Getting to the airport can be pretty stressful. You have to worry about road traffic and making it in enough time to go through security, even if you have something like TSA PreCheck. Plus, driving in and out is often a major headache for those who aren’t flying with you. In fact, many people have switched things up by dropping people off at arrivals instead of departures, so they have a few more moments to say goodbye. This hack is probably best used at one New Zealand airport because of its harsh restriction on how long you can hug someone when saying goodbye. Believe it or not, Dunedin Airport has banned hugs over three minutes when dropping someone off. There are even signs that reinforce this rule, and the idea is to improve the movement of traffic at departures.
To be fair, if you’ve ever hovered in that liminal space where you’re trying to pull up to the curb and drop someone off while waiting for another car to depart and hoping the cops don’t chase you away for blocking traffic, this might sound like a pretty good idea. The Dunedin Airport on the South Island served just under 1 million passengers in 2023, and the rule came about to try and keep drop-off zones moving. The airport mainly serves domestic flights, so you won’t have to deal with this policy unless you are traveling by plane within New Zealand.
All about the hug time limit at New Zealand’s Dunedin Airport
As harsh as a time limit on hugs seems, saying goodbye in the departures area can be frustrating. At some airports, you may have to circle the entire facility after being shooed off because there are too many cars in the waiting area. Still, if the idea rankles you a bit, you should know that the airport is trying to have fun with it. Don’t worry — no hug police are going to arrest you for a long embrace. If you take too long, you’ll just be asked to wrap it up.
The car park at the Dunedin Airport has 15 minutes of free parking where you are free to embrace your loved ones. The other option is to actually get there earlier and try parking at the airport so you can walk someone inside with their luggage. It can be expensive to park for a long time, but it’s not a bad idea if you really want to hug it out for a bit before your traveler goes on a trip. If you’re traveling within the U.S., there are some airports that let non-travelers go past security, so you can spend as much time as possible with your loved one.
