WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Emotional goodbyes are commonplace at airports, but travelers departing from the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. The new three-minute time limit for goodbye hugs at the airport is intended to prevent honking from causing traffic jams.
“Maximum hug time is three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those looking to “say goodbye” should head to the airport parking lot instead.
The ban was put in place in September to “keep things running smoothly” at the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told The Associated Press on Tuesday. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the area is only for a “quick goodbye”.
These signs have alienated social media users, De Bono said.
“We were accused of violating basic human rights and how we dare to limit how long a person can kiss,” he said, adding that others welcomed the change.
The signs were intended to be different from those at other airports that warn of tire pressure or fines for drivers who park in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have charged fees for all reductions – but short.
Dunedin Airport – a modest airport serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island – opted for a “weird” approach, De Bono said.
Three minutes was “plenty of time to get up, say goodbye to loved ones and move on.” A time limit is a nice way to say, you know, get on with it.
A 20-second hug is long enough to release the health-promoting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, says De Bono. Anything that was further away was “really weird.”
But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We don’t have police officers,” said De Bono.
However, visitors may be asked to take their waiting hugs to the parking lot, where they can hug for free for up to 15 minutes.
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