ERUM ZAIDI talks to Farooq Lodhi, Sales Manager South Pakistan, and Emirates Airline, to find out the lucrative packages being offered by the airline to attract Pakistani customers Emirates is the International Airline of the United Arab Emirates. Its main activity is the provision of commercial air transportation services. It flies to 99 destinations in 62 countries. Emirates Airline offers 39 return flights per week from Pakistan to Dubai including 28 services a week from Karachi, 5 from Islamabad, 4 from Lahore and 2 from Peshawar. Emirates-sponsored Dubai Summer Surprises Festival 2008 had started from 19th June and will continue till 22nd August 2008. For the 10th consecutive time, Emirates is a key Official Carrier of the world's biggest summer shopping extravaganza. The sponsorship of DSS is in line with commitment to promote Dubai as a leading tourist destination. Mr. Farooq Lodhi, SM South, Emirates Airline is a dynamic professional with over 16 years of rich experience in hard core sales department of the same company. He has great expertise in Business Development, Client Relationship Management and Dealer Management. During his tenure with Emirates Airline he has been leading, training & monitoring the performance of team members to ensure efficiency in sales operations and meeting of targets. He said while giving an exclusive interview to Money Plus, Pakistan has been one of the top markets for Emirates special DSS 2007 packages sold across the global network. A large number of Pakistani travellers are visiting the sunshine Emirate to enjoy unique travel experiences with a wide range of leisure activities, stunning beaches, and a delicious array of cuisine and shopping. Visitors to DSS can enjoy all this and much more with Emirates for as little as US$62.00 per person per night, excluding airfare. Q- What do the Emirates DSS packages offer passengers this year? A- This year the DSS packages provide Emirates passengers with a choice of accommodation from a range of 24 city and beach hotels in various price-brackets that suits all pockets. The packages must be booked for a minimum of three nights with the option of extension. Prices include all accommodation-related taxes and service charges and are available to all Emirates' passengers regardless of class of travel. The packages include a personalized meet-and-assist service on arrival at Dubai International Airport, an Arabian Adventures Welcome Pack and chauffeur-driven transfers between Dubai International Airport and the hotel. Talking about the salient feature of the package he said, an additional 10 kg free baggage allowance on return/onward flights from Dubai is awarded to customers to accommodate all the great DSS bargain shopping they do. Passengers paying with MasterCard will receive 10 per cent discount on their packages. This offer is valid in all countries that Emirates flies to or from in the Gulf region, the Middle East the Indian sub-continent, Australia, Australasia and Africa and can be booked through a local Emirates office. Q-With the FED on air travel increased in Pakistan, how will Emirates handle the situation? Will the entire cost be transferred to your passengers? A-FED or all taxes are levied by the government and airlines have no say on their imposition. Q-How important is Pakistan to the overall Emirates network? A- Pakistan is a key market. With the addition of 2 flights to Karachi in 2005, our presence in Pakistan includes 39 flights per week to 4 cities (Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad & Peshawar). Pakistan and Dubai share strong trade and tourism relations. Pakistan was the number three contributing market for the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2007. Pakistan has also emerged as the largest source markets for Emirates' DSS packages sold across the airline's network in 2007. Q-How important is DSS to Pakistani market? A-Annual festival, Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) has proved tremendously popular with Pakistani travelers. Many Pakistanis who have friends and relatives in Dubai time their visits to coincide with the shopping fest. During this period Dubai transforms itself into a dazzling entertainment center for children and a shopping haven for adults. The experience is unparallel to any other and mirrors the attributes of the festival's mascot, Modhesh, Arabic for amazing and incredible. Q- Where does Pakistan rank in terms of contribution to DSS across Emirates airlines network? A- Recent statistics released by Emirates place Pakistan at the top of  the airline's DSS packages in 2007,  with thousands of  passengers traveling to Dubai,  followed by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.   Q- Who are your target markets for DSS? A- Families are our target market as it is very affordable for such type of customers. Q- A traveler flying onward from Dubai, can he avail DSS packages? A-Travelers flying onward from Dubai can either enjoy DSS on their way to onward holiday destination or can stop on their way back, as long as their journey is within the specified DSS dates. Q-What in your opinion counts for success of DSS? A-The success of DSS has been mainly due to the active and pivotal role played by the different government departments and their coordination with the private sector. The cooperation between the two entities has been largely responsible in enhancing the strategy that aims to position Dubai as a leading global city in areas of economy, education, tourism, and multicultural community.