Whilst I can appreciate the reasoning behind the ruling, I do think it is putting aviation relationships back a number of years. As has been said here, and on other threads in the past, a fam flight can provide valuable information to the ground based staff.
It also precludes ops/crewing staff from being given a brief but eye-opening insight into what really goes on pre, during and post flight. Relationships built up in this way go a long way in breaking down the barriers that exist between the ops-room and the flight deck. How many cantankerous old codgers (air and ground) have turned out to be genuine, helpful colleagues who would go the extra mile when asked, all because they were introduced to someone from 'the other side of the fence' and were able to pu a face to a name.
I fear we are into an era of pilots being anonymous, faceless employees. There is something very wrong with the fact that it is the pilots who are being locked away whilst the perpetrators roam free.