I don't think it's an Airbus problem or a Boeing problem
Maybe or maybe not.. One thing is for sure, though. And that is neither manufacturer give serious attention in their respective flight crew training manuals to encouraging crews to keep up manual flying skills. Just about every recommendation on how to operate their aircraft is based upon using automation to the fullest extent. Is it any wonder that the airline operations management are more or less forced to go along with automation policy for the real fear of litigation if something amiss should occur. .
The 737 FCTM, under a chapter on automatic flight, reveals how much Boeing push automatic flight. Among other things it has a statement: "Automatic systems give excellent results in the vast majority of situations. Deviations from expected performance are normally due to an incomplete understanding of their operations by the flight crew".
That is true, of course and no argument there. Then it goes on to say: "When the automatic systems do not perform as expected, the pilot should reduce the level of automation until proper flight path and performance is achieved....reducing the level of automation as far as manual flight may be necessary to ensure proper control of the airplane is maintained..."
This suggests that automatic flight is the only safe way to operate but if the sh..t hits the fan the pilot may be forced to actually hand fly. In other words, hand flying is the last resort and even then we read "..the pilot should attempt to restore to higher levels of automation only after aircraft control is assured..."
Faced with that Boeing philosophy, it is a courageous flight operations manager that disregards the manufacturer's advice and authorises crews via official channels to hand fly as much as reasonable to keep their manipulative skills up to scratch - just in case they have to "reduce the level of automation as far as manual flight if necessary..."