When I filed the complaint with American Airlines I also filed a complaint with the DOT. I received a computer generated letter from the DOT:
Thank you for contacting the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer
Protection Division. This office deals with airline service complaints. Issues
regarding airline and aircraft safety, emergency exit seating, low-flying
aircraft, pilot licensing and related issues should be sent to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA); contact information will be found at
http://www.faa.gov/contact. Security issues, including passenger screening, the
"no-fly" list and the baggage screening process are handled by the Department of
Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at
TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov
If your message was a question regarding service issues other than safety or
security, answers to most aviation consumer protection questions, including the
rights of passengers, can be found in the information available on our website,
particularly in the publication "Fly-Rights". To obtain electronic versions of
a number of air travel consumer publications, go to
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/
and click "Travel Tips & Publications."
Although we do not mediate individual complaints, if your complaint concerns
airline service we will enter it in our computerized industry monitoring system,
which serves as a basis for rulemaking, legislation and research. Complaints
are also charged to the company in question in our monthly complaint report,
which is distributed to the industry and made available to the news media and
the general public so that both consumers and air travel companies can compare
the complaint records of individual airlines and tour operators. Complaints are
also routinely reviewed to determine the extent to which carriers are in
compliance with our regulations. We also use these complaints to track trends
or spot areas of concern, which we feel may warrant further action in the
future.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Aviation Consumer Protection Division (DOT ACPD)
U.S. Department of Transportation
I don't see that I am going to get anywhere with this. I also called the customer with disabilities complaint line of American Airlines yesterday to try and speak with someone concerning thier responce and have yet to get a call back. Quite clearly they don't care if thier employees treat customers like crap, nor the fact they just thumb thier nose at DOT.