being realized become.

Skynest isn’t just a futuristic concept that might someday emerge — it’s an airline-made product that’s set to take to the skies in 2024.

“Bunk bed solution for the economy class – you see that regularly as a concept,” said Kaestner. “But we rarely see that level of innovation actually translate into a real product that flies.”

Courtesy of Air New Zealand

The Skynest concept offers a berth for economy passengers.

The Crystal Cabin Awards announced their longlist earlier this year before narrowing down the categories to a shortlist. The finalists presented their ideas at AIX earlier this week – and the team of experts then selected their favourites.

Other winners include Collins Aerospace’s InteliSence concept in the Passenger Comfort category. InteliSence uses artificial intelligence and data from onboard cameras and sensors to track passengers’ travel experiences. Collins said in a statement that the goal is to “help airlines optimize power consumption, inflight utilities and crew workloads” and provide passengers with a more personalized inflight experience.

In the University category, a team of students from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands won for their “Lightweight Aircraft Seating” concept – a lightweight seat cushion designed to require minimal use of materials while still ensuring passenger comfort.

In the “Sustainable Cabin” category, Lantal Textiles’ Deep Dyed Carpet was recognized for its ability to potentially reduce aircraft CO2 emissions through a more environmentally friendly, lighter weight cabin carpet.

Kaestner said it’s encouraging to see more sustainable innovations in aviation and indicated the industry is starting to look at their impact on the environment – while acknowledging there is still a long way to go.

“We weren’t that good as an industry,” he said.

The Crystal Cabin Awards are announced annually, and Kaestner and his team like to keep tabs on past nominees and winners in the years following their victory.

Winning entries often have a knock-on effect on the airline industry, Kaestner said, citing Delta’s 2017 win for the Delta One business-class suite with an ultra-private sliding door.

“After that, most business class cabins on long-haul flights had these sliding doors,” he said.

While airlines operating shorter flights may have less need for Air New Zealand’s Skynest seating solution, Kaestner suggested they will still be monitoring Skynest’s performance closely.

“It will also be very interesting to see if it works from a business perspective,” he said.

For student nominees, the Crystal Cabin Awards are “a fantastic opportunity to break into the industry,” Kaestner added.

Some, like Alejandro Núñez Vicente, who was nominated for his 2021 double-decker airplane seat, went on to create their own startups.

Winner Cabin Concepts: Air New Zealand “Skynest”

Winner cabin systems, materials and components: Thales Avionics “Onboard Data Center”

Health and Safety Winner: Teledyne Controls “ACES”

Passenger Comfort Winner: Collins Aerospace “InteliSence”

Winner IFEC and Digital Services: AirFi, coop. Iridium “LEO Connectivity Solution”

Sustainable Cabin winner: Lantal Textiles “Deep Dyed Carpet”

Winner University: Delft University of Technology “Lightweight Aircraft Seating”