I remember that the additive to the Vref for wind/gust was 5 knots if the A/Thrust was on, and the usual half/all if manual thrust. I liked to use the A/T even when flying manually and never had any problem with it, especially if the winds were gusty. I watched many pilots try to use it and could not do so successfully, since they could not handle the pitch changes associated with changes in thrust, and when they flew, the airplane was constantly oscillating. Rather than sharpen up their skills, it was easier to ban the use of A/T when manually flying and bring the lowest common denominator down to their level.
Even in the "old" days automation was taking it's toll.