Dunedin Airport made international headlines by introducing a bizarre rule for the drop-off area – limiting “hug time” to three minutes.
The signs, which have gone viral on social media, specify “maximum hugging time 3 minutes” at the New Zealand airport and direct those seeking “warmer farewells” to use the car park.
Speaking to RNZ earlier this month, Dunedin Airport chief executive Dan De Bono said the signs were used because airport management was trying to “have fun” and avoid “intense” messages that threatened people with fines or other punishments for traffic congestion.
“It has caused quite a stir, we have quite a bit of conversation going on,” De Bono said.
“It’s really about leaving enough space for others to hug.”
The story made international headlines, with CNN, the New York Post and the Times of India reporting on the time restriction on hugs between travelers and loved ones.
Some social media users criticized the policy, with one saying airport management should “stop telling people what to do” and another calling the rule “inhumane.”
However, many airports in Australia and New Zealand have similar rules, including Sydney Airport and Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport, which both specify that cars dropping off passengers stop for no more than one minute.
Speaking to RNZ, De Bono said that despite many jokes on social media suggesting otherwise, there are no punishments for passengers who exceed the hugging limit.
“All our team does is ask them to politely move around the car park to make room for others – it’s nothing more than that, we won’t call the ‘hug police’.”