Simulator time.
Exnomad, in the 11 years that I flew the A320, never once did we practice in the simulator :
A. Dual engine failure
B. Airspeed failure
C. Landing using only the standby instruments
D. Ditching
The pilots are expected to fly these automated airplanes for 6 months, then perform perfectly in the sim with very little practice.
Airlines have been cutting down on sim time due to cost at a time when automated aircraft are far more complex.
I believe that one day (4 hours) of training in the sim then doing a check ride the next day is NOT enough to cover all the training required. I have always felt that simulators should be used for training, not checking. The government inspectors can sit in on the training to make sure it is proper but the check ride should be done in the aircraft on a normal pax flight with a normal crew. That way more time would be available for crew training since money is tight.
In the case of AF447, the crew should have avoided the ITCZ weather in the first place, therefore all the recovery techniques would have been unnecessary. It's much easier to avoid a problem than it is to correct it.