Incredible plane cabin designs of the future include beds in the cargo hold, luxury suites and baby-friendly seats
The 2019 Crystal Cabin Awards has revealed the most innovative designs for plane cabins
EVERY year, the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo showcases the latest and most innovative new designs and prototypes in the aviation industry.
And the 2019 Crystal Cabin Awards, which had more than 100 entries from across the 22 countries, has celebrated some of the best designs in the last year.
Of the , one design that picked up a prize was a windowless cabin located in the plane hold.
Created by Airbus, in collaboration with French company Safran, the concept means more passengers can board the plane.
While the lack of natural light may seem unappealing to some, the design is for passengers looking for a quieter and darker space to sleep.
Claustrophobic passengers may want to skip these rooms, however.
Passengers who want to try it for themselves would have to buy the sleeping cabins as an addition to their seat.
Frederic Mazel, cabin product director at Airbus, told that people seemed to like the idea, especially if it was priced as premium economy.
He said that "finally sleeping while travelling economy" was the dream behind the project.
It would even be ready to go by 2021, if an airline decided to use the designs as all plane configurations are up to the airline.
Despite being in the hold, the cabins wouldn't affect the loading of luggage, and could even be easily swapped out for cargo containers if there are more bags than passengers.
But if you just wanted to sleep in economy, Thomas Cook has recently launched sleeper seats with mattress that's in the main cabin.
Another winning design was by German seat manufacturer RECARO, which created a comfier economy seat, featuring a new neck support and adjustable seat cushion.
A seat that can transform into a bed with child seat-belts, fold-out food kiosks and a mixture of first and second class seats throughout the plane were all winners in the prestigious awards.
Crystal Cabin Award winners 2019
Cabin Concepts: Lower Deck Pax Experience Modules - Airbus, in cooperation with Safran. Windowless cabins which can fit into the aircraft hold.
Cabin Systems: M-Flex Duet - Collins Aerospace. Fold-out kiosks to serve customers near aircraft doors.
Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment: Air New Zealand SkyCouch Infant & Child Improvements - Air New Zealand. New safety belts for seat-to-bed recliners.
In-flight entertainment (IFEC): Entertainment for all - United Airlines, in cooperation with Panasonic Avionics. Larger entertainment screens with voice recognition.
Material and Components: uLED Reading Light - Collins Aerospace. Targeted light system which can illuminate several seats at once.
Passenger Comfort Hardware: Sleeping comfort above the clouds - RECARO Aircraft Seating. Neck supported and adjustable cushioning for economy seats.
University: Adient 1FA - Hongik University, in cooperation with ADIENT. Mixture of business class and economy class throughout the cabin.
Visionary Concepts: Peacock Suites - Paperclip Design Limited. First class cabins which can transform into a three room suite.
Most read in travel
Last year, a new seating design was revealed at the expo which suggested standing seats could be the future.
Italian seating manufacturer Aviointeriors created the saddle-shaped seats, which they said could save up to 20 per cent of space.
Auto-adapting seats unveiled earlier this year could change economy travel as well.