I would suggest that given the volume of airplanes, and the complexity of the airspace due to having so many airports so close together, there is no other place in the world with such a demanding ATC environment. A Heathrow predictable conga style arrival is simply impossible so yes crews need to bring their “A” game to NYC. Can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
That being said neither side covered themselves in glory that day, but at the end of the day as several posters stated a pilot should either comply with the clearance or simply say “unable” ideally followed by what they can accept.
I always chuckle when the Europeans, and especially Brits condescending explain how wonderful their system is and how bad the cowboy Americans are, unfortunately the inconvenient fact is that for pretty much ever, the US has had the lowest number of aircraft incidents and accidents per 100,000 hrs flown than any other country.........