Out of curiosity:

Why can’t planes get de-iced at the gate?

I was on a flight from the Central Terminal at LGA recently. All passengers boarded and then the plane moved only a very short distance (we still seemed to be at or next to the gate, although the flight showed as “departed” so the door had closed), and then it took 45 minutes for de-icing, making the flight late.

I assume it wouldn’t work to de-ice a plane while baggage is being loaded, or maybe the de-icing equipment can’t fit at the gate while the plane is connected to the jetbridge, but why can’t someone develop technology to allow a plane to be de-iced while passengers are boarding at the gate, to save time, if a plane can’t be de-iced at the gate now?