A JetBlue passenger who claimed to be a soldier readying for deployment to Afghanistan openly
solicited fellow fliers to buy him drinks on a flight that subsequently had to be diverted when he got plastered and threatened the life of a female flight attendant, according to the FBI.
After Flight 1969 departed Boston for Fort Lauderdale last Thursday evening, passenger Orion Koshinsky, 23, stood up and announced, “I want to make sure everybody on the plane knows that I’m in the military and you can buy me drinks.” He also told the lead flight attendant, “I’m in the military, what can I get for free?” However, Koshinsky has never been in the armed forces, according to federal prosecutors. In fact, he was headed to Florida to check into a drug and alcohol treatment center. His on-board ruse was simply a bid to score some free booze.