Plane Answers: Why can't airlines wait at the gate vs. in a queue on the taxiway? {Gadling}

Oct 7th 2009 4:23AM For the same reason that the railroad unions negotiated these type of agreements: it's a great way to milk some good hourly pay. On the railroad it's not call pushback time. It's initial terminal time. They get a certain rate for mileage, per 100 miles.if you get delayed before you get outside agreement limits ( which can be 5 miles or more ) you go on hourly pay and you might sit hours waiting for a highball. We always prayed for snowstorms or delays to hold us up and make that extra cash.