Hugging at Dunedin International Airport in New Zealand could get you in trouble. The airport has set a three-minute limit on the time people can spend hugging at the drop-off zone. This is to keep traffic flowing. There has recently been a problem of traffic jams near the departures building. Too many people are taking too long to say goodbye. The airport now has signs that say: "Max hug time 3 minutes. For fonder farewells, please use the car park." People who spend longer than three minutes saying their goodbyes could get a fine or get their car wheels clamped.
The airport's hugging policy is not popular with everybody. The airport CEO told reporters that he got many complaints. He said: "We were accused of breaching basic human rights." One unhappy person said the airport could not limit how long someone can have a hug. Someone on Facebook called the policy "inhumane". The CEO said: "Three minutes is plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on." He added that airports were "hotbeds of emotion". He said a hug that was longer than 20 seconds was "really awkward".
Try the same news story at these levels:
Hugging at Airports - Level 0, Hugging at Airports - Level 1 or Hugging at Airports - Level 3
Sources- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/21/new-zealand-dunedin-aiport-hug-sign-cap-3-minute
- https://apnews.com/article/new-zealand-airport-goodbye-hugs-time-limit-d6176082ffb6ab66e8d2f05dd590b8aa
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13981771/Sign-New-Zealand-airport-hugging.html
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