Sitting on the runway before take off may soon be a thing of the past

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an algorithm they hope will shorten how much time passes between passengers getting on board and into the sky.

The formula takes weather conditions, runway traffic and incoming and outgoing flights all into account to predict how long a particular aircraft will have to wait before departure. Air traffic controllers can use the data to hold airplanes at the gate, which would help avoid congestion on the actual runway.