Wino, I'm also a pilot in the US. Granted I'm a lowly regional puke, but it is this sort of attitude that I see on a daily basis from many of my colleagues that is resultant in our industry constantly being ranked one of the lowest in terms of customer satisfaction in the US. I am astounded by the ongoing arrogance of some of our pilots in this country, and I hate to say it, but more often that not it is those who are flying the heavier metal that are the worst offenders. Taking ten seconds to direct someone elsewhere isn't going to disrupt our day too much. Granted, I know that once I answer one person's query I often end up with a number of others asking questions, but at the end of the day it is those people that fly with us who pay our wages.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to soon be leaving my current job to start with British Airways. A huge part of my interview process was based on customer service and what we, as pilots, can do to make our passenger's journeys easier and more pleasant. BA has in fact gone above and beyond on this point, introducing it's customer service 'hallmarks' to ensure that flight deck crew are more visible to passengers and offer assistance, no matter how small, when required. This is something passengers directly told BA that they would like to see. It is something I think we should desperately be looking to introduce on this side of the Atlantic too.
Without doubt the lack of proper staffing, poor gate agent attitudes and tough working conditions make our jobs tough at times in the US, but a bit of common courtesy and pointing someone in the right direction is a small act that has a big impact on our customer's perception.
'planckepoch', I'm sorry for your negative experience. I would tell you to try flying with United or Delta instead, but alas I don't think your experience would be much different. The US industry is coasting on record profits and appalling customer service. Unfortunately I don't see it changing any time soon.