New Zealand airport causes stir with sign capping goodbye cuddles to 3 minutes

Hugging your loved ones goodbye could land you in trouble at a New Zealand airport should your embrace linger too long.

The international airport in Dunedin, a city in the South Island, has introduced a three minute cap on cuddles, as part of a broader effort to improve safety and keep traffic flowing at its drop-off zone.

A sign erected in the airport’s drop-off zone warns: “Max hug time 3 minutes. For fonder farewells please use the car park.”

Dunedin Airport chief executive Dan De Bono told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that warning messages at airport drop-off zones can be “quite intense” and include threats to clamp wheels or impose fines – something the airport wanted to avoid.

“We’re trying to have fun with it. It is an airport and those drop off locations are common locations for farewells,” De Bono told RNZ, adding that too many people were taking too long in the drop-off zone.

“There’s no space left for others,” he said. “It’s about enabling others to have hugs.”

Sometimes, travellers were using the drop-off zone to engage in last-minute amorous acts, De Bono said.

“Airports are hotbeds of emotion … our staff have seen some interesting things over the years.”

De Bono said the new signage has “caused quite a stir”.

Critics on a Facebook post that has had tens of thousands of views and comments have told the airport they cannot dictate how long one is allowed to hug, with one commentator describing the rule as “inhumane”. Others have praised the airport for their friendly approach, at a time when airports around the world are introducing drop-off fees.

The airport will not have a special unit of hug police enforcing the rule, De Bono said, but staff may politely ask lingerers to move into the car park.

“We’re not here to tell people how long they should hug for, it’s more the message of please move on and provide space for others.”