B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
ATC Issue All Types; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Procedure
We pushed back from Gate and taxied to the 12R de-ice pad. After what seemed to be an extremely long time to deice the plane we finally received our radio call from the deicing crew the plane was clean and our holdover time had begun. We then called MSP Ground and taxied to Runway 30L. Weather was bouncing around with light snow and sometimes the ATIS called it freezing fog. Depending on where you entered the app and what ATIS was used we figured we had a holdover time between 50 minutes to 1:10 minutes. When we got to the end of the runway 30L we were about number four for takeoff. When we were number one for takeoff at the intersection of runway 30L and taxiway A1 MSP tower told us we now had to taxi over to runway 30R because Airport Operations wanted to close the runway for the plows to clear the runway. I asked couldn't they get us out; we were ready to go and MSP tower said unable and to now cross runway 30L and take taxiway Whiskey up to taxiway Charlie to hold short of 30L. When we got onto taxiway Whiskey I found it hadn't been plowed so I had to keep an even spacing between the black pipes that were the taxiway blue lights.We were offered the option to go back into the deicing pad but we still had time left on our original holdover clock. If we had gone back to be re-deiced then we would have most likely exceed our MOT and the trip would have canceled. Once we got to the end of runway 30R we were number one and departed with time to spare using the more restrictive 50 minute holdover time. After Air Florida crashed in the Potomac River what happened to the idea of deicing a plane at the end of the runway and then expeditiously getting that plane into the air? Even deicing at the 12L pad kept us on the departure side of the airport. How long does it take [this aircraft] to takeoff; what 60 seconds at best? Airport Ops couldn't keep the runway open for another 60 seconds? Why were we not stopped as we were heading down taxiway Alpha and told the runway was closing in a few minutes and for us to go over to runway 30R? Yes someone has to be the last one across the bridge but screwing around with planes; deicing; holdover charts is a recipe for another Air Florida. It won't be this Captain but the recipe is there at MSP for another Air Florida accident with a blatant disregard to getting the planes into the air as fast as possible after they have been deiced.
B737 Captain reported delays in receiving departure clearance after the aircraft was deiced.