Reflections on Change and Human Behaviour in Air Travel

Assignment Brief

Tipping Point Essay instructions and questions 

The only source to complete this assignment is:

Gladwell, M. (2002). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. New York, NY: Back Bay Books.

*Malcolm Gladwell reviews and synthesizes a number of theoretical and empirical perspectives on something he calls the tipping point. As you read the book and as we discuss it in class, I encourage you to keep in mind the questions below.

*You will eventually write an essay using the terms, concepts, and frameworks from Gladwell’s book to answer both questions.  Each answer should be at least two double-spaced pages of text, but no more than three pages.  Type your name on the first line of the first page. Use 12-point Times Roman or Cambria font and 1-inch margins all around.  Do not repeat the question in your answer. Edit and proofread your answers.

Question 1:

The typical experience for someone traveling by air in the 1990s included a phone call or visit to a travel agent’s office.  The travel agent provided expert advice and information about the available options and itineraries.  The traveler chose an itinerary, and then the travel agent either handed a paper ticket to the traveler or the paper ticket was mailed to the traveler’s home.

The typical experience for someone traveling by air in 2017 involves searching websites on the Internet.  The traveler is likely to use a travel portal like orbitz.com or kayak.com to search for and compare available options.  The traveler then enters his or her credit card information on the Internet and waits for a confirmation number.  In most cases, the traveler only receives electronic information about his or her itinerary.  No paper is handed to the traveler or delivered by mail.  The traveler heads to the airport on the day of the trip with nothing more than a confirmation number.

What happened?  Travel agents used to go to special schools to learn the tools and tricks of their trade.  Travelers couldn’t imagine making sense of the various itineraries, schedule options, and fare restrictions.  Today, travelers have embraced the opportunity to plan their own travel.  Are travelers just smarter now?  People used to panic if they didn’t receive the multi-page, IATA-approved tickets printed on special paper.  Now they’ll head to the airport with nothing more than a six-digit alphanumeric code.  Were people inherently more suspicious in the 1990s?  Are travelers simply more trusting now?

Question 2:

Commercial aviation is barely over a hundred years old.  The vehicles used to transport people and cargo by air have evolved to the point where the potential exists for aircraft to operating safely, reliably, and efficiently without a pilot on the flight deck or even a pilot controlling the aircraft from a remote, ground-based location.

There is clear evidence that we are capable of developing and operating unpiloted aircraft for commercial purposes, including the carriage of passengers, but few people seem ready and willing to purchase tickets for these flights.

Using what you know about the evolution of aviation and transportation and what you’ve learned about human behavior from The Tipping Point, assess the prospect for the wide-scale implementation of unpiloted vehicles for the carriage of passengers.  Use the appropriate terms, concepts, and framework for change described in The Tipping Point to discuss what would have to happen for society to reach a tipping point and embrace the fundamental change represented by unpiloted air vehicles.  Remember that aviation does not live or operate in a vacuum, so broader context is important to this discussion.

Sample Answer

Reflections on Change and Human Behaviour in Air Travel

Part One The Transformation of Travel Booking

The contrast between booking flights in the 1990s and in 2017 reflects a major cultural shift, one that Malcolm Gladwell (2002) would interpret through the idea of the tipping point. In the 1990s, travel agents acted as gatekeepers of specialised knowledge. They used unique computer systems and training to help customers navigate the complicated world of itineraries, time schedules, and fare rules. Ordinary travellers felt unable to interpret this information themselves, which created dependency on the expertise of agents. The paper ticket served as a tangible guarantee of security and legitimacy. Without that document in hand, many customers would have felt anxious about travelling.

By 2017, this system had almost completely disappeared. Travellers were booking online using websites like Orbitz or Kayak, entering payment details directly and receiving confirmation codes instead of paper tickets. What Gladwell helps us understand is that this change was not simply the result of people becoming smarter or more trusting overnight. Instead, it represented a tipping point in consumer behaviour. Small shifts accumulated until a threshold was crossed, after which booking travel online became normal, natural, and expected.

Gladwell explains that tipping points occur when ideas, products, or behaviours spread in the same way epidemics do. Three key factors shape this process: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Each of these helps explain why travellers abandoned the travel agent model so quickly.

The Law of the Few refers to the critical role of particular kinds of people in spreading new practices. In the case of online booking, connectors and mavens were essential. Early adopters, often more technologically confident, began experimenting with online platforms. They shared their experiences with others, showing that it was possible to plan and purchase flights without professional assistance. These individuals lowered the psychological barriers for wider society by demonstrating that the new method was safe and reliable. Word-of-mouth, as Gladwell highlights, proved more persuasive than large advertising campaigns.

The Stickiness Factor was also crucial. Online booking platforms offered something that was both memorable and practical: the ability to instantly compare flights, filter choices, and confirm bookings without leaving one’s home. Unlike travel agencies, which required visits or lengthy calls, online systems gave customers a sense of empowerment and control. This stickiness made the change more attractive and ensured people returned to the new platforms repeatedly.

The Power of Context also played a significant role. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, internet access had become far more common in households. E-commerce practices such as buying books from Amazon or bidding on items through eBay familiarised people with the idea of using credit cards online. The broader environment created a readiness to trust electronic transactions. At the same time, airlines themselves began to encourage direct online booking, sometimes offering lower fares than those available through agents. The disappearance of paper tickets and the normalisation of electronic confirmations was not due to travellers becoming inherently less suspicious, but because the context shifted in ways that made trust in digital records both rational and convenient.

Gladwell would argue that once these forces combined, society reached a tipping point. After enough people experienced the ease and safety of online booking, resistance collapsed quickly. The majority followed, and within a short span of time the travel agent became less central to the booking experience. This case shows how technological adoption often appears sudden but is built on cumulative, interconnected factors. It also demonstrates how human behaviour is shaped not only by intelligence or suspicion, but by social influence, memorable experiences, and changing contexts that gradually shift what feels normal.

Continued...