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Delta Air Lines, Inc.

How to EnterCompany: Delta Air Lines, Inc. Atlanta, GA
Company Description: Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection® carriers offer service to more than 340 destinations in nearly 60 countries on six continents. The Reservation Sales and Customer Care division handles an average of 55 million customer contacts each year and generates approximately $2B in annual revenue.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year

Nomination Title: Edgar Perez, Atlanta Elite Sales and Service Assist Representative

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Edgar Perez, an Elite Sales and Service Assist representative, is one of those employees who embraces change and the importance of customer service every day. He always remains positive, ready for a challenge and never loses his focus on the customer.

Edgar supports many internal departments, assisting with booking, ticketing, research and service recovery decisions for our customers. He’s received the highest Delta honor, given by his peers, the “Chairman’s Club” award, and is very supportive of those around him.

He’s received numerous compliments, and has turned customers’ perspectives around. One customer wrote, “Edgar, you renewed my confidence in my favorite airline and gave me trust that you are really taking this gloried airline back up where she belongs.” A supervisor commented that Edgar exudes such positive enthusiasm that you can feel the electricity when he’s in the room. Another customer wrote, “What an asset to the company. Thank you for hiring Edgar- his dedication to Delta and its customers is commendable.”

But, none of those compliments adequately capture the passion Edgar has for our customers and for Delta. Recently, a family with two small children and their dog were relocating from Honduras to Missouri. They checked in with a hard sided pet carrier, but the container wouldn’t fit under any seat. Because of the summer heat, the dog could not travel in the cargo hold, and the family was not able to postpone their trip, so they were forced to leave Chechito behind with a family friend in Honduras. The plane departed with Chechito in his kennel on the tarmac and distressed parents and crying children staring out the window knowing they might not see their special family member again.

When Edgar learned of this situation, he felt helpless, stating “The mishandling of this family is very much out of character for us as a company.” Edgar made several efforts to resolve the issue, working with the family in Missouri and the friend who kept Chechito in Honduras. He worked with other divisions to have the health certificates returned to Honduras so the dog could be reunited with its family. But, to make sure that everything went smoothly; Edgar ultimately decided to personally travel to Honduras and bring back the dog to the U.S. He traveled over 4,000 miles and taking 72 hours to do so, but ultimately he reunited Chechito with his family.

This story is one of many where Edgar has made the difference in our customers’ eyes. Allison Ausband, v.p.-Reservation Sales and Customer Care, said, “Edgar, there are unsung heroes, and you certainly are one of them. What you did for this family was so representative of whom you are as a person and so representative of the best we see in Delta employees. I can’t thank you enough for having this customer’s back and going way above the call of duty.” He truly pours his heart and soul into his work, which echoes through the words of thanks from many satisfied customers.

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

Edgar Perez is currently a member of Delta’s Elite Sales and Service Assist desk, providing support to many internal departments, assisting with booking, ticketing, research and service recovery decisions in support of our external and internal customers.

He joined Delta in February 1994, as a General Sales Agent and has held positions in International Sales, International Customer Service, Customer Service Coordinator Desk and Elite/Executive Desk. All along the way, Edgar’s expertise and knowledge of processes and policies, along with his exceptional service, have made him a highly sought after resource, especially by Delta’s Board of Directors and executive team.