“[It] has just been a whirlwind of emotions,” Grace, who turned to Reddit for help in finding out who the employee was, said of the experience
NEED TO KNOW
- A passenger named Grace posted about a missed connection with a Cleveland Hopkins Airport worker on Reddit on July 8
- After the post went viral, the airport helped identify the worker as Simon
- Once Grace returned from her vacation, she and Simon reunited on July 12
A missed connection at an Ohio airport led to one couple’s sweet real-life meet-cute story.
On July 8, Frontier Airlines passenger Grace caught sight of a maintenance worker at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. She hoped to give him her phone number, but she didn’t catch his name, so she turned to Reddit for assistance in identifying the man.
“This is a long shot but like I didn’t see no ring (lol) and I wanted to give you my number while you were standing next to my seat and I smiled at you but you looked really busy. You were very handsome,” Grace wrote. “So like if you see this and you’re open to it, I’d love to connect with you :).”
Credit: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Social Media Team
After Grace’s post quickly went viral, the airport contacted her, identified the employee as Simon and facilitated a connection. The pair began talking “constantly” once they were introduced, Grace shared in a July 10 update.
Once she got back from her Florida trip two days later, Grace was met with a surprise. Simon was waiting at the gate with a bouquet.
Grace greeted Simon with a bout of laughter, seeing him pose next to a sign that read, “WELCOME HOME GRACE! ✈️ From catching your flight to catching feelings, we’re glad CLE could play a role in helping you make your missed connection!💕.”
Once the airport’s team learned of Grace’s post, they “saw an opportunity to help,” Megan O’Connell, the airport’s assistant director of marketing, communications, and guest experience, told PEOPLE.
“It’s not every day an airport gets to help turn a missed connection into a real one, and we’re thrilled we could play a small part. Around here, you really can catch flights and feelings,” O’Connell said.
Credit: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Social Media Team
After the pair met, Grace told the airport’s team that the entire experience of her post becoming national news has been “overwhelming.’
“I didn’t think any of this would happen,” she confessed. “So anything that has happened past like Tuesday morning has just been a whirlwind of emotions. It’s been nice.”
Simon added, “It’s been nice. It’s good to see you, and it’s been an interesting weekend talking to you and texting you, and luckily the plane didn’t get canceled.”
Grace admitted that she never thought her post would reach this much traction.
“I thought maybe someone from the airport would be like, ‘Oh, hey, I know that guy,’ and that would be the extent of it,” she said. “Going on the news, I’ve had multiple interview requests, being here, doing this, I didn’t expect any of this to happen.”
Grace added that the help from the internet was “really sweet,” explaining, “It’s really hectic in the world right now. I think everyone is looking for a good story to make them happy. Especially when it comes to love. People want you to find your person, and they’ll do anything they can to help you find that person. It was really sweet to see the city of Cleveland come together to help me find a man. It was very nice seeing that, and wild.”
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However, the craziest part was when one woman offered to plan their wedding, Grace said.
“I appreciated the sentiment, but I was like, ‘Okay that’s a lot. We just met. Maybe give it some time before you start planning everything out,’ ” she said.
Since their reunion, the pair confirmed they have their first date on their calendar.
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