If you're anything like me, aka, someone who constantly asks any of the following questions: what is actually going on here, is this real life, this can't be serious; perhaps you thought the recent news regarding 'hug times' at a New Zealand airport couldn't possibly be true.

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But yet here we are, living in a world where an actual airport has implemented a policy, or a suggestion rather, that travelers remain mindful of their 'hug times' - oh, and take their 'fonder farewells' to the car park.

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Reducing Congestion at New Zealand Airport By Limiting Hug Times

The original story broke a few weeks back, sparking a great deal of discussion and a decent amount of pushback following Dunedin (New Zealand) Airport's introduction of a 'three minute hug time limit at their drop-off zone.'

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Citing the need for the time limit on airport embracing, the CEO of the Dunedin Airport, Daniel DeBono cited crowd control when referring to the 'fun message.'

According to an ABC News report, DeBono said the following during a recent radio interview:

It's really about enabling enough space for others to also have hugs, right? So 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, there's no space left for others.

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Would A 'Hug Rule' Work in New York Airports

I'll preface this with the simple fact that i've never traveled to New Zealand, so maybe it's a thing over there to engage in really long hugs, but I don't necessarily think that something like this would ever fly in NY. First, if you've flown out of any NY airports, especially in the city, there's a massive chance you aren't even getting out of the car. You're pulling up to the drop-off zone, slowing down, saying 'see ya' to your passenger(s) and you're back on the highway before they've printed their boarding pass.

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On the other end, from what i've seen at NY airports recently, there aren't a ton of people waiting at baggage claim like people used to do. Especially with the cost of airport parking, I'm thinking that a few laps around the terminal until the person/people you're picking up at the airport are out and ready to get into the car, along with a 'how was your flight' once they get in is more likely to happen than watching the clock to make sure your airport embrace isn't too long...right?

New Yorkers, would this ever be needed here?

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