I do that when/if the cause is obvious immediately and I don't need to look for the leak. I find it faster and easier when you can just pull out a short section of the tube, patch and put back in place. If you have to pull out nearly the whole tube, look for the leak, and so on I find it easier to remove the wheel.

The advantage... It is fast and easy, you don't need to remove the wheel, turn the bike over, or even lay it down.

BTW, that method was standard practice when I was a kid and there were no quick releases. I think back then most people did it that way.