Check-in with… Piet Heemskerk & Desi Francis

Piet & Desi, can you introduce yourselves? "I'm Desi, I've been working at KLM for more than 37 years as B1 and B2. I started in Hangar 12, then Hangar 10 and am now working in Hangar 14. I'm married and have four children, three boys and a girl. In recent years, Piet and I have become one; we can't function without each other. Work just doesn't work otherwise." "‘I'm Piet Heemskerk, I have been working here for almost 45 years since 1980, also as B1 and B2. In a way, we're like Siamese twins here in the company." Varied work The two colleagues describe their daily work at KLM as quite varied. "We mainly deal with electrical stuff, but we also do mechanical work in both B1 and B2." Desi explains. "We do everything from repairing parts to removing carpet." During your time as Siamese twins, as you call it, have you experienced anything memorable? Piet talks about his first years at KLM: "I myself was in the D-Line here and I really enjoyed that. We always went for a test-flight afterwards. I got to fly with my whole family, and my father went along in the cockpit, he loved the landing. Of course, those were really great things". Desi smiles: "There have been so many great moments, but there is not really one specific moment that jumps out at me." Why did you choose KLM? ‘My Mother told me I had to." Pete replied, laughing, "I was actually a truck driver, and my mother said I should apply to KLM, she was a wise woman." For Desi, things were different: "I was lured here by a colleague, who I used to work with at another company. I had no idea I would end up here." "It was purely by chance. My former colleague came to me with: "Here's a job application, just fill in in." and that's how I ended up here, actually. But I never had any real interest in airplanes." And are you happy that your former colleague suggested this job? "Yes, I enjoy going to work every day, except for the occasional bad day, of course. Sometimes you have tough days. All these years, I've never complained that my work isn't good or isn't fun." If you could give advice to the next generation, what would it be? "I would still say, do it!" Desi says. "We see things differently now because we've had quite some time here, but I think I'd make the same choices again at the beginning of my career," she adds. Piet, however, doesn't entirely agree with Desi: "I'm not sure. A lot has changed over the years, bringing both advantages and challenges. While working on aircraft and flying them might sound exciting, starting out here can be quite demanding, especially in the current climate. People often have a particular perception of KLM as a fantastic company—and it is, with its strong social culture and well-organised systems, but there are also aspects that are less enjoyable and more challenging. Would you like to say anything else? "I’m almost retired, and I’ve had a really great time. It’s been really good," Piet says. Desi adds, "I’m going on early retirement a few months after Piet. I’ve had a great time, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything I’ve experienced, and I wouldn’t want to have done it at any other company." Both men laugh when Piet says, "I’ve done well at KLM, and if I had to do it again, I’d choose the same path." Desi adds, "I’ll miss Business Class, that was really nice!"