PIA's Dubai service

PIA announced with a lot of fanfare, a series of flights to Dubai from Karachi. Attractive fares were offered along with 40 kgs of baggage.
This was followed by similar attractive itineraries, and competitive fares offered by Air Blue and Aero Asia, which offered flights from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Passengers for Dubai now had an option, to catch a flight that suits them and which originates from an airport nearer to their place of residence. Pakistani origin travellers usually do a lot of shopping and end up carrying a lot of excess baggage.
The offer of 40 kgs baggage allowance, although attractive, loses its desired effect, if checked - in baggage of revenue passengers is not delivered to them at the time they arrive. Most passengers travelling these days on PIA flights from Dubai are faced with this frustrating ordeal. Baggage is not delivered to them, because the aircraft PIA has chosen to lease, do not have sufficient underbelly cargo carrying capacity, to carry normal 40kgs baggage, what to talk of excess baggage, fully paid for.
The Boeing 737-400 that PIA has leased, does not have the cargo carrying capacity, to cater to a full load of Pakistani revenue paid passengers, who go to Dubai for shopping. What is shocking is that PIA seems to be caught unaware, of their client profile, when ordering an aircraft.
PIA's passengers faced a similar non-delivery of checked-in baggage crisis, when the national airline was operating A-310s on cross Atlantic sectors and the Gulf. This lack of familiarity with client needs, reflects badly on PIA management's professional skills.
The national airline has been operating for decades now and the bulk of its revenue comes from ethnic origin Pakistanis. These expatriates from Azad Kashmir, Frontier and Punjab comprise almost 75% of PIA's passenger load. Given the insecure law and order situation and adverse travel advice by European and other Western Hemisphere nations, this shall continue to be the composition of PIA's travelling public profile. Neglecting the needs of these passengers is criminal and no commercial organisation can afford to do this blunder.
The spacious Boeing 747 is and shall always remain the ideal choice of frequent passengers, because it offered passengers comfort, which to some degree is also provided by PIA's Boeing 777s. The choice and composition of rest of PIA's fleet does not suit majority of their passenger's needs and profile.
It is time PIA looks to the basics, instead of leaping into ventures, which may sound attractive on paper, but would fail to earn revenues.
The airline needs a management, which is in touch with the prevailing ground realities and has a feel of passenger pulse and requirements, otherwise it will fade away like Pan-Am.