Not wanting to fly an Airbus has nothing to do with pilot ability or skill, it has to do with manufacturer confidence. I don't think a pussy would fly a 727 and 757 into Tegucigalpa, Honduras for 6 years, declared the most dangerous airport for airliners in the world in a recent study but would choose not to bid the A300 because he didn't trust the airplane because of numerous close calls, then the JFK crash. Sten was the scapegoat for that one for alleged rudder use, we will have to wait a bit for the AF447 results. I'm pretty sure what the results of that accident will be too.
By the way, about 2 yrs after I retired Taca put an Airbus off the runway at Tegucigalpa off the cliff with many casualties. I just trusted my Boeings. Automation is wonderful if you don't let your control over it be overridden by a computer. If you don't mind the computer taking over your command of the aircraft then I guess the Airbus is fine. My neighbor loves it and says all computers can fly better than any pilot. I hope he is right for his sake because soon he won't have the skills to help it if it breaks.