This is an interesting one. I work at a reasonably busy airfield in the Scottish TMA.
As an approach radar controller, when I give a descent instruction I would expect the pilot to comply with that instruction within 2 minutes, anything longer than that (unless there was little other traffic about) then I would query the instruction and confirm that the crew had understood.
As for the them and us bit, yes we both provide a service and we are both good at what we do, I for one couldn't fly a 747 (although my trip on the sim at cranebank suggests I can land one ok), but how many pilots could control???
They are completely different jobs, MAX suggests that the desks at Swanwick will be empty b4 the flight deck is, but just how automated is the flight deck compared to ATC???
The counter argument is but when things go wrong!!!
EXACTLY, WHEN THINGS GO WRONG AND YOU NEED AN EXPEDITIOUS ROUTEING, YOU NEED TO KNOW THE FREQUENCY OF THE ILS, OR THE HOLDING PATERN, YOU NEED A CONFIDENT AND REASSURING VOICE TELLING YOU TRACK MILES, YOUR DESCENT PROFILE ON THE EMERGENCY SRA.
Neither of our jpbs will ever be automated in our lifetimes, the human touch adds safety and when I fly, I'm bloody hapy to know that if the proverbial hits the fan there is a crew up front who know what they are doing and a team on the ground that will do everything in their power to get that aircraft on the ground as safely and expeditiously as possible