An airport has imposed a three-minute limit on farewell hugs in its drop-off area in order to avoid traffic jams.
At Dunedin Airport in New Zealand, a sign has been erected which reads “maximum hug time three minutes, for fonder farewells please use the car park”.
The CEO of the airport, Dan De Bono, said that the new rules were imposed to “keep things moving smoothly”, so that lingering cuddles wouldn’t cause any congestion.
The cap was imposed in September, telling travellers and drivers to head to the car park if they wanted a longer time to say farewell.
Airport imposes three-minute LIMIT on farewell hugs
Getty/Dunedin Airport
Here, they have 15 minutes to hug to their heart’s content.
If you exceed the 180-second limit in the drop-off area, DeBono said the punishment would not be severe: “We’re not going to call the hug police, that would be bonkers.”
The rule change has angered some on social media, with pictures of the sign going viral online.
“It’s caused quite a stir,” De Bono told local media. “People are going ‘you can’t tell us how long we can have a hug for.”
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At Dunedin Airport in New Zealand, a sign has been erected prohibiting hugs longer than three minutes
Flickr
“We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for,” the CEO said.
One user said: “That is absolutely stupid. You can not restrict human interaction and surely trying to put a bill for it is against universal human rights. Talk about government abusive actions.”
Another added: “If anyone tried that with me limiting cuddles, I'd politely tell them where they could put that sign and what it represents, Unlimited #CuddlesForAll I say.”
However, others were on board with the new measure.
“It's meant to ensure everyone gets their moment without causing delays. A quick hug can still be heartfelt!”, one individual commented.
A hug that lasts for 20-seconds is enough to release the hormone oxytocin which is often called the 'cuddle chemical'
Getty
“Great idea”, and “agreed” were some of the sentiments shared by users online.
The signs are meant as an alternative measure to speed up queues as opposed to wheel clamping fines in drop-off areas.
Some airports in the UK have even imposed fees for any drop-offs, no matter how short.
A hug that lasts for 20 seconds is enough to release the hormone oxytocin which is often called the “cuddle chemical”, De Bone said.
Anything longer than that was “a bit awkward.”
