Emotional farewells are normal and quite a usual sight at any airport, but travelers leaving the cold New Zealand city of Dunedin will now have to be quick.
A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport's drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams, although it appeared to divide the social media users and some passengers.
"Max hug time three minutes,” warning signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking "fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead.
The cuddle cap was imposed in September to "keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told The Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for "quick farewells" only.
The signs had polarized social media users, the unaffectionate CEO said.
"We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for," he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.
An airport representative also said it was all in good fun. But is it?
"The signage is in line with our branding which is to be a little bit quirky and fun in how we deliver a message," Dunedin Airport general manager of business development Megan Crawford told the Stuff website.
The signs were meant as an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel clamping or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all drop-offs – however brief.
The three-minute sign brought a spotlight on Dunedin, the second-largest city on New Zealand's South Island with around 135,000 inhabitants, but the comments and reactions were not positive at all times.
"Hug Police!? This is just weird! Hugs are proven to have many benefits not to mention mental health. Hugs should be promoted not discouraged," one Facebook user wrote.
Dunedin does not normally make the country's must-see list, although it has beautiful historic buildings and a picturesque harbor.
Dunedin's airport preferred a "quirky” approach, De Bono said.
Three minutes was "plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on,” he said. "The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it.”
A 20-second hug is long enough to release the wellbeing-boosting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, and anything longer was "really awkward,” the anti-hug CEO seems to think.
But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. "We do not have hug police," De Bono said.
Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.
