By Susan Gager

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Airplane congestion is a growing problem for air traffic controllers at major airports. But NASA and local Oregon engineers have developed a new system to help you get where you need to go on time.

Flight delayed -- two words both passengers and airline employees dread hearing, and it seems like it happens more at bigger airports due to heavier traffic.

Corvallis Pilot in Command John Larson says he sees it all the time.

"Those busiest airports are the site of the most congested air space- the Chicago, the New York, the Miami," said Larson.

Researcher Kagan Tumer, in collaboration with NASA, says there are exactly zero new airports being built and 40,000+ flights taking off everyday. He says the growing number of flights is quickly making airport operations inefficient.

"This isn't like a network router running slowly and you get a new chip that runs faster. The problem here is that we're constrained by our airports and constrained by the increasing air traffic," said Associate Professor of Engineering Tumer.

So he and NASA are devising a system similar to metering lights entering a highway, but for the air.

"What we are trying to come up with is a way to speed up or slow down an aircraft entering congested areas so that we can manage the congestion in an efficient manner," he said.

An airplane will fly over various check points on its route, and at each point the devised system will suggest a speed to the pilot in order to keep airports clear of delays.

"We are very good at safety issues, we are very good at controlling the aircraft, but we are not very good at estimating the impact of one decision when there are 40,000 components," said Tumer.

The new device could save the government a lot of money. Those 40,000 planes causing congestion problems cost the U.S. Economy more than $40 billion a year. Tumer says NASA is simulating and testing the new system, but it could take a couple years for airlines to catch on.