But at Dunedin Airport you have just three minutes from go to whoa. A recently installed sign says if you need longer for a fonder farewell you should move to the carpark.
Dunedin Airport general manager business development Megan Crawford said safety was behind the decision to move the airport’s drop-off zone and install a sign limiting a farewell hug.
"This drop zone area is to allow passengers to be dropped off by their friends, whānau or colleagues at the airport ... and the pickup area has always been in the carpark."
The move meant people no longer needed to cross traffic, and passenger doors would open on to the footpath rather than the road.
The new location was also not "new", Ms Crawford said, saying it had simply returned to its original location at the southern end of the terminal near the rental car office.
"Now that the project is complete, it’s returned to its original location near the rental car office."
The changes have left one airport user, who wished to remain anonymous, wondering "what the flip" was happening with the "drastic" changes at Dunedin Airport.
"It’s frustrating that airport management has closed off the drop-off lane using planter boxes, making it unnecessarily difficult for drivers to drop people off," he said.
"This is a public airport, owned by ratepayers, and the space is certainly large enough to accommodate everyone without such drastic measures.
"When will these people learn to stop wasting our money?"
