“Caring” isn’t a word most people associate with baggage claim, but maybe it should be.
April Schmitt was just wrapping up a hectic business trip from Los Angeles, heading home to Pittsburgh on June 13. She picked up her luggage, drove home to her husband of 33 years, Eric, and all seemed well, until she looked down at her hand.
“I panicked and my heart sank,” said Schmitt, who lives in Sewickley, PA. “I truly didn’t think I was ever going to see it again.”
The diamond in her engagement ring was gone.
In a frantic rush, she turned around and drove back to Pittsburgh International Airport. She searched the baggage carousel, retracing every step. An airline employee flagged down airport staff, and soon a small crew was crawling on hands and knees under the track.
Tom Riordan, a stationary engineer with 20 years under his belt, didn’t hesitate. “A labyrinth of steel and motors and belts” stood between them and the missing gem, but that didn’t stop him and five fellow employees from trying.
After 90 minutes, Schmitt headed home, hope dimmed but not out.
But behind the scenes, the search didn’t stop.
“I just was crawling with a flashlight, and we had paint sticks to scrape all the dirt away,” said Sean Dempsey, another stationary engineer. “The diamond caught a little bit of light and I found it.”
A few hours later, Schmitt’s phone rang. The diamond had been found.
“My jaw dropped,” she said. “There were so many ways this story could have ended, but these guys were committed to helping me.”
“To have this experience here and to be treated like an important person, those staffers were so concerned about my happiness and doing the right thing for me. I was not just a random passenger. They went out of their way to take care of me.”
And for Riordan, that’s what it’s all about.
“The passenger’s smile is enough,” he said. “That’s all we need. You can go to any employee here and they’d all do the same.”
Turns out, sometimes the real gems aren’t on your hand, but in the hearts of people willing to help.
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