December 2024 Employee of the Month: Terminal Specialist helps pregnant traveler deliver special cargo at MIA

Miami International Airport Terminal Specialist Mairene Varona was on her lunch break last month when she helped a pregnant passenger deliver her special cargo in MIA’s check-in area. Varona happened to be coming down the escalators from MIA’s third floor to the departure level when she heard loud cries from a woman in distress near the TSA checkpoint. Varona immediately ran over to the woman to help her and when she arrived, she saw the woman on the ground in labor and about to give birth. She found out that the woman had just arrived from Jamaica and was on her way to a connecting flight.

Without getting flustered, Varona immediately contacted MIA’s operations center to call emergency responders for assistance while she remained on the scene, providing comfort and support to the young mother. She also managed the crowd that had gathered, helping to secure the area and provide the woman privacy. Within minutes, a baby boy was born, and both the mother and newborn were transported to a nearby hospital for additional medical care.

Because of her quick thinking and benevolence during a passenger’s desperate situation, Varona was named MIA’s December 2024 Employee of the Month.