Drunk Blackberry Executives Cause Fight To Be Grounded

The last thing Research in Motion needs at the moment is more bad press for their faltering Blackberry Smartphone line of devices but that’s exactly what the received this week when two executives from the company became so inebriated during a flight from Toronto to Beijing on Monday night that the aircraft had to be turned around.

According to Gawker the plane was just north of Alaska when the flight crew says George Campbell, 45, and Paul Alexander Wilson, 38 wouldn’t listen to orders issued by the crew.

One Air Canadian official told the Toronto Star:

“[both men] simply weren’t listening to any direction that the flight crew was giving them.”

After appearing in court the two men were granted suspended sentences and were placed one year’s probation. The men have also been ordered to pay Air Canada $35,878 each.

Adding insult to injury both men will have a hard time paying that fee as they have been suspended from their jobs and they can not fly during their one-year probationary period.

Also suffering because of their actions were passengers since the plane was originally a direct 13-hour flight, however after turning around a new flight crew was required for the flight under safety regulations which caused the plane to arrive at it’s final destination 18 hours late.

Do you think a one-year suspension from flying and their large fine was enough punishment based on their drunken actions or should the two men have been placed on the no-fly list?

[Image via TOSP Photo / Shutterstock.com]