You have three minutes to complete your hug. That's the new rule at Dunedin airport in New Zealand, and it was inaugurated to some controversy, reports The Guardian.
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."
Currently programmed for airport pacification, but that is only the beginning! Please end your hug. You have 20 seconds to comply.
