American Airlines Customer Service Coordinator Thomas Doersam recently received the “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” category of Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Employee Recognition Program. This distinction acknowledges employees who create a positive guest experience through service and delivery while collaborating with other organizations.
Doersam has been with American Airlines for nearly 35 years, serving 25 of those years at PHL. As a customer service coordinator, Doersam works in the training department, teaching employees about customer service, working international flights, and safety and security procedures. He also trains employees to dispatch flights and drive jet bridges up to the aircraft. He works four 10-hour shifts from 6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday – Friday. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from Marshall University.
“My customer is my fellow employee,” said Doersam. "I want to make their jobs easier when they’re helping customers. I like helping people.”
Doersam displays strong values of customer-centrism, teamwork, transcending expectations, proactive communication, effectiveness, respect, integrity, and courage.
In his nomination of Doersam, American Airlines Customer Care Manager-on-Duty Kevin Carter stated, “I nominate Thomas Doersam for his outstanding contributions and achievements in support of our business priorities for 2023. Thomas has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence to deliver exceptional results in every aspect of his work. Regarding our first business priority, ‘delivering for our customers,’ Thomas has played a pivotal role in enhancing our customers' experience. As a station trainer, Thomas significantly improved our station's performance by building one-on-one relationships with each employee. He has found a way to build team members without giving up on them. Thomas consistently trains his coworkers on policies and procedures and the most efficient ways to improve processes. As we endeavor to modernize our technology and further digitalize our operations and customer experience, Thomas has been at the forefront of driving innovation and transformation. Thomas assisted in implementing biometrics boarding, which has boosted customer satisfaction and improved the boarding process and our start of boarding metrics on all transatlantic flights. Thomas alone would meet every flight, staying long hours and coming in early to assist with each gate to set up biometrics boarding. There is no biometrics boarding without him.”
Doersam considers himself an aviation geek who can spot an Airbus 320 far away. He enjoys conducting training in a serious way for safety and also includes some fun when appropriate. He and his coworkers communicate well with one another and have a strong friendship. He’s especially appreciated his coworkers for the support they’ve provided him with after he lost both of his parents within the past two years, while being their caregiver.
“I love being around the airplanes,” said Doersam. “I love showing people how to drive the three different jet bridges we have.”
In 2018, Doersam was featured in American’s American Way in-flight magazine. He was excited to have been chosen out of 130,000 employees for the monthly employee recognition feature.
Carter continued, “Thomas has demonstrated exceptional skills in strategic planning and flawless execution. He has onboarded over 150 new employees, and his meticulous attention to detail and ability to navigate complex challenges have improved operational efficiency and enhanced customer service for the training department. Moreover, Thomas has been instrumental in enabling our organization to bounce back quickly through challenges faced, short staffing, and heavy demands, all while minimizing the impact on our customers. This year alone, we have asked Thomas and his team to train every employee on door opening. We then asked him to start onboarding over 100 new hires. We then sent him to DFW [Dallas- Fort Worth Airport] to train as our local safety aircraft search trainer. Thomas has always been the first to volunteer to assist. His accomplishments are a testament to his unwavering dedication, relentless work ethic, and exceptional perseverance. His achievements required exceptional effort, commitment, sacrifice, and perseverance. Thomas consistently goes above and beyond what is expected of him, often working long hours and sacrificing personal time to ensure the success of our organization. His unwavering commitment to excellence sets a remarkable example for his colleagues and inspires the team to strive for greatness. His remarkable achievements supporting our business priorities make him a worthy candidate for every award we can offer.”
“I thank Kevin for the nomination,” said Doersam. “I want to give him and my fellow customer care trainers and mentors in our department a shout-out. We all worked hard post-COVID-19.”
Doersam has held several positions within American and is accustomed to the ever-changing aviation industry. “Our workforce is diverse,” said Doersam. “I learn from diverse workers. I like learning about different religions and traditions. I love working for American Airlines. The great thing about this company is that it gets an A+ for promoting diversity and inclusion. It’s important to me. The company itself has won several awards for diversity and inclusion.”
Doersam and his husband enjoy traveling the world. Their favorite places have been Italy, France, and Spain. They hope to visit South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco next year. They consider themselves foodies who love trying international cuisines and learning about different cultures.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Philadelphia for Doersam is the accessibility. “I live in the city,” said Doersam. “It’s a great walking city. You don’t need a car. It’s accessible through public transportation. In other cities, people are gone after 5 p.m., but not Philly. Over one million people live downtown.”
The PHL Employee Recognition Program was established by the airport’s Guest Experience (GX) Department. Honorees are nominated by their peers and selected by the GX Council Steering Committee’s Employee Conduct and Recognition Committee. For more information about the program and to nominate an employee, click here.
