What is annoying with airline management putting restrictions on manual thrust is that the first rule of Airbus is that if you don't like what the automatics are doing, revert to manual flight. Management see the recommendation to use Autothrust in most circumstances (which is entirely logical) but ignore the necessity to be fluent in manual thrust flying because of a perception of risk.
The irony is, that the Airbus is very easy to fly in manual thrust/ap off, with all the protections there if you should be daft enough to cock it up.