What started as a missed connection at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport quickly became a story that captured hearts across Northeast Ohio and beyond.
On July 8, Grace boarded an early morning flight to Orlando, Grace took to Reddit for help finding the “dark-haired maintenance guy” she had spotted working on her aircraft. When CLE’s Marketing and Communications team saw her post, we shared it with our airport community, and within 24 hours, Grace was connected with Simon, a maintenance technician with FEAM Aero.
After a coworker shared Grace’s post with him, Simon sent her a simple message: “You called?” Their story quickly gained national attention, but it did not end there. When Grace returned to Cleveland a few days later, Team CLE helped arrange a surprise reunion at the airport, complete with flowers, balloons and plenty of cheering travelers.
Grace later said the response showed how much people were looking for a positive story and how quickly Cleveland came together to help make the connection happen.
At CLE, sometimes the best connections aren’t flights, they’re people.
