On top of things

Kristīne Jēkabsone-Nazarova’s office has a huge window facing the runway, where she can see planes taking off and landing and shuttle buses delivering passengers to planes. This was all once a very real part of her own life – she was a cabin crew member for 11 years. But now, she’s almost literally turned her back on the runway and serves as the assistant to the CEO and President of airBaltic Martin Gauss.

It’s Kristīne’s job to make his schedule as smooth as possible and greet visitors when they arrive at the office. There are always people around Kristīne. Just like there’s always a smile on her face. But let’s start this conversation from the beginning, from the moment Kristīne joined the company.

How did you arrive at airBaltic?

It was actually never my dream to work as a flight attendant. I was studying English philology at the time, and I realised that my university schedule also allowed me to work. One day my mother saw a television advert that airBaltic was hiring flight attendants and suggested I give it a try. That was in 2008.

So I applied, and I was invited for an interview and went through the selection process. But I had also applied for a vacancy at another place. It so happened that this other company offered me a job first; airBaltic made its offer a day later. But the other job was only temporary, and I knew that when I finished it, I would definitely apply to airBaltic again. So a year later, I applied again and was hired as a flight attendant.

What do you think are the most important qualities a flight attendant should have?

Of course, one needs all the necessary professional knowledge and also plain common sense. A sense of responsibility is also important.

Secondly, you have to love working with people. If you don’t find it pleasant to be around people, it’s impossible to achieve this artificially. It has to come naturally. So, it’s important to know yourself and know whether you’re really suited for this job.

You also have to be able to adapt quickly and easily, because the work is very dynamic. There are early morning commutes and stand-by arrangements, which means that you can be called in to help out on a flight at any moment – even on a weekend – and have to be at work within an hour. You have to be prepared for that.

What did you enjoy most about being a flight attendant?

I love working with people, and I really enjoyed the contact with all the different people on the flights. I greeted my passengers with a smile and got smiles in return. It was also a pleasure when passengers getting off the plane thanked us for our work and for the flight. I also just love to fly, and that constantly gave me inspiration.

Because there were always different people around – passengers as well as colleagues – the work was never boring, despite the fact that the procedures and routines were the same. This constant movement of people motivated me, as did the destinations themselves, especially if it was possible to spend a bit of time in them. I always wanted more, and more, and more of it all! The time flew by and… at one point I realised that 11 years had already passed.

Is there any particular episode that stands out in your memory?

On one flight we experienced severe turbulence, which doesn’t happen often, but that time it did. We cabin crew members were in the middle of the cabin, and we had to sit down in the nearest available seats. I happened to sit down next to a woman who was pregnant, and the fear on her face was obvious. At moments like these, the well-being of the people around us is the most important thing. And all eyes are on us, because we’re the ones the passengers look to for reassurance that everything will be okay.

I began talking with the woman next to me, telling her that we have a very experienced captain and that situations like this do happen, especially when flying over mountains. Later, when everyone was getting off the plane, she expressed a very sincere thank you, but what touched me most was that she also wrote a thank you letter to the company. She wrote that she couldn’t imaging anything else that would have helped her more in that moment than what I had told her. That was very touching and remains a vivid memory for me. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the fact that we have to be very responsible with our work, because we’re the ones on whom the passengers rely during the flight.

How do you think the company has changed over these years?

The company has experienced very rapid growth. For example, when I began working for airBaltic, there were over 300 flight attendants, but ten years later that number had risen to over 730. airBaltic has also become much more modern, keeping up with the times and the latest technology. The fleet has changed, the number of destinations has grown. I started out working on Fokker 50 aircraft, then I moved to Boeing 737s. It’s impossible to compare a Fokker 50 with an Airbus A220-300. I attribute all this growth to airBaltic’s CEO Martin Gauss.

And how did you change jobs?

I had become a senior cabin crew member, and then a cabin crew team leader. And one day I got a call from the then assistant to the president of the company saying that Mr. Gauss was inviting me to a meeting. She herself was leaving airBaltic after more than ten years with the company. And so I changed my job at airBaltic.

What’s it like being the assistant to the president?

For me, it means again getting a completely different perspective on the industry as a whole, and it means having an even more dynamic job, because I have to keep up with everything that’s happening not just on the plane but throughout the entire company. In short, though, I’m responsible for planning Martin’s day so that it runs smoothly. He’s quite a self-sufficient boss, organising and doing many things himself, but there are things that need assistance. The main thing is keeping his calendar in order and being responsible for his office. Of course, I also have to keep track of any changes, which can be sudden and unpredictable. I also organise business trips, events, and registrations.

Martin’s an extrovert and likes to share with others. He wants to know about everything himself, and it’s good that he shares his knowledge. He’s also like a mentor to me, because I learn something new every day. I feel that I’m constantly developing and gaining knowledge in this job.

What else do you enjoy about your job?

At first I was a bit confused, because I was used to being around people all the time and now I have this office all to myself (laughs). Then again, I started this job during the pandemic, and at the beginning there really was no one else in the office. But as people were allowed to work from their offices again, my colleagues returned and now there’s no lack of people around me and I have enough contact with others.

Do you miss flying?

At the moment, while my daughter is still young, I want to spend as much time as possible with her and with my family. But I don’t rule out the possibility of flying again as part of our Office in the Sky programme. It’s a very popular programme among our office staff and allows them to also work as flight attendants.

Everyone knows that’s not an easy job. How did you manage to do it for so long?

Human beings are creatures that adapt to everything. The body falls into a rhythm and it feels normal. For example, it’s hard to start working again after a holiday, because that rhythm has been disrupted. But keeping a balance between work and free time is also very important to me. My hobbies ensure that I can do something completely different during my free time – I bake cakes and do decorating for events. I also enjoy attending cultural events.

You mentioned that you studied English philology, but I know that you also studied psychology. How did you manage to combine the two?

I didn’t finish English philology because, to be honest, I realised it wasn’t really the right field for me. So I switched to studying psychology, also at the University of Latvia. It was a part-time programme, and the lecturers were very understanding and supportive.

I took up psychology purely for myself, because I’m very interested in the field. Sometimes I would sit in the jump seat on the plane and study, and I wrote part of my bachelor’s thesis on a night flight. I’d love to go back to school, but these memories hold me back (laughs)! Besides, like I said, right now I want to spend as much time as possible with my family.

Just recently, my husband asked me whether I was ever going to work as a psychologist. It’s still an open question, but I feel very comfortable in my current work. Moreover, I haven’t been in this position long enough to feel that I’m not growing anymore and need to move on.

The work is very dynamic and varied, with something new every day. But I accept this variety and change as the norm, so it’s much easier for me to remain flexible. I have a lot of respect for Martin, and Martin has a lot of respect for his employees, so I want to do my job as well as I can.

Is there anything from your psychology studies that you remember and use from time to time?

When I had to deal with situations on an airplane, I always tried to use what might be called validating speech, so that the passengers didn’t feel that I was the only one who was right. Because the goal on board is not to determine who’s right or who’s the winner; we just need to smooth things out in any situation that has escalated.

I think that’s also a very valuable tactic in life in general. For example, not giving advice, but letting a person arrive at the answers themselves over the course of a conversation. That’s much more productive and valuable for the person.