A few examples of when I would give out the JWD certs:

My friend was on a flight from DSM to SEA via MSP. His plane from DSM was delayed for mechanical reasons, causing him to miss his connection in MSP. It was a holiday weekend, so everything was sold out and "the next available flight" was the following afternoon, which would cause him to miss a wedding. Delta reservations couldn't/wouldn't help, but the SkyClub agent was able Alaska Airlines flight the same-day. (This apparently involved issuing a paper ticket and calling someone to override the reservation system, as the flight was sold-out.) This agent got a cert AND a glowing letter.

Three years ago, an LAX gate agent overrode the "no same-day confirmed on international itineraries" rule, allowing me to get onto a direct flight home 6 hours ahead of my scheduled flight. (I was coming back from SYD, and really did not want to spend too much more time in airports.)

Five years ago, in ATL, I arrived at the airport after the check-in window had closed. The desk agent called the gate agent, had him open the flight up for me, got me checked in and escorted me to the front of the security line, allowing me to catch my flight. I didn't have any certificates at that time (wasn't even FO) but I wrote a glowing letter to Delta.


I don't give out the certs for things I feel that agents *should* be doing as a matter of course. Sadly, precious few agents truly go above and beyond.