One more note
I forgot to mention that we did get some up front Per Diem before we departed. I would not have left without getting that. It wasn't $2000.00, but it was enough to buy a ticket home.
By the way. We did not work for nothing all that time. We did get one week of pay and about 1 month of per diem. Not much, but...
Again, I do believe when they get enough money, they will pay us. Mind you, I am not defending NEA, I (like DD's friend), believe that NEA screwed up by not having the proper funds to cover their asses. With that said, however, I understand why they did it. Hadj is a good time to make some quick cash and get a new company moving.
Like I said before, I've been doing foreign contracts for a long time. I've never been burned because I am a good judge of people. Once upon a time, I actually showed up to do hadj work halfway around the world (with a RT ticket), didn't like what I saw, and returned home. Turned out I made a good decision.
In this case, I don't believe there was any planned deception or willful neglect on the part of NEA. I believe they, like us, were victims of circumstance. If they really wanted to screw us, they could fold up shop, go bankrupt and cut their loses.
For me, it is a case by case evaluation of the company I will do the contract for. Let's not forget one thing. Right now there are more pilots than there are jobs. Demanding a lot of up front money from a start-up operation may not be to your benifit. There will be lots of guys standing in line ready to take your place.
That, my friend, is the reality of this situation.