N.Y. man gets prison time for in-flight ruckus

updated 11:17 a.m. ET Jan. 23, 2009

MIDLAND, Texas - A New York man who raised a ruckus on a Continental Airlines jet in a failed attempt to get a free ticket has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Arthur David Proskin was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge in Texas for interfering with a flight crew. He pleaded guilty in October.

Prosecutors say Proskin was traveling from Houston to Palm Springs, Calif., last April, when a beverage cart struck his knee. They say he acted upset and yelled obscenities at a flight attendant and other passengers.

The plane diverted to Midland International Airport where the then-44-year-old Proskin was removed and arrested.

He later told investigators that he created the disturbance to get free travel vouchers.

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