New Zealand airport bans three-minute hugs
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Hugging at Airports - Level 0
Hugging at one New Zealand airport could get you in trouble. It set a three-minute limit on hugging at the drop-off zone. This is to keep traffic moving. 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."
The hugging policy is not popular. The airport has had many complaints. People accused them of "breaching basic human rights". Someone called the policy "inhumane". The airport said: "Three minutes is plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on." He said a 20-second hug was "really awkward".
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Hugging at Airports - Level 1
Hugging at one airport in New Zealand could get you in trouble. The airport set a three-minute limit on hugging at the drop-off zone. This is to keep traffic flowing. There have been traffic jams near the departures building. 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 could get a fine.
The hugging policy is not popular. The airport CEO said he got many complaints. He said: "We were accused of breaching basic human rights." 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 said airports were "hotbeds of emotion" and that a hug longer than 20 seconds was "really awkward".
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Hugging at Airports - Level 2
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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".
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Hugging at Airports - Level 3
A long goodbye hug at an airport in New Zealand could land you in trouble. The international airport in Dunedin has set a three-minute limit on the time people can spend hugging each other at the drop-off zone. An airport official said the limit is so traffic can keep flowing. He said there has recently been a problem of traffic jams near the departures building. The official said too many people were taking too long in the drop-off zone in front of the building. The airport now has warning 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 penalty. They could get a fine or get their wheels clamped.
The airport's new hugging policy is not popular with everybody. CEO Daniel De Bono told local reporters that he has received many complaints. He said: "We were accused of breaching basic human rights." He added that another person said: "How dare we limit how long someone can have a hug." Someone on the airport's Facebook page called the policy "inhumane". Mr De Bono defended the hug posters. He said: "Three minutes is plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on. The time limit is really a nicer way of saying get on with it." He added that airports were "hotbeds of emotion" and that anything longer than a 20-second hug was "really awkward".
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