New Zealand humor Three-minute cuddle limit at the airport goes around the world
The "cuddle sign" at Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has made headlines around the world.
Image: dpa
Dunedin is known for its beautiful landscapes and biodiversity. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The "cuddle sign" at Dunedin Airport in New Zealand has made headlines around the world.
Image: dpa
Dunedin is known for its beautiful landscapes and biodiversity. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
"Time to say goodbye": Is there a time limit on goodbye hugs? This question has been hotly debated since an airport in New Zealand introduced a three-minute cuddle limit on a sign.
22.10.2024, 22:43
22.10.2024, 22:44
dpa
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- Dunedin Airport in New Zealand is taking an unconventional approach to improving traffic flow and safety around the terminal.
- Signs are used to enforce a "cuddle limit" of three minutes, with the note: "For more intimate farewells, please use the parking lot."
- Not everyone finds this funny. A discussion has broken out on social media.
A bizarre prohibition sign at a New Zealand airport is currently going viral: recently, travelers in the drop-off zone at Dunedin Airport have been allowed to hug each other for a maximum of three minutes when saying goodbye.
"For more intimate farewells, please use the parking lot," passengers and their companions are asked. Although holding times are limited to a short time at most airports around the world, the permitted time span is rarely communicated in such a curious way.
"The signage is in line with our branding, which is to get a message across in a slightly quirky and witty way," New Zealand media quoted an airport spokeswoman as saying. But not everyone finds the cuddle limit funny.
"Parting is hard, so hurry up"
One person even got upset on social media, saying it was "inhumane" to regulate the time for hugs. Another called for "#Unlimited cuddles for all!", another said with a twinkle in his eye: "Come on, at least four minutes!" Others were surprised that there were still any free stops at the airport. The sign made headlines around the world, much to the delight of its creators, as they themselves admitted on Facebook.
But right from the start: In September, the operators had moved the drop-off area to a different location in order to improve traffic flow and safety around the terminal, according to Managing Director Daniel De Bono. The controversial signs were put up to give as many people as possible the opportunity to hug each other again. Another one reads: "Saying goodbye is hard, so hurry up. Three minutes maximum."
20 seconds is enough for "love hormone" oxytocin
De Bono emphasized that airports have always been "hotbeds of emotion" and quoted from a study in an interview with Radio New Zealand, according to which a 20-second hug is enough to release the "love hormone" oxytocin. In other words, it is best for everyone to hug briefly and intensely. The signs were supposed to be a bit of fun, but instead they caused quite a stir and provided plenty to talk about, said De Bono.
The signs could be a goldmine for Dunedin. After all, the second largest city on the South Island with a population of around 135,000 is not normally on the list of New Zealand's top destinations. Yet there is plenty to see: The city offers many beautiful historic buildings and a picturesque harbor, plus the Otago Peninsula region is known for breathtaking landscapes and colonies of albatrosses, mountain parrots and rare yellow-eyed penguins.
