Onboard Experience of the Year

new for 2027

Previously Cabin Concept of the Year

The award for Onboard Experience of the Year recognises the most complete and effective passenger experience delivered across air, rail or cruise.

Formerly Cabin Concept of the Year, this award has now been redefined to reflect its true focus: the end-to-end onboard passenger experience.
This award celebrates organisations that have designed and executed a fully integrated onboard experience, bringing together service, food and beverage, technology, comfort and operational delivery into a single, coherent journey.

Unlike product-specific categories, this award focuses on the strength of the overall experience and the quality of its execution across multiple passenger touchpoints.

“To win Onboard Experience of the Year is to set the standard for how the world travels”

Are you eligible?

Eligibility

Entries should demonstrate a fully developed onboard experience concept that integrates multiple elements of the passenger journey, including but not limited to:

Service and crew experience
Food and beverage
Technology and digital experience
Comfort and wellbeing
Cabin environment and onboard delivery model
Sustainability and operational design

There are no sub-categories for entry. All submissions are assessed within a single award framework based on overall merit.

Where appropriate, the judges may choose to recognise standout entries across different operating models (for example full-service, low-cost or private aviation), where the strength of execution justifies separate recognition.

Judging Criteria

Entries are assessed on:

Strength and clarity of the overall onboard experience concept
Integration across multiple passenger touchpoints
Innovation in service design and delivery
Quality and consistency of execution
Passenger impact and experience improvement
Coherence of the end-to-end journey

Judges place particular emphasis on how effectively all elements work together to enhance the passenger experience, rather than the performance of individual components in isolation.

Why Enter

Entry Benefits

All shortlisted entries receive:

Feature coverage in Onboard Hospitality magazine
Online profile hosted on onboardhospitality.com for 12 months
Promotion via newsletters and digital channels (25,000+ readership)
Exposure to global airline, rail and cruise industry decision-makers

Recognition

Winner Recognition

Winners are announced at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg in April 2027.

Official Winner logo for marketing use
Editorial coverage across Onboard Hospitality magazine

Entries for 2027 open September 1 2026.

For further information, contact Craig.McQuinn@onboardhospitality.com