A look at the finalists and winners of the 14th Crystal Cabin Awards, presented today in Hamburg, makes clear that innovation remains strong in the aircraft interiors world.
Bluetooth
Cabin-wide Bluetooth audio to fly in 2021
It is a product years in the making, with mentions at multiple prior trade shows. This week, for the first time, Safran confirmed that its Bluetooth headphones pairing solution will fly cabin wide on Lufthansa and ANA starting in 2021(ish).
RAVE reviews for Inflight Bluetooth pairing from Safran
Ready to pair your wireless headphones in flight? This week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg one vendor showed off its working prototype, expected to fly cabin-wide with airlines in Q3 2020.
A few firsts on Juneyao’s premier Dreamliner
Adding a new type to an airline’s fleet is interesting in its own right. China’s Juneyao Airlines added the 787-9 Dreamliner last week and it is more significant than most similar expansions, both for passengers and China’s aviation industry growth.
Now boarding: Bluetooth audio connections
After years of insisting it would not fly two inflight entertainment companies delivered great news for travelers last week: Bluetooth headphones integration on inflight entertainment systems will be available to airlines very soon. Both Panasonic Avionics (PAC) and Zodiac Inflight demonstrated the solution at the recent APEX EXPO in Boston.