又中又英｜took off in a big way

Air travel has gone through radical changes over the years. If something has gone through a radical change, it means it has changed a lot. Economy class seats were not comfortable but acceptable years ago when air travel took off in a big way. If something takes off in a big way, it means it happens on a large scale. Air travel took off in a big way years ago when people became richer and started travelling. Most travelled economy class. Only the rich could afford business or first class. In recent years airlines began making economy seats smaller to add more seats.

They created premium economy for passengers willing to pay more for comfort but were unable to afford business class. One of my worst trips travelling economy was in 2018 when I flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles on my way back to Hong Kong after interviewing former US President Jimmy Carter. I had booked an aisle seat but got a middle seat between two obese (overweight) passengers. It made me feel claustrophobic because I had so little space. Claustrophobia is a fear of being confined in a very small area.

A recent Wall Street Journal article said economy class seating is like a torture chamber. The word "torture" means to inflict great pain on people to make them give information. A torture chamber is a place where people are tortured. Economy seats have become much smaller for US domestic travel. The article said Americans nowadays are much taller and bigger and can't fit comfortably in economy seats. US politicians have now introduced a bill in Congress requiring the government to study seat sizes.

航空旅遊在這些年來經歷了翻天覆地的變化（radical changes）。若某事物經歷了 a radical change，意即它的變化很大、很徹底。從前的經濟艙客位並不舒適，但多年前當航空旅遊took off in a big way，經濟艙就變得可以接受。若某事物 takes off in a big way，意即它大規模地發生、發展。多年前，當人們變得有錢，開始旅遊時，航空旅遊業務大張旗鼓地起飛（took off in a big way），而大部分人都是乘搭經濟艙客位，只有有錢人才能付得起搭商務或頭等艙客位。近年來，航空公司開始縮小經濟艙座位，以添加更多的座位。

他們創造了優質經濟艙，給那些願意為了舒適一點付更多錢，但又付不起商務艙的乘客。我搭乘經濟艙其中一次最差的經歷是在二零一八年，我訪問過前美國總統占美‧卡特後的返港途中，要由亞特蘭大飛到洛杉磯之時。我訂了一個走廊通道的位置，但卻夾擠在兩個癡肥（obese）的乘客中間。這令我感到 claustrophobic，因為我只有非常狹小的空間。Claustrophobia是幽閉恐懼症，患者害怕身處於密閉狹獈的空間內。 

最近一篇《華爾街日報》的文章指，經濟艙座位活像一個 torture chamber。Torture一字是指折磨或用酷刑逼供，a torture chamber就是人們遭受酷刑（tortured）的酷刑室。美國內陸機的經濟艙座位已經變得很狹小。該文章說，今天美國人變得愈來愈高大，已經不能安舒地擠進經濟艙座位中。美國政客現已在國會提出一份法案，要求政府研究座位的尺寸大小。

[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻