New Zealand airport sets time limit for goodbye hugs in drop-off zone; Let’s bring this to the States

I’m not the braggadocious type (I would be; I just don’t get a ton of opportunities), but I have to say that I’m one of the nation’s premier airport drop-off and pick-up drivers. It’s almost like I have a sixth sense for when to leave home or pull out of the cell phone to pick someone up as efficiently as possible.

However, one thing I can never account for is people who do long, drawn-out goodbyes in the drop-off area like they’re living out their own personal rom-com ending.

Fortunately, an airport in New Zealand is telling people to keep it moving by enacting a hug-clock of sorts in the drop-off zone.

And I think we need this here in the US of A.

According to Fortune, the airport in Dunedin, New Zealand, has decided that they will be enforcing a 3-minute time limit on goodbyes in a bid to “keep things moving smoothly.”

So, once you pull up to d̶u̶m̶p̶/escort your in-laws to the airport, you’ve got 180 seconds to get all the goodbyes before they’re asked — by a husky guy with a whistle; just a hunch — to move their shindig to a parking lot.

I. Love. This.

Look, I don’t like overregulating things, but people take their sweet old time in the drop-off area, and I’m happy to see someone doing something about it.

And three minutes? That’s almost too generous. That’s a long time to be parked in the drop-off area. I think we could cut that down to 90 seconds and most non-narcissists would have about 20 to 30 seconds leftover.

It isn’t hard. Chuck your bags in the back, give a quick, awkward one-armed hug, get in the car and you’re done.

If you need more than three minutes to cap off your goodbyes, how about getting a head start at home or maybe park at the Chili’s down the street and hug at your leisure there?

Don’t do it while I’m trying to drop the family off and then get home in time to catch the start of the Flyers game.

Let’s all keep it moving, otherwise, I’d love to see more hug clocks being introduced at airports across the nation.