Of course airlines arent going to like their pilots doing that when automation is available
But why shouldn't they? The Pilots are supposed to be capable of doing it otherwise what would they expect to do if the FD/AP drops out?
In my mind there's only one way to stay proficient at that sort of flying and that is to physically do it in a real aircraft. Sims may be getting more and more realistic but there's no substitute for being strapped into a real aircraft.