In a flight from Toronto to Beijing, China, RIM’s George Campbell and Paul Alexander Wilson got so drunk and unruly, that they had to be physically restrained and the flight had to land in Vancouver. Each one was fined over $35,000, and won’t be able to fly Air Canada for a year while they’re on probation. How’s RIM handling the situation? Well, the drinking buddies have been suspended for the time being, but RIM hasn’t elaborated on what exactly these guys did with BlackBerry products. It’s a big fine, encompassing costs for fuel, landing fees, crew costs and dealing with now-irate customers.
The last PR gaffe from RIM that came remotely close to this was when co-CEO Mike Lazaridis cut off a BBC interview after a question about security abroad, but after this, it seems like the makers of BlackBerry can swing in both “overly uptight” and “obscenely raucous” directions. It wouldn’t be surprising if these two guys got canned as a result of their conduct, but considering how many people are getting the boot from RIM these days, they may have been headed in that direction anyway.
[via Globe and Mail]