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.

航空旅游在这些年来经历了翻天覆地的变化（radical changes）。若某事物经历了 a radical change，意即它的变化很大、很彻底。从前的经济舱客位并不舒适，但多年前当航空旅游took off in a big way，经济舱就变得可以接受。若某事物 takes off in a big way，意即它大规模地发生、发展。多年前，当人们变得有钱，开始旅游时，航空旅游业务大张旗鼓地起飞（took off in a big way），而大部分人都是乘搭经济舱客位，只有有钱人才能付得起搭商务或头等舱客位。近年来，航空公司开始缩小经济舱座位，以添加更多的座位。

他们创造了优质经济舱，给那些愿意为了舒适一点付更多钱，但又付不起商务舱的乘客。我搭乘经济舱其中一次最差的经历是在二零一八年，我访问过前美国总统占美‧卡特后的返港途中，要由亚特兰大飞到洛杉矶之时。我订了一个走廊通道的位置，但却夹挤在两个痴肥（obese）的乘客中间。这令我感到 claustrophobic，因为我只有非常狭小的空间。Claustrophobia是幽闭恐惧症，患者害怕身处于密闭狭獈的空间内。 

最近一篇《华尔街日报》的文章指，经济舱座位活像一个 torture chamber。Torture一字是指折磨或用酷刑逼供，a torture chamber就是人们遭受酷刑（tortured）的酷刑室。美国内陆机的经济舱座位已经变得很狭小。该文章说，今天美国人变得愈来愈高大，已经不能安舒地挤进经济舱座位中。美国政客现已在国会提出一份法案，要求政府研究座位的尺寸大小。

[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻