>“Today to fly from DFW to Philadelphia is about 30 minutes longer than it was in 1979,” Parker said, “simply because we have an [air traffic control] system that hasn’t kept pace with the rest of the world.”
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/american-airlines/2017/0...
This wired article also has some more background on the US air traffic control system:
https://www.wired.com/2015/02/air-traffic-control/
The US is the last major country to still have government act as the regulator and provider of air traffic control. This is an inherent conflict of interest for the regulator that other countries avoid. By having political control of air traffic control, it also means air traffic control is routinely held hostage to government shutdowns and budget impasses which can also impact safety. For example:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/how-shutdo...
Doing a google search on air traffic safety brought up this paper which examined the air traffic control systems of the US and Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland:
>…An analysis was made to determine the effect privatization had on operating cost and air MIC safety involving the privatized ATC systems of Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The study showed reduced operating cost and increased safety would result from corporate structuring of the ATC system. It was concluded that corporate style policy regarding personnel management and equipment procurement procedures would increase efficiency, which would reduce operating cost and increase ATC flight safety.
https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1521&co...
Considering that every other major country has separated the regulation and provision of air traffic control, those who are opposed to it should cite some evidence why the US should be different in this regard.
Or less than .10 USD per American. Nor does spending a billion USD a year since 2010 scream mismanagement to me given the magnitude of the public benefit if it eventually works.
By far the most important barometer of the quality of the US's air-traffic control system is how many fatal collisions there have been between aircraft being controlled by the system, and you haven't offered any data about that.