ask yourself...
Would you rather be a passenger in aircraft "flown" by: a) a remote pilot; b) the black box designed by a pimply programmer who spent his 20s avoiding the sun in Mom's basement; or c) the soft pink fleshy human who's life is equally dependent upon his piloting skills as every other soul on board?
I think the market will resist unmanned passenger carriage long after technology makes it either feasible or affordable.
Passengers will implicitly trust a pilot who has skin in the game, far more than some nameless, faceless operator who never leaves the ground -- and they will probably pay more for the peace of mind.
My $0.02