What is the point of taxiing an airplane?

Question

An airplane can move at slow speeds on its own.

Answer 1

Well since a Taxing Aircraft is moving one under it's own power, I assume you mean Towing an Aircraft.
Often Maintainers wish to move an Aircraft in or out of a Hanger. Most of the time you don't want to do this with the engines running, easy to suck up a Foreign Object or damage something with the Jet Blast, so you tow it.
Other times you need to relocate an Aircraft for Various reasons and a getting a Pilot to come move it is not cost or Time Effective. I mean do you really want to go to the trouble of Having a Pilot come out, Pre-flight the Aircraft, Crank it up, Taxi it, Shut it down and SIT THERE Making good money while you Fuel the Aircraft from an In Ground Fueling Point? By the time he gets there, checks the Forms, Pre-flights and starts it, you could have Towed it over, Fueled it, and Towed it back.
Aviation Fuel is NOT cheap. Why use Jet-A, JP-8, or Avgas and the Aircraft engine when you can use a Diesel Tow Vehicle which uses the same amount of fuel to move 100 Aircraft that you will use to move ONE?
Engine overhauls and Airframe inspections are for the most part based on Operating time. Why Run the Engine shortening Flight Time when you can move it with a Tow Vehicle?

Answer 2

Since you're already describing taxiing, I'm going to second the notion that you really mean towing. Well, if you're only going a short distance it really doesn't make much sense to fire up those big jets when you can just tractor it. Also, very few airplanes can go backwards under their own power.

Answer 3

Well no point exactly. I mean as a passenger would you like to walk back to the terminal in rain,sleet,snow,ice,or a very hot day, from the main runway on your two feet with planes wizzing by or would you like to be "taxied" back to the terminal in a nice pressurised cabin where you can say your last goodbyes in peace to that new gal you met/exchange fone numbers etc and then you arive at the gate to disembark? Your choice entirely.

Answer 4

Well theres not enough room to take off from the gate

Answer 5

That is taxiing, it moves at slow speeds to approach the runnaway and then do final cross checks and with approval from the tower, they go ahead and pull onto the runnaway and go max power.

Answer 6

The term 'taxiing' DOES mean the aircraft moving at slow speeds on its own. The pilot taxis the aircraft from the gate to the runway and from the runway to the gate.