Abstract
Trust, willingness, and comfort to fly on an airliner is a large factor in the consumer’s travel plan decision process. This research aims to further understand consumers’ opinions on the set-up of the cockpit in terms of number of pilots, and seeks establish a line of studies geared towards the development of future cockpit set-ups. The foundation of which will be invaluable to the future of the aviation industry, and could potentially be the stepping-stone to the future. The study asks participants from the United States and India to rate their trust, willingness and comfort to fly on a commercial flight piloted by three different cockpit scenarios: a traditional two pilot cockpit; a hybrid with one pilot in the cockpit and one remote control pilot on the ground; or two remote control pilots on the ground. The research shows, as predicted, that participants would trust the traditional set-up more than the hybrid mix, while having negative feelings of trust towards the completely automated aircraft with two remote control pilots on the ground.