I commuted for 2 1/2 years to JFK and MIA....95% of the time on AA... ( i was with AE at the time ) ...hardly if ever a problem. Had one Capt who gave me some crap one time on a -10 from MIA to RDU but he was just a bitter old piece of dung.... The gate agents working those flights got to know me and very NEVER had a problem with them. I did have aproblem with a AE gate agent once but it got resolved. I also used USAIR to MIA a bit and never had a problem either.

They were having a bad day probably and for some reason they just stuck with it. I hate to say it but thicker skin is probably the order of the day.
Good luck.