Precisely. Tell them what happened, it's their job to carry the ball from here. If it goes nowhere, then escalate. But just like in IT, if someone calls the help desk and says "I'm an expert, here's what you need to do, I don't have to follow your procedures" then they're not going to get the best service.

Consider it from AC's perspective: how many people think they see a safety issue and demand that it be addressed without knowing what they're talking about? How should AC know that your expertise is real? Give them the flight number, attendant's name if known, safety issue (with details so that they know you know what you're talking about), and request confirmation that it has been forwarded along. That's all you can do.