The airline’s state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system wins accolades for combining true human-centric design and technology
The inflight entertainment (IFE) system at Cathay Pacific has received accolades from two of the world’s most prestigious design awards, the German Design Award 2025 and the Red Dot Award 2024, reaffirming its excellence in customer experience and design, and its commitment to becoming the world’s best premium airline.
Cathay Pacific has been named a Gold winner in the “Excellent Communications Design – Interactive User Experience” category of the German Design Award and a winner of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design – User Interface Design.
Cathay General Manager Customer Experience and Design Vivian Lo said: “We are incredibly honoured and humbled to be presented with two of the most internationally acclaimed awards in the Design arena, which serve as a further acknowledgement of our steadfast commitment to delivering world-class experiences to our customers. At the core of our IFE that we developed together with Reaktor is a thoughtful, human-centric design, underpinned by innovation, customer comfort and an intuitive graphical user interface. With these recognitions, we hope to continue to lead the charge for the industry and beyond as we strive to push the envelope of customer experience, ensuring that every facet of the journey is genuinely cared for.”
Reaktor Aero Vice President Michael Holler said: “The innovative IFE user experience/user interface that Reaktor has designed and developed together with Cathay Pacific is truly state-of-the-art, seamlessly incorporating the latest technology with a design that is elegant and intuitive to use. For it to be recognised by two of the design world’s most prestigious awards is a remarkable achievement and one that we are honoured to have been a part of. From start to finish, the overall customer experience has been front and centre of the development, and we hope that Cathay Pacific’s customers enjoy an award-winning inflight entertainment experience that exceeds their expectations.“
With a focus on visual harmony, intuitive user interaction and accessibility, Cathay Pacific’s award-winning IFE system provides customers with an enhanced level of control over their travel environment by fully integrating cabin technology with the seats. Customers are placed at the very heart of the design, which has been informed by years of customer research and insights.
The IFE includes key customer-centric features as well as innovations that complement the cabin interiors. Among them is My Journey, which seamlessly blends flight tracking with inflight entertainment by incorporating real-time flight paths and map layers to create agame-like flight path preview. For a premium digital experience, customers can also pair their Bluetooth-enabled headphones to the 4K ultra-high-definition screen.
In addition, in the all-new Aria Suite Business class onboard the airline’s retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, customers can tailor the space to their needs using the interactive seat controls on the in-seat entertainment touchscreen, where pre-set seat modes such as Relax, Work and Sleep are available for added ease. The seat control interface even features live lavatory status, enabling customers to see which lavatory is unoccupied without having to leave their seats.
The German Design Award sets the benchmark for innovation and global competitiveness in design, boasting a holistic evaluation process with an international jury comprising leading experts from all disciplines of design. As a Gold winner, Cathay Pacific is honoured for an IFE system that redefines the customer experience through a seamless integration of cutting-edge design and technology, and adapts across diverse screen types, ensuring usability from high-resolution displays to older models.
In particular, the jury praised the consistency and user-friendliness of the airline’s IFE, which weaves seamlessly into the entire cabin and enables a high degree of interactivity. The design meets rigorous standards of modernity, accessibility and intuitive operability, making the customer journey as pleasant as possible. An award ceremony was held today (7 February) at Messe Frankfurt am Main to celebrate the winners’ achievements.
Meanwhile, the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design is an internationally renowned competition that honours outstanding achievements in communication design. Cathay Pacific’s IFE is recognised for combining advanced technology with an easy-to-use design, culminating in a minimalist user interface that offers varied customisation options.
These latest accolades follow the airline’s recent wins at TheDesignAir Awards 2024, including: Design Airline of the Year, Asia; Best New Business Class; and Best New Premium Economy.
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