Our airliners and all other 70+ types of AC I flew had at most an aural warning when the automation failed if we had automation. The worst that could happen is you would have to put your coffee cup down and handfly the rest of the flight or until you could get the automation working again.
We never knew if they were going to work or not so when they worked we felt blessed. I felt the same in the Lear Jets and the Boeings. They are handy but not at all required for flight. My airline dispatched us in a new, to us, 737 from LAS to MSP and back with no autopilot and we took it because the MEL said it was legal when I was a new captain with a 1st time FO. Hand flying for 3 hrs each way isn't much fun but remember "Fate is the Hunter?"
A stick or a wheel should suffice for any airliner with a competent crew to get you to your destination no matter what fails.
Depending on automation to get you there is a recipe for disaster.