The Inflight E-reader was voted the best idea for the future of air transport.
AMSTELVEEN – Maarten Poot has won the Creative Challenge. This joint initiative by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the Dutch social networking site Hyves is intended to give talented young people an opportunity to present refreshing ideas on the future of air transport. The winner will receive two World Business Class tickets for a round-the-world trip.
The Inflight E-Reader allows passengers to read newspapers, magazines and books in their own language. According to the panel of judges this innovative concept reflects the ambition to make air transport more sustainable. The Inflight E-Reader not only ensures that fewer paper media are required on board, but also gives passengers access to the latest news. The logistical and technical feasibility of the Inflight E-Reader will be assessed in the coming period.
Erik Varwijk, Executive Vice President of KLM’s Commercial division: “KLM wants to keep putting passengers first, also in future. It is very important to get talented young people involved in this effort. That is why we called on young, creative members of Hyves to help us come up with ways of achieving this. The winning idea also had to be sustainable and innovative. The Inflight E-reader definitely meets these requirements and will be taken into account to further develop KLM’s products and services.”
Maarten de Groof, Commercial Director of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: “Schiphol is a frontrunner when it comes to innovation, which we believe is a continuous process to ensure we remain attractive to our customers. The Creative Challenge has enabled us to get young people to think along with us and come up with creative ideas. It was a great pleasure to evaluate the submissions and we may take great pride in the winning ideas.”
Second prize went to Unal Sezisli, who came up with the idea for Online Tax-Free Shopping, and third prize went to Patrick van den Born, who suggested placing wind turbines under the runways. They have won two tickets for, respectively, a round-the-world trip and a trip to an intercontinental destination of their choice. Both will travel in KLM’s new Economy Comfort zone.
Erik Varwijk and Maarten de Groof judged all ideas together with Marc de Vries (CEO of Hyves), Marcel Wanders (designer), Axel Enthoven (designer) and Arnold Burlage (aviation consultant). The panel was hosted by presenter Sebastiaan Labrie.