The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and the Crystal Cabin Award have joined forces to present a new award recognizing visionary concepts and solutions that connect the aircraft cabin with the wider passenger journey. The award represents the debut of the Crystal Cabin Award in Asia’s growing aviation market.
The APEX/Crystal Cabin Awardn Seamless Journey will be presented 19 November 2026 during APEX FTE EXPO 2026, the largest end-to-end passenger experience and innovation expo in Singapore 18-19 November. Submissions for Seamless Journey are open today and close on 30 September 2026.
The cooperation brings together two internationally recognized aviation organizations with complementary perspectives. The Crystal Cabin Award contributes its established reputation as the world’s leading award for aircraft cabin innovation, together with its rigorous evaluation process and international expert jury. APEX contributes its expertise as one of the world’s leading global airline and supplier associations with its vision of advancing sustainable, innovative, and collaborative solutions that enhance every passenger’s travel experience.
By recognizing solutions that connect the aircraft cabin with the wider end-to-end travel experience, the new award complements both the Crystal Cabin Award’s focus on cabin innovation and the APEX Innovation Awards’ recognition of advances in airline passenger experience.
“Over the past two decades, the Crystal Cabin Award has established a global platform for innovations that transform the aircraft cabin. With ‘Seamless Journey’, we are deliberately broadening that perspective,” explains Angela Wockert, Project Manager of the Crystal Cabin Award.
“The new award extends our eight established categories by recognizing solutions that connect the cabin with the airport, ground services and the many touchpoints before and after a flight. APEX is the ideal partner for this initiative: its global community represents the full spectrum of the passenger experience. Together, we can give cross-sector ideas and collaborations the international platform they deserve.”
“While aircraft interior innovation is fundamental to the passenger experience, its impact is amplified when it integrates seamlessly with every other touchpoint of the trip – from the boarding gate to baggage claim,” APEX Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader observed.
“‘Seamless Journey’ pairs the Crystal Cabin Award’s rigor on the aircraft interior with APEX’s view of the passenger’s entire path, debuting in Singapore as Asia’s aviation market increasingly sets that agenda. Airlines, airports, and manufacturers built this category together because none of them can deliver a seamless trip alone.”
Seamless Journey: Connecting Every Stage of Travel
The new award recognizes “visionary concepts that break down the boundaries between the aircraft cabin and the wider travel experience”.
Seamless Journey celebrates ideas that connect the onboard experience with what happens before, between and beyond flights — from airport and ground services to transfers, destination experiences and post-flight interactions.
Entries should demonstrate how the aircraft cabin can become an integrated part of a seamless travel ecosystem, creating new experiences and possibilities that extend beyond the aircraft interior. The category is intended to spotlight solutions that connect different stages, services and stakeholders throughout the passenger journey. Innovations may include cabin features, digital interfaces and platforms, connected services, airport and ground solutions, or integrated end-to-end journey concepts.
At the heart of the category is cooperation. Delivering a genuinely seamless journey requires airlines, airports, manufacturers, suppliers, technology providers and service partners to work across traditional boundaries. The partnership between APEX and the Crystal Cabin Award reflects this collaborative approach.
APEX FTE EXPO: An End-to-End Event for Passenger Experience
The award will be presented on the second day of APEX FTE EXPO, taking place during 18-19 November 2026 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. The award ceremony will be hosted at Swissôtel The Stamford on 19 November 2026.
For the first time in a decade, APEX brings its flagship APEX Global EXPO to Asia, combining its unrivaled customer experience heritage with Future Travel Experience’s long-established regional innovation platform for a true global mega-event with the launch of the unified APEX FTE EXPO.
This powerful collaboration creates the industry’s most comprehensive platform for passenger experience and innovation, connecting airline, airport and technology leaders from across APAC and beyond to showcase the ideas, solutions and partnerships redefining the future of travel.
With more than 2,000 participants expected, including representatives from 100+ airlines and airport operators worldwide, attendees will experience a large-scale exhibition and dynamic conference program featuring C-suite interviews, real-world case studies and high-level discussions exploring the strategies, technologies and collaborations shaping the next era of air transport
APEX/Crystal Cabin Award “Seamless Journey” timeline
3 September 2026: Submissions open
30 September 2026: Submission deadline
19 November 2026: Presentation of the APEX/CCA Award during APEX FTE EXPO in Singapore
Application information and submission materials are available through the Crystal Cabin Award website here.
Crystal Cabin Award 2027: Eight awards to be presented in Hamburg
The APEX/CCA Award is a separate distinction that complements the Crystal Cabin Award’s annual main competition.
The 2027 Crystal Cabin Award will mark the award’s 20th anniversary. Submissions for its eight established categories will be open from 10 September to 21 November 2026. The categories are Accessibility, Breakthrough Start-ups, Cabin Concepts, Cabin Technologies, IFEC & Digital Services, Passenger Comfort, Sustainable Cabin and University.
The eight winners will be announced in Hamburg on 6 April 2027 during the Aircraft Interiors Expo, the world’s leading trade show for aircraft cabins.
About the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)
As a global non-profit and one of the world’s largest international airline associations, APEX accelerates the industry with the backing of nearly every major airline and valued supplier. APEX reinvests all its resources to serving its members, strengthening the worldwide airline industry, advancing thought-leadership, fostering business opportunities via events, developing global initiatives, setting key airline standards, and highlighting well-deserved recognition across our industry. In conjunction with both the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) and Future Travel Experience (FTE), APEX serves the full spectrum of the end-to-end travel experience.
For a full list of upcoming APEX, IFSA, and FTE events, please visit APEX Events.
About the Crystal Cabin Award
The Crystal Cabin Award is the most prestigious international prize dedicated exclusively to innovations in aircraft cabins. Under the motto “Let your ideas take off,” it annually honors outstanding products and concepts that enhance the flying experience – from smart single seats to connected galleys. Entries are evaluated by an independent jury representing academia, engineering, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and trade media. The award was initiated by the Hamburg Aviation cluster and is organized by the Crystal Cabin Award Association. Since 2007, it has been presented during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Today, it is recognized worldwide as a seal of quality – and as a springboard for many products that later enter service in commercial aircraft.
Featured image credited to Crystal Cabin Awards
