I wonder if any of the people blasting "Air Uzbekistan" (actually Uzbekistan Airways) have ever actually flown them. The JFK-RIX route is on a 767. The airline is joining SkyTeam next year.

If you don't want to do that, but still want to fly, Air Baltic is probably going to be the connection you could make to Western Europe for cheap.

Or you can take a night train from Berlin to Warsaw, and take a train from there to Riga through Lithuania.