Airline Pilot Jobs of the Future-home every night, no jetlag

[Rockie]

The point is that the operator on the ground would have/would need to have exactly the same information that the pilot on board has.

The funny thing about pilots is that although the president of the airline sitting in the back will never admit it, he's hoping like hell the people in the front know what they're doing because his life depends on it. And even they want the person driving sharing the risk with them rather than remotely controlling their destiny. It's only when they're sitting safe in their office they think we're a waste of money.

[Xander]

We can hardly make a paper printer work properly on your "modern automated airliners", so we're not about to see them fly by themselves.

I fly on the line and I can tell you the operational Fog of War is thick enough as it is, operating remotely would be a total nightmare. You need boots on the ground, to quote military strategy. Like Rockie said, there is just too many factors involved and you need someone at the front line with decision making capability to even contemplate a normal operation.

I'm not saying never, but by the time we see that, there will be a pilot shortage to make double Luna turns and long layovers on Ganymede...

Also a command center such a you describe would make a prime target for terrorist organizations. Imagine if you attack such a centre and seize control of an entire airline fleet...

Bottom line: in several, several decades, even maybe centuries, maybe.

[V2-OMG!]

Vanna White is redundant, but guys still like to look at her.

It's the same with pilots.