This Airport Just Put a Time Limit on Hugs in Drop-off Zone

Saying goodbye to a loved one just got more difficult at a small New Zealand airport. 

The Dunedin Airport in the country’s southern end recently posted an advisory sign warning travelers not to hug for more than three minutes in the departure zone. 

“Max hug time 3 minutes. For fonder farewells please use the car park,” the sign reads in the drop-off zone area. 

The airport updated their drop-off policy in September 2024, in an effort to prevent traffic jams caused by lingering cars. 

“We wanted to have a bit of fun with this,” Dunedin Airport CEO Daniel De Bono shared in an interview with a local radio station. “It’s really about enabling enough space for others to have hugs.”

The airport says that three minutes for a hug is plenty of time, and that a 20-second hug is the average length. The somewhat joking, but serious looking sign, has caused a social media conversation with travelers sounding off on the new advisory. 

“How much is the fine if I hug longer??” one person shared on Reddit, with another person just commenting “Bruh.”

Located in Momona, New Zealand, over 900,000 passengers use Dunedin Airport each year, according to its annual report. The airport provides travel access throughout the southern portions of New Zealand including Owaka, Curio Bay, and Bluff. 

The social media account for the airport acknowledged the viral attention by publishing a photo of their CEO and General Manager hugging in front of the sign.