What advantage would an autonomous passenger airliner provide? By removing the cockpit and the pilots, you get a few more passengers and perhaps a few premium p

What advantage would an autonomous passenger airliner provide? By removing the cockpit and the pilots, you get a few more passengers and perhaps a few premium priced seats at the very front. The cost of having the pilots in the cockpit doesn't make a big difference in the operating costs, and there would still be crew needed on the ground and on board. Compare this with the costs of such a project, with ground systems facilities, extra development costs, regulatory hurdles. Then you have the human element, having no pilot on board would certainly scare away some passengers but more importantly would make the whole project seem much riskier from an investors' point of view. While it's feasible from a technological standpoint, it's not a worthwhile effort to consider at this day and age. There just isn't much to be gained by not having pilots on board.