Originally Posted by
Ted Striker
One company that tried that was Spice Jet with their 737 fleet (I only know this because a friend worked there) but I don't know which airport(s).
IMO the main reason it isn't done is that it creates the problem it's trying to solve. During a low traffic period, it's a lot faster to just taxi out. A tow would slow you down significantly. If you only did it when the departures were lined up, what do you do with the tugs and drivers when they aren't needed? Pay them to sit around? I can't see airline management going for that.
The second thing is who's responsible? You've got a multi-million dollar airplane filled with hundreds of passengers being towed by a guy with a weekend's worth of training.