A sign informing visitors of time limits at the passenger drop-off area outside Dunedin Airport in Momona, New Zealand. , Photo Credit: AP
Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving New Zealand’s Dunedin city will have to leave early. The new three-minute time limit for goodbye hugs at the airport drop-off area is intended to prevent prolonged hugs from causing traffic jams.
Signs outside the terminal warn, “The maximum hug time is three minutes.” It also said those wishing a “dear farewell” should head to the airport parking lot.
CEO Dan De Bono told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the cuddle cap was installed in September at the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport “to keep things running smoothly.” This was the airport’s way of reminding people that this area is for “quick departures” only.
De Bono said the signs have polarized social media users.
“We were accused of violating basic human rights and how dare we set limits on how long we can hug someone,” he said, adding that others welcomed the change. .
These signs were intended as an alternative to signs at other airports that warned of wheel clamps or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in the UK have introduced a charge for all drop-offs – however brief.
Dunedin’s airport — a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island — prefers a “unique” approach, de Bono said.
Three minutes is “plenty of time to say goodbye to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The deadline is actually a nice way of saying, you know, get on with it.”
De Bono said a 20-second hug is enough to release the health hormones oxytocin and serotonin. Now anything was “really weird”.
But travelers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We don’t have hug police,” De Bono said.
However, visitors may be asked to take their long hug to the parking lot, where they can enjoy a free hug for 15 minutes.
published – October 22, 2024 08:50 AM IST