Flight International 9-15 Feb 2010. Page 20.
"The US Airline Pilots Association top safety official has echoed the view of US FAA administrator Rany Babbitt that airline pilots may need to spend more time hand flying aircraft to stave off the impacts of automation....United Airlines has had such guidelines in place for years, according to Captain Roy Kay the executive chairman of ALPA. ....Kay says that United actively encourages pilots to hand-fly whenever possible through verbiage in the flight operations manual. They understand that basic skills are eroding. The practice varies by carrier, with some recommending pilots to engage or disengage the autopilot systems as low as 1000 ft. Kay says he typically hand-flies below 18,000 ft.
So, United Airlines which is one of the world's largest airlines actively encourages pilots to hand-fly as much as possible. Obviously the airline is doing something positive about erosion of flying skills by pilots of automated aircraft. While in other parts of the world it remains automatics engaged asap after lift off and don't disengage until forced to on short final. Little wonder that pure flying skills are a thing of the past. And the world's regulators just look the other way while Loss of Control becomes the major cause of airline aircraft accidents.