Thanks for the additional info.
What's the source for the story?
It doesn't matter what your beef is with an airline crew. They have an absolute legal right to demand you take your seat, fasten your seat belt and obey other of their instructions. Your legal option is limited to removing yourself from a plane still on the ground and at the gate. Any other of your "demands" are a guarantee of trouble and probable arrest because they violate federal air regulations.
In the commercial air travel world after 9/11/01, you follow instructions on an airliner or you are in big trouble and risk arrest. Further, if physical threats take place while airborne, understandably nervous, fellow passengers may take it upon themselves to physically restrain you.
My advice to this woman is: If you are dissatisfied with commercial airline service, drive your own personal vehicle to Vail for a Christmas ski vacation. You could also consider chartering your own private jet to fly to Vail. I understand her family probably has the resources to pay for a chartered jet.
Even a Greyhound bus driver can throw out a disageeable passenger in the event of a confrontation.
If this is the real story, and it sounds believable, then Continental Airlines has an apology to issue to the Osteens. And they need to discipline the flight attendent. No one should be forced to sit on a wet sticky seat, anywhere on an airline, but especially in first class, where you paid good money to fly there. Sounds to me like the attendent has an attitiude problem.
Somewhat graceless of her, however. Had it been I, I would have gone to the john and gotten some paper towels and mopped it up myself. saying absolutely nothing further to the stew about it. Then when arrived, I would have penned a pointed complaint to the airline.
I would have gotten huffy as well.
They should have given her a towel or blanket to put in the seat.
I'm assuming the use of passive voice means Ms Osteen herself spilled the "soda" (or one of her children).
The lavatories are available during boarding. She could have gotten a towel and wiped and dried it herself.
Throwing a hissy fit is not a classy, graceful way to deal with a rather minor and insignificant situation.
She deserves the humiliation that has been heaped upon her for this incident.
Well it's certainly understandable that she would inconvenience hundreds of other customers and cost the airline thousands of dollars because she didn't want to sit on a damp seat or on a towel, or have her husband sit on a towel or, God forbid, clean it herself to her own satisfaction.
She is said to have refused to follow orders from the hostess. I would bet she was told to sit down in the mess and she refused. She was also said to have "approached the cockpit." I would guess she was on the hunt for some paper towels or someone to clean up the seat so she could sit down. Also, it is said she attacked the hostess but if this were true she would have been arrested so it was probably a lie reported earlier.
Airline employees are the pits. They have too much power over passengers and can abuse them freely. If you complain, they can have you thrown off the plane.