She Asked Reddit to Find the Handsome Airport Worker She Missed. Four Days Later, He Was Waiting at Arrivals
Grace posted about the maintenance worker she wished she’d approached. Airport employees found him, and Cleveland Hopkins arranged their reunion.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport had a more interesting arrival than usual Sunday night.
Simon, the aircraft maintenance technician who had spent the previous few days as the mystery man in a Reddit post, was waiting as Grace returned from vacation.
The pair had technically seen each other before. That was the whole reason so many people in Cleveland had become invested in finding him.
Grace first spotted Simon while boarding a Frontier flight at Cleveland Hopkins at 6 a.m. on July 8. He had been working near her seat and appeared busy, so she smiled at him but never managed to hand over her number.
Once she reached her destination, she decided to try Reddit.
“Hi, I hope you’re okay and this is a long shot,” she wrote in the Cleveland subreddit before describing the “dark-haired maintenance guy” she had seen on the plane.
Grace was fairly direct about why she wanted to find him.
“I didn’t see no ring (lol),” she wrote. “You were very handsome and I’m also an aviation enthusiast, so like if you see this and you’re open to it, I’d love to connect with you.”
She ended the post with a request: “Someone here has to work in the airport and know who I’m talking about. Help a girly out and show him this post on his lunch break.”
The search quickly spread through the airport
The post received more than 1,600 upvotes, along with plenty of people volunteering to investigate.
One commenter said they worked at the airport and managed some of the maintenance technicians. A few hours later, they returned with an update.
“Your post is EXPLODING through the airport,” the commenter wrote.
Another person said the maintenance workers had printed Grace’s post and put it up in their office. Flight attendants, airport employees, and people who knew aviation workers all started asking around.
The comments also filled with people waiting for updates.
“Very ‘Sleepless in Cleveland,’” one person wrote.
Another suggested Cleveland Hopkins should open a speed-dating lounge.
Several aviation workers also pointed out that maintenance technicians often do not wear rings while working because jewelry can become caught in machinery. Fortunately for Grace, that detail did not derail the search.
Cleveland Hopkins’ social media team even joined in, sharing the story and asking for updates. The airport summed up its role with the line, “Most catch flights, but sometimes… they catch feelings.”
It did not take long.
Within about 24 hours, someone passed Grace’s account along to Simon, and he messaged her.
Grace returned to Reddit with the update everyone had been waiting for.
“He has been found!!!!” she wrote. She also confirmed the other important detail: Simon was single.
By July 10, Grace said the two had been talking “pretty much constantly” and had already planned a date for when she returned home.
“I think connections are easier when an entire city ships you,” she joked.
Simon was waiting when Grace returned
On Sunday evening, July 12, Cleveland Hopkins helped arrange their reunion.
Simon waited near the arrival gate as Grace returned to Cleveland. Video shared by the airport shows the two meeting properly for the first time while travelers nearby cheered.
The airport thanked FEAM Aero, Simon’s employer, for helping bring the meeting together.
Grace and Simon have now planned their first official date.
It is, of course, far too early to start planning the airport wedding. But Reddit commenters already seem prepared to do that for them.
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How sweet
It is a fine line between sweet and creepy. I hope it works out for them.