Under VFR what you say is true, under Instrument conditions the AoA indication is critically important. Once you’re in a cloud, you literally can’t tell which way is up without instruments and the AoA is an essential part.
Not every airliner even shows AOA, it is just used as input for stall warnings and the flight recorder.
It should be possible to fly safely using pitch and air speed indicators. And even a loss of air speed should be survivable by using known good configurations.
