WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Emotional goodbyes are commonplace at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Emotional goodbyes are commonplace at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will need to be quick. A new three-minute limit on goodbye hugs in the airport drop-off area aims to prevent persistent hugs causing traffic jams.
“Maximum hug time: three minutes,” signs outside the terminal warn, adding that those wanting “a more affectionate farewell” should head to the airport parking lot instead.
The cuddly cap was imposed 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 was for “quick farewells.”
These signs have polarized social media users, De Bono said.
“We have been accused of violating basic human rights and how dare we limit the length of time someone can have a hug,” he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.
The signs were meant to be an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel locks or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all filings, however brief.
Dunedin Airport – a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island – favored an “out-of-the-box” approach, De Bono said.
Three minutes was “enough time to stop, say goodbye to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, go for it.”
A 20-second hug is long enough to release the feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin, De Bono said. Anything longer was “really awkward.”
But passengers need not worry too much about enforcement. “We don’t have police on our hands,” De Bono said.
Visitors may, however, be asked to move their lingering hugs to the parking lot, where they can snuggle for free for up to 15 minutes.
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