Posted on 12/22/2005 7:16:59 AM PST by laney
HOUSTON — The wife of the pastor of the nation's largest church was asked to leave a plane after she failed to comply with a flight attendant's instructions, the FBI said Tuesday.
Houston Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen, his wife, Victoria, and their two children boarded a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Vail, Colo., Monday. The plane's door had been closed when Victoria Osteen and a flight attendant had a disagreement.
"She failed to comply with the flight attendant's instructions, and they were asked to leave the flight," FBI spokeswoman Luz Garcia said without elaborating on the disagreement.
The FBI reviewed a report from Continental after the incident, Garcia said. No charges will be filed, she said.
The flight was delayed more than an hour while the Osteens' luggage was retrieved, Garcia said. The family took another flight to Colorado, where church spokesman Don Iloff said they were skiing Tuesday.
Iloff called the disagreement with the flight attendant "minor" but would not say what happened.
"In semantics, they might have been asked to be removed," he said. "Really, it was more of a mutual thing."
Continental spokeswoman Julie King would not discuss the disagreement but said in a statement that the situation was resolved.
Osteen's sermons are broadcast across the country and his book "Your Best Life Now" has become a best seller. His church has more than 30,000 worshippers weekly and meets in a renovated arena where the Houston Rockets once played.
3rd thread on this.
Oops! Sorree
Again? She was asked to do so at least twice yesterday.
And More! :)
At least some people aboard the Continental Airlines flight were less than pleased after waiting about two hours at Bush Intercontinental Airport while the Osteens left the plane and their luggage was removed, said a woman who witnessed the incident.
"She was just abusive," said Sheila Steele, who said she was sitting behind Victoria Osteen. "She was just like one of those divas."
A church spokesman said the couple and their children left the plane voluntarily after the incident Monday and took another flight to Vail, Colo.
However, FBI Special Agent Luz Garcia said the Osteens were asked to leave the jetliner after an "altercation." She said Victoria Osteen "failed to comply" with instructions from the flight attendant. She added that no one was detained.
The incident occurred in the first class section on Flight 1602. Continental spokeswoman Julie King declined to give details.
The Osteens could not be reached for comment, and the Chronicle was unable to contact other passengers to corroborate Steele's version of events. However, the Vail Daily newspaper reported similar accounts of the incident from other first-class passengers.
Passenger Barbara Griffith told the Colorado paper that Joel Osteen was "very calm, very professional."
Lakewood Church spokesman Donald Iloff said Victoria Osteen contacted a flight attendant after noticing that a liquid had been spilled on her seat. The spill apparently was not cleaned up to her satisfaction, Iloff said. The family left the plane voluntarily and took another flight, Iloff said.
The airline issued a statement saying corporate policy forbids identifying passengers.
"There have been various accounts regarding events that occurred on one of our flights," the statement added. "We can confirm that there are no remaining issues between (Continental Airlines) and those passengers, and therefore, both parties feel no further comment is necessary."
Steele said Victoria Osteen was upset about liquid on her pull-down tray and asked a flight attendant to have it cleaned. When the attendant, who was carrying paperwork to the cockpit, told her she couldn't do it immediately, Osteen replied, "Fine, get me a stewardess who can," Steele said.
She said Victoria Osteen pushed a flight attendant and tried to get into the cockpit. Passengers quoted in the Colorado paper did not address those details.
Soon after, authorities were called to the plane, she said, although it was not clear Tuesday whether they were airline officials.
Wonder what she did?
Post #5
This probably happens more frequently on flights to Vail than other routes.
The fourth flight is a charm.
oops, thanks!
Over Anxious Skiers?
I heard one time Joel Osteen talk about how everyone deserves First Class treatment in one of his sermons and he referred to riding in planes.
Maybe his wife took it to heart....
Knowing her, somebody probably made a mean remark about her husband and she probably told the attendant off. Either way, according to sceptics, The Osteen ministry is one of the most ethical and financially sound ministries on TV. After Osteens book did so well, he quit accepting a salary from his church. And running the largest church in America is hard work and a ton of hours weekly.
I was thinking more "wealthy prima donnas".
(I'm always anxious to go skiing.)
She failed to describe "the event." One wonders why. Shades of Jim and Tammy Bakker! Mixing mega-churches with mega-money seems to be an on-going problem for these TV evangelists, or am I wrong?
Oh I am sure it has been taken out of context, but I think these people in the limelight need to know negative actions even the smallest will get them in the news.
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