I'm slightly patronised when people think that cabin crew (and even pilots ) are poorly paid. Even with reduced salaries, pilots are still pretty well paid and as a CC (albeit with a senior position) in the UK, I earn 30K (GBP) a year. Far from being low paid. Average UK pay being 26k.
The AA pilot clearly had attitude, he was probably horrified at being mistaken for a gate agent, such is the job snobbery in the US.