I think I might just go with an FAA complaint. I really just wanted them to acknowledge that what happened was unacceptable (I'm not paying money to get threatened and berated by some guy at the gate) and provide some indication that they would take action on it. At least they would actually have to acknowledge and write a real response to an FAA complaint.
Otherwise, their emails suggest that they are probably going to file this away for it to maybe be glanced at in an end-of-quarter report or something. I included the responses I got below; I feel like it would have been more respectful if they literally said they don't care instead of writing so many empty sentences.
--- Original Response ---
Thank you for contacting American Airlines Customer Relations.
Please accept my sincere apologies for the experience you've described. We're committed to prioritizing our customers in everything we do, and your feedback highlights this commitment. Your valuable insights will be made available to our leadership team to explore necessary improvements and deliver the world-class customer experience you expect from us.
I appreciate your willingness to share your feedback with us. From everyone at American Airlines, thank you for choosing to fly with us. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome you on board again soon.
--- My Response ---
Hello,
Receiving a copy-paste response after being threatened being denied boarding for asking about a safety issue is categorically not a “world-class customer experience.”
--- Their re-response ---
Thank you for taking the time to send in your concerns. I'm happy to help.
We want our customers to have a great experience when traveling with us and I'm sorry that didn't occur during your recent trip. Our team is always expected to provide courteous and professional service to all passengers. I regret any inconsistency you encountered and sincerely apologize for the lack of professionalism you described.
I would like to assure you that we take our customers' concerns and feedback seriously. The comments that you shared with me will be made available to our leadership team for further review and will be used to refine and update our practices. We want our customer journey to be the best in the industry and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to drive change.
While I know you didn't have the best experience traveling with us recently, I do hope you'll give us another try. From all of us at American Airlines, we hope to see you on another flight soon.