Talking to a pilot flying the Fokker F100. Asked did he do much hand flying during line flying over the deserts of Australia, he said practically zero. In fact the company requirement was autopilot engaged at 100 ft after take off and leave it until the last minute before touch down. The reason? "Fokker want it flown that way."
And this is precisely the same myopic thinking that manufacturers are pushing so hard while completely disregarding the fact that manual flying skills needed to be practiced to keep up basic flying competency. Or are we to believe what an experienced Boeing instructor pilot told me about the marvellous technology of the Boeing 787, when he said: "We have designed the 787 on the assumption it will be flown by incompetent pilots."