Airport's New ‘Hug Time’ Limit Sparks Debate: ‘Is Nothing Sacred?’

A New Zealand airport has sparked quite the debate over its new “max hug time” signage at its drop-off zone. 

In a press release shared by Dunedin Airport at the end of September, it was announced that there would be a three-minute limit on the amount of time travelers have to say goodbye to their loved ones. 

To impose the new rule, the airport, located in Momona, New Zealand, installed signs at the drop-off location that read, “Max hug time 3 minutes,” followed by, “For fonder farewells, please use the car pack.” 

The airport’s CEO, Daniel De Bono, explains the reason for the new signs in a statement shared with PEOPLE. 

“We’ve recently relocated our drop-off zone to improve safety and traffic flow at Dunedin Airport. To keep things moving smoothly, we’ve installed new signage, including the 'Max hug time 3 minutes' sign,” De Bono says. "It’s our way of being a little quirky and reminding people that the drop-off zone is for quick farewells.” 

He continues, “And don’t worry – just a 20-second hug is enough to release oxytocin and serotonin, the happy hormones that boost well-being, so three minutes is plenty of time to say goodbye and get your dose of happiness! For longer farewells, we encourage using the car park, where the first 15 minutes are free.”

De Bono also spoke about the messaging during an interview with Radio New Zealand (RNZ), in which he explained that the signs were designed with “a little bit of fun” in mind since airport drop-off locations “can be quite intense." 

He then acknowledged that the signage has “caused quite a stir” as people are not happy being told "how long we can have a hug for,” he says. 

Despite the backlash, the CEO notes, “There’s only so much space we have in that drop-off area. Too many people are spending too much time with their fonder farewells in the drop-off zone and there’s no space for others."

Violators will be asked to "politely move on to the car park" where they can say a longer farewell, De Bono adds. “It’s nothing more than that, we’re not going to call the hug police. That would be bonkers.” 

The new signs went viral in a Facebook post shared on Oct. 9, in which many commenters expressed their outraged opinions. 

“You can’t put a time limit on hugs! That’s inhumane,” one person wrote, followed by another adding, “This is insane. Now they are putting rules around farewells? Is nothing sacred?” 

Another user joked, “At first I thought there would be a subscription service you needed to pay to be allowed to hug for longer.”

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Some then jumped in to compare the new rule to their experience in the United States.

One said, “You’d never see that at an American airport! 3 minutes?? MOVE IT ALONG!!!”

Another added, “You get 3 minutes to hug?? In America, they don’t even want you to stop. Just come to a slow roll and push your passenger out. I’m serious.”