text: A plane seat specifically targeted at making plane travel more comfortable for obese passengers and small children has won a prize for its innovation vision this week. The adapted chair by SII Deutschland, beat off competition from 21 finalists to win the Passenger Comfort Hardware award at The Crystal Cabin Awards in Hamburg, Germany. Sitting at one-and-a-half times the width of a standard seat, the SANTO seat (Special Accommodation Needs for Toddlers and Overweight Passengers) aims to improve aircrew procedure and passenger safety. Passenger Comfort Hardware winner: The SANTO seat by SII Deutschland is larger than usual seats, and makes use of space at the back of aircraft where the fuselage narrows . The adapted seat would make use of the usually wasted space at the back of aircraft, where the fuselage narrows. It would be a larger version of the aircraft chairs, meaning a wider passenger could comfortably and safety fit in the chair, without disrupting the neighbouring customer. As the SANTO seat has an extra half a seat width, a baby seat could be fitted securely into the chair, with enough space for a regular customer to sit alongside without paying for an extra seat. The designs were judged by a team of 24 experts, including panel chairwoman Melissa Raudebaugh, General Manager of Aircraft Experience at Delta Air Lines. 'Selecting the Crystal Cabin Award winners was a tough decision this year, as all finalists were of very high quality - ranging from renowned manufacturers to inspiring university concepts, which we will hopefully see flying soon', said Raudebaugh, as reported by PR Newswire. The seat won the prize as part of the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, and addresses the issue of the safety for obese passengers . Not only being space effective, the larger chair aims to address the on-going debate about whether  to charge obese passengers for two seats. Some American airlines have adopted this principle if customers are unable to buckle their seatbelt without the use of a seatbelt extender. In 2011 a male passenger claims he was forced to stand for seven hours in the aisle of a plane on his US Airways flight, from Anchorage to Philadelphia, as a 400lb man took up a lot of his seat. Another solution was put forward by Samoa Air in 2013 charging customers depending on their weight, in a bid to reduce fuel costs. Visitors look at Expliseat wide seats weighing four kilos at  the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2014. It is the leading trade fair for aircraft cabin designers and presents novelties in design, entertainment and connectivity . The Crystal Cabin Awards were awarded as part of Aircraft Interiors Expo which aims to showcase world's most advanced and creative ideas for the aircraft cabin. The SANTO was not the only seat design aiming to solve the issue of comfort when it comes to overweight passengers. Expliseat also displayed wider seating designs to accommodate larger passnegers. Prestigious aviation companies such as B/E Aerospace and Etihad Airways showed their concepts at the international trade fair of aircraft interiors which took place from April 14 to 16. Other awarded ideas included B/E Aerospace's solar cell films on cabin windows, and a vacuum technology to reduce space of waste by lavatories and trash bags created by Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. Premium Class & VIP: A380 Upper Deck by Etihad (UAE) One highlight this year was in the head-to-head A380-First Class race between two airlines from the United Arab Emirates. Etihad Airways won by a nose with its 'A380 Upper Deck'. Etihad is the first airline in the world to install a three room apartment in a commercial airliner, the 'Residence by Etihad'. Behind the Residence is the First Class Cabin with nine compartments and 70 Business Class seats. Greener Cabin, Health, Safety & Environment: Solar Eclipse by B/E Aerospace (USA) A thin solar cell film is installed in the sun visor of the cabin window, providing passengers with electricity to charge their electronic devices during flight. Although the system is still under development, the manufacturer is already working on achieving production approval soon. Industrial Design & Visionary Concepts: E2 Cabin Concept by Embraer (Brazil) The cabin for Embraers E2 generation of regional jets, is characterised by an innovative, easy maintenance design. The use of space is especially well thought-out. Special baggage lockers, for example, and a staggered seating concept, provide more space in the aircraft. Passenger Comfort Hardware: SANTO Seat by SII Deutschland (Germany) The 'SANTO Seat' (Special Accommodation Needs for Toddlers and Overweight Passengers) is beneficial for both passengers and airlines. The normally wasted space at the rear of the aircraft cabin, where the fuselage narrows, is used by a special seat, one-and-a-half times the width of a normal seat. The seat is ideal for overweight passengers and for passengers with small children. For these passengers, the seat is safer than a standard seat. Passenger Comfort Systems: Exede in the Air by ViaSat (USA) The satellite-powered 'Exede in the Air' solution brings a 12 Mbps internet connection to every seat, allowing passengers to stream films or shop online above the clouds without difficulty. Material & Components: LEXAN XHR2000 by SABIC Innovative Plastics (UAE) The 'LEXAN XHR2000' film has a transparency level of 80 percent, currently the highest possible level. Application possibilities range from windows to surface elements within the cabin, providing interior designers in particular with completely new possibilities. University: Trash Compactor by Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Marc Spille a student of aviation studies, in collaboration with Airbus, developed a mobile trash container which uses the vacuum technology of the on-board lavatory to compress trash bags into a space-saving format within seconds.
target: The SANTO seat (Special Accommodation Needs for Toddlers and Overweight Passengers) won the prize for Passenger Comfort Hardware .
  The Crystal Cabin Awards took place this week in Hamburg, Germany .
  The SII Deutschland design is one-and-a-half times the usual chair width .