Originally Posted by
ORAC
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...2030-rw3mw3blb
Brace yourself for pilotless planes by 2030
It said regional air transport was often “underdeveloped and often forced to rely on subsidy. This is because regional air transport can struggle to be economically sustainable due to high operating and maintenance costs,”
Perhaps I'm being daft, but i don't understand how removing one (or both) pilots will have any real impact on the overall operating and maintenance costs. What's the pilots salary as a percentage of the overall cost of operating flights? Or do the extra tea and biscuits they need to carry push them over the edge on profitability? It's not like you can remove one of the engines because there isnt a pilot on board...!
The only exception to the above is it, rather than having a cockpit at the front you can actually have 3 or 4 rows of extra seats. Perhaps charging a premium for a nice view (i'd pay extra for that!!). But wouldnt there be a load of wasted space as at some point the fuselage needs to taper down to a point...?