From Akuse to the World : How Audrey Pappoe Found a Career in the Skies

Growing up in Akuse in Ghana’s Eastern region, Audrey Pappoe often wondered what life was like beyond her small town.

She wanted to travel, see new places and experience the world for herself. At the time, becoming cabin crew for a global airline seemed like a distant dream.

Years later, that dream has taken her around the world.

Pappoe is now a Senior Purser with Emirates, responsible for compliance and standards within the airline’s inflight operations. Her career has taken her from Economy Class as a junior crew member to Business and First Class, and eventually into one of the senior roles in the cabin crew structure.

Along the way, she has worked across the Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 777, met people from different parts of the world and discovered that some of the most memorable moments in the job have little to do with the aircraft itself.

For Pappoe, it is the people she meets, the connections she makes and the occasional reminder of home that make life in the skies special.

A dream that started in Akuse

“I grew up in Akuse, a small town in the Eastern Region, and I always wanted to travel around the world,” Pappoe recalls.

She often wondered what it would be like to experience life beyond the town she knew.

“At the time, becoming cabin crew felt like a distant dream.”

Then came the opportunity to join Emirates.

She decided to take the chance, and what began as a dream gradually became a career that has taken her around the world, introduced her to people from different cultures and challenged her to grow in ways she never expected.

What makes the journey particularly meaningful, she says, is doing it as a Ghanaian.

“I get to represent my country while working with one of the world’s most recognised airlines.”

It has been, in her words, a journey of growth, discovery and a lot of gratitude.

Carrying Ghana with her

For Pappoe, being a Ghanaian member of an international cabin crew is more than simply having a different passport.

She believes Ghana’s reputation for warmth and hospitality naturally influences how she interacts with passengers.

There is also the unexpected comfort of hearing a familiar Ghanaian language when she is far from home.

“You can be thousands of kilometres from home and suddenly hear someone speaking Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani or another Ghanaian language,” she says. “It creates an immediate sense of familiarity.”

She takes pride in representing Ghana and carrying some of that Ghanaian warmth with her wherever she flies.

The transition from Ghana to an international airline was humbling, she says, because she quickly realised she was no longer representing only herself.

“There is a quiet pressure that comes with that. You want every passenger who meets you to leave with a good impression of Ghana.”

At the same time, the experience has opened her life to friendships and experiences she might never have encountered otherwise.

“You are surrounded by people from different cultures and backgrounds, and every day teaches you something new. I have made friends from all over the world.”

Life inside the changing aircraft

Years of flying have also given Pappoe a front-row seat to the changing experience of air travel.

She has worked across the Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 777, each offering a different experience.

The A380, she says, is so large that it can sometimes feel like “managing a small village in the sky.”

The A350 offers a different atmosphere, with a quieter cabin, refreshed interiors and features designed around how passengers travel today.

For Pappoe, however, the value of these changes comes down to a simple question: do they make the passenger’s journey better?

That is where she sees the importance of details such as the privacy screen in Premium Economy.

On a long journey, passengers may want to work, rest, watch a film or simply have some personal space. Having more control over that space can make a difference.

“It is not simply about having something new,” she says. “It is about understanding what people need and finding better ways to provide it.”

Even smaller features can matter.

The U-Dream Headrest in Economy Class, for example, may seem like a minor detail, but being able to adjust a headrest and find a comfortable position can make several hours in the air easier.

As crew, Pappoe gets to see those reactions directly.

“You can tell when someone has found something that genuinely makes their journey more comfortable.”

Finding a little bit of home in the sky

Long flights can feel very different depending on what passengers do with the hours in front of them.

Some settle into a film. Others watch television, listen to music or discover a documentary.

For Ghanaian passengers, there is also the possibility of stumbling across something familiar.

Emirates’ ice entertainment system includes Ghanaian films and music, which Pappoe says can give travellers a welcome connection to home.

“When you are travelling so much, finding something that reminds you of home can be special,” she says.

“Seeing Ghanaian movies or hearing Ghanaian music while you are thousands of kilometres away can give you that little feeling of connection.”

She enjoys discovering new content herself but admits that familiar Ghanaian content can still catch her attention.

Perhaps that is because, despite all the places she has visited, home remains home.

The passenger who became family

For all the new aircraft and technology she encounters, one of Pappoe’s most memorable experiences involved something much simpler: a conversation.

On one flight, an elderly Ghanaian woman was travelling alone to see her grandchildren abroad. It was her first long-haul flight and she was nervous.

Pappoe made a point of checking on her throughout the journey and explaining things whenever she needed help.

As they talked, they discovered an unexpected connection.

The woman knew Pappoe’s parents and had lived in Akuse, her hometown, for a period.

“She was so proud of me,” Pappoe recalls.

By the time they landed, the two had formed a connection.

The woman held Pappoe’s hand and told her that she had made her feel like family.

That moment has stayed with her.

“Sometimes what a passenger remembers most is not the aircraft or even the destination. It is how someone made them feel during the journey.”

It is a lesson Pappoe says the job has taught her repeatedly.

Everyone has a story

Working as cabin crew has changed the way she looks at the people who walk onto an aircraft.

Every passenger has somewhere to go and a reason for being there.

Someone may be travelling to attend a wedding. Another may be starting a new job. Someone else may be visiting a loved one or returning home after many years away.

“You may meet someone for only a few hours, but they could be travelling to attend a wedding, visit a loved one, start a new job, go on holiday or return home after many years away.”

The job has also taught her that kindness matters.

“You never really know what someone is carrying emotionally,” she says. “Sometimes a smile, a conversation or simply taking the time to listen can mean more than you realise.”

Learning what she is capable of

The journey has changed Pappoe herself as much as it has changed her view of the world.

She says the job has shown her that she is capable of more than she sometimes imagined.

Working in new environments, meeting people from different cultures and dealing with unexpected situations have taught her to adapt, communicate and remain calm.

Her own career progression is perhaps the clearest example.

She started in Economy Class as a junior crew member, moved into Business and First Class and is now a Senior Purser responsible for compliance and standards within inflight operations.

For her, that progression is evidence that there is room to grow.

“It reminds me that there is room to grow if you are willing to learn and challenge yourself.”

Coming home still feels different

For someone who spends so much time travelling, coming back to Ghana carries its own pleasure.

Pappoe says it is difficult to explain exactly what she misses while she is away.

It is the familiarity, the people, the humour and the little things that may not seem important until they are no longer around.

And then there is the food.

“Give me Ghana jollof and shito any day,” she says.

“People can debate it, but for me, it is the best jollof in the world.”

After seeing so much of the world, it is perhaps fitting that one of her favourite things remains something she can find at home.

Seeing Ghana connect with the world

Pappoe has also watched Emirates expand its presence in Ghana, including stronger connectivity between Accra and Dubai and the opening of its Travel Store in Accra.

She sees the significance beyond the airline itself.

More connectivity means people can travel for business, visit family, explore new destinations and connect to places further afield.

She also gets to see the human side of that connectivity: families reuniting, first-time international travellers and Ghanaians setting out to explore different parts of the world.

“That is what connectivity means to me,” she says. “It is ultimately about people.”

A message for the next dreamer

Pappoe’s own journey has given her a simple message for young Ghanaians who may look at international careers and wonder whether they belong.

“Do not let anyone convince you that it is out of reach.”

She is proof, she says, that a girl from Ghana can build an international career, meet people from across the world and experience places she once only dreamed about.

“Sometimes the first step towards the career you dream about is simply believing that you belong in that room.”

For young people who enjoy working with others, are willing to learn and are prepared to challenge themselves, she encourages them to explore the opportunities available to them.

More than a job

After years of travelling, Pappoe sees Emirates’ growing presence in Ghana as something personal.

“It feels like Emirates is investing in Ghana in a real and tangible way, not just through better products but through greater access.”

And she gets to be one of the people bringing that experience to life for her own country.

“That feels like a privilege, not just a job.”

For Pappoe, the aircraft, seats and entertainment systems are part of the journey. But the people she meets are what remain with her.

There is the grandmother travelling alone to see her grandchildren. There are first-time travellers discovering a new world. There are Ghanaians who hear a familiar language thousands of kilometres from home.

And then there is the girl from Akuse who once wondered what the world beyond her small town looked like.

She eventually found a way to see it for herself, one flight at a time.