New Zealand airport bans three-minute hugs

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".