Originally Posted by magnum
In many cases the airline engineers will de-ice the aircraft prior to departure. The pilots turn up at the gate, find the aircraft already de-iced and can get on with the boarding straight away.
You may also see aircraft on the ground after their last flight of the day, being anti-iced. This is where they are sprayed with a type of de-icing fluid which stays on the aircraft surfaces and prevents ice or frost from forming.
You would think that a large national "cold country airline" at their biggest hub would do either. But no. Last year, when I flew AC016 YYZ-YVR-HKG (before they have the non-stop) in February, the A340 had been sitting at YYZ for half-a-day with freezing rain. Nothing was done until everybody was boarded. We taxied to the de-icing area, and de-icing took so long that by the time the plane was done (about 45-50 minutes), the time lapse had exceeded the safety margin, so they have to go back to the front of the plane to de-ice again.
[The second time took much less time, but the flight was still delayed about 2 hours leaving YYZ, and about 1 hr leaving YVR after they made up some time on the ground.]
So, I guess it also depends on the airport. At YYZ, de-icing wasn't done at the gate, but at a specific area where the run-off is collected.