Think about it: a manned drone where the responsibility of the onboard crew is safety only. Ideally, he/she have the power to abort the flight and redirect it to the safest/closest location every time an incident occurs. This to break the chain of events linking to a catastrophic occurrence when crew try to to alleviate their responsibilities by searching a solution in a SOP.
Off-board crew, route, fly, direct. The least incident, the more money for the company.
On-board pilot is in charge of the plane maintenance also
Local crew in charge of T.O and landings (system assisted – just like are pilots in maritime shipping where a challenging topography dictate the use of a dedicated specialist)
Ideally, the business model is that of a lease with the client being the company
The onboard pilot is a safety specialist

That way, we can improve safety while keeping cost low.