Airport introduces time limit on hugs

Dunedin, October 20 — Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has sparked debate around the world with its new sign imposing a three-minute limit on hugs in its drop-off zone, adding “for fonder farewells please use the car park.”

Some commenters on a Facebook post that went viral are outraged at a curfew on cuddles, while others marvel at an airport still having a free drop-off area at all, given the general rise in fees and fines.

Dunedin Airport CEO Daniel De Bono weighed in on the topic in an interview with New Zealand’s RNZ radio. Describing airports as “hotbeds of emotion,” he pointed to a study suggesting a 20-second hug is enough to get a burst of the “love hormone” oxytocin and argued that moving customers along quickly allows more people to get more hugs.

Dunedin Airport’s parking lot, where De Bono admits “our team has seen interesting things go on … over the years,” allows a 15-minute visit for free.