These Crystal Cabin Award finalists made waves at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg for innovations that enhance passenger experience. Here is a sampling. 1. Silver Lining

Suppliers are already stretched, and the situation is expected to get worse.

Choices at the gas pump in Brazil—100% ethanol or petroleum?—are indicative of the country's status as a biofuels pioneer, so it is little wonder that the biggest names in aviation are coming here to learn more about how biofuels can become a common choice at airports.

Brazil is unusual among top-rated emerging markets because it can support manufacturing, services and natural resource development simultaneously. This is due, in part, to its low external and public debt, low unemployment, an enviable 90% literacy rate, expanding capital markets and declining poverty. And to top it off, the country is self-sufficient in water, food and energy. Brazil recently passed the U.K. to become the world's sixth-largest economy. By 2040, Goldman Sachs expects it to be fourth behind China, the U.S. and India.

Among foreign aircraft manufacturers, General Electric Aviation has some of the deepest roots in Brazil and is growing them deeper with an expansion of its industrial presence in this hillside city of 300,000 people. It was here where aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont lived after his Belle Epoque flying exploits in France.

Brazil's new entrants in aviation design and manufacturing are specializing in niche markets for domestic consumption and are receiving support from industry, academia and government agencies.

High operating costs and scheduling conflicts prompted Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to think that Tennessee was maybe not the best place to do ice certification testing. It was time to find a locale where it is really, really cold.

Maintenance outsourcing plays an increasingly important role in the business model of airlines around the world. Cathay Pacific Airways has a unique perspective on outsourcing, having taken the concept further than almost any other carrier. Cathay's Engineering Director Christopher Gibbs talks to Aviation Week's Adrian Schofield about the challenges and benefits of an outsourced maintenance model and Cathay's relationship with long-time MRO provider, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. (Haeco).