A New Zealand airport has set a new rule by setting a hug time limit in its drop-off area of no more than three minutes. If you want to say a longer goodbye, you’ll need to go to the car park. Dunedin International Airport, NZ, located on the South Island, introduced this rule last month. The goal is to keep the area safe and prevent traffic from backing up, according to local news reports.
New signs at the airport now tell people saying goodbye that they have a “max hug time [of] three minutes.” Another sign says: “It’s hard to say goodbye, so make it quick. 3 minutes max.”
These signs replaced older ones that warned drivers their cars could be clamped and charged approximately US$42 (NZ$70) if left unattended, according to the New Zealand website Stuff.
Daniel De Bono, the airport’s CEO, spoke to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) about the new rule. He noted that airports are full of people with emotions and mentioned a study showing that a 20-second hug is enough to release oxytocin, known as the “love hormone.”
Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has sparked debate around the world with its new sign imposing a three-minute limit on hugs in its drop-off zone, adding “for fonder farewells please use the car park.” pic.twitter.com/v1P4IYH3yO
— Cyber Bites (@CyberBitess) October 22, 2024
De Bono explained that keeping passengers moving along quickly allows more people to enjoy their hugs without causing delays.
He also noted that the decision to limit hug time came from observing “interesting things” over the years at the drop-off zone.
Reactions of people on “3-minute hug time limit”
One of the new signs at the airport advises that anyone wanting “fonder farewells” should head to the car park, where they can stay for free for 15 minutes.
De Bono told Radio New Zealand that the intention was to add some humor to the announcement. He said it’s “caused quite a stir, [and] we’ve got quite a bit of conversation going.”
Reactions on various social media websites have been mixed. Some people were unhappy, with one calling the rule “inhumane,” while another said it was “the most nanny state thing I’ve seen.”
One user even joked about whether airport staff would “time loving families so they can regulate when it’s enough love?”
On the other hand, some agreed with the rule, with one person asking, “Isn’t three [minutes] enough to hug someone?”
Dunedin, located in the southeast of New Zealand’s South Island, is one of the southernmost cities in the world. In 2023, it had a population of 134,600.
According to the airport’s annual report, over 900,000 passengers passed through Dunedin International Airport in 2024.
Meanwhile, in the UK, more than a third of major airports increased drop-off charges in the past year, according to the RAC.
