An airport sendoff is quite an emotional experience with a range of emotions: excitement, anxiety, and sadness. But sometimes administrative rules can overpower the emotional sendoffs. One such being when airports apply time limits on hugs just to ensure the smooth traffic and flow of passengers. All said and done, picking up and dropping off people at the airport can be a hassle-but worth it too.
Public display of affection or PDA is now timed. Recently, the New Zealand airport has reduced the time limit of farewells in the drop-off area, especially those engaging in long PDA for more than three minutes and will be asked to move to the parking lot. This was evident on a signage installed at the Dunedin airport, located in Momona in New Zealand, to direct visitors to limit their goodbyes to just three minutes.
However, the ‘three-minute hug’ has drawn flak on social media with people criticising on how limiting hug-time can be ‘inhumane’. One user wrote: “Isn’t this inhumane? Hugging is a human right and this New Zealand’s Dunedin airport is taking a piss.”
Some praised the move as many airports don’t allow passengers to hug or kiss before saying goodbye to their loved ones. “You get 3 minutes to hug?? In America, they don’t even want you to stop. Just come to a slow roll and push your passenger out,” a user wrote.
Dunedin Airport’s CEO, Daniel De Bono, addressed the issue in an interview with New Zealand’s RNZ radio, explaining airports as “emotional hotspots” and cited a study indicating that a 20-second hug is sufficient to trigger a release of the “love hormone” oxytocin. Dunedin Airport car park provides 15 minutes of free parking, thus, Bono has relocated the drop-off zone to improve traffic flow and safety around the terminal.
This airport rule to streamline congestion is a reminder of the situation back home when Indians gather in full force to bid farewell to their friends, families and loved ones at airports.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) does not charge from entry to exit for vehicles going to pick/drop lanes at arrival/ departure. However, there is no ‘free time concept’ from entry to exit for vehicles going to pick/drop lanes at arrival/ departure, says the AAI website.
Blaming the lack of a proper system to regulate vehicle movement in peak travel season, airports in India face this challenge. The Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi is known to handle up to 80 million passengers each year with over 1500 + flights daily.
For parking though, Terminal 3 offers only eight minutes of free pick-up time for private vehicles. If one extends this time, money will be automatically deducted via FASTag. The Guwahati International Airport too is a busy airport often resulting in traffic pileup during peak hours. Reportedly, passengers have been charged a hefty fine of over Rs 100 for spending more than three minutes, dropping off travellers, while the parking fee for a private car for up to 30 minutes is Rs 90, says the airport website.
The airport has a 10-minute free buffer period for parking for private/ non-commercial vehicles which is too short a time to reach the exit point during peak hours. Similarly, Bagdogra airport, operated as a civil enclave airport at the Indian Air Force’s Bagdogra Air Force Station, has a car wait time at the pick-up point for three minutes, beyond which one needs to pay a hefty fine. Passengers at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow have complained of being charged over and above the nominal fee and wait time of three-minutes and beyond.
However, airports like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai are making travel more stress-free, comforting and fun-loving for passengers. Recently, it announced a ‘pawfect’ initiative, turning the airport experience into a fun-filled adventure with nine adorable dogs at Terminal 2 as furry ambassadors of happiness for some emotional bonding with passengers.
A Golden Retriever, a Maltese, a rescued Husky, a Shih Tzu, a Lhasa apso, a Labrador and more-all chosen and trained to spread joy and soothe travellers. The dog squad is available every Friday to Sunday, from 1500 to 2300 hours, to greet travellers at Terminal 2 Departures, including Domestic Level 3 and post-departure immigration.
The trained canine companions are experts in sensing and responding to moods, offering unconditional love and comfort, allowing passengers to find their travel anxiety melting away.