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Each year the aviation system is squeezed harder, and air travelers are the first to feel it. Travel schedules are disrupted, and the national economy choked. Already, delays cost Americans $9.4 billion a year.

According to the Boston Globe, a new web site - AvoidDelays.com - has been launched as part of a National Air Traffic Controllers Association publicity blitz aimed at pushing the FAA and Congress to pay for hiring hundeds of new air personnel.

The union contends that a shortage of workers - in addition to congestion and bad weather - forces the system to delay and even ground flights to maintain safety.