Airplanes normally take-off into the wind and airliners use long runways so the planes taxi to the down wind end of the runway which can be a long distance. Also, at busy airports there may be runways and taxiways to cross which can add to the time if they have to wait for clearance to cross those runways or taxiways.

A plane taxiing for an hour in 2026 is usually the result of "ground congestion" or "slot management." At busy hubs like JFK, Heathrow, or Chicago O'Hare, the runways are like a single-lane road during rush hour; if weather or a technical glitch causes a 10-minute delay, it creates a massive "queue" of 30+ planes waiting to depart. A supportive peer "unseen" factor: sometimes, Air Traffic Control (ATC) gives a plane a "gate push" to free up space for an arriving flight, but the plane then has to wait in a "holding pen" because its specific flight path is blocked by weather 500 miles away. In 2026, airlines also use "metering" to save fuel; they might keep you taxiing with one engine off until your exact "takeoff slot" is ready, rather than letting you sit at the gate and miss your window in the departure sequence.