Sri Lanka on Points This Holiday Season: What’s Really Open

Updated as of 27 Oct 2026. Award seats checked for 3 passengers on Qatar Airways’ and Etihad’s own sites, and on seats.aero, on 27 Oct 2026. Cash fares and hotel prices from Google Flights and Gondola, same day. Award taxes from our own Qatar Airways searches. US$1 = ₹94.43; Avios valued at ₹1.15, Bonvoy at ₹0.70.

Christmas to New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan), the Pongal long weekend (13–17 Jan) and the Republic Day weekend (23–26 Jan) are when most Indian families travel. Finding three award seats together on those dates is the hard part. We checked Sri Lanka from Chennai, Bengaluru and Kochi for a family of 3. Here is what is really open, and how to make it work when it isn’t.

TL;DR

• Christmas is nearly gone: on 24 Dec, Qatar and Etihad showed only 1 economy award seat to Colombo, and on 1 Jan only 1 business seat back. Points cover one person, not a family.
• Pongal works best: 2 economy seats on 12 Jan, and 3 economy seats back on 17 Jan.
• The price is tiny: 6,000 Avios per person each way in economy, 12,500 in business, plus about ₹2,100 in tax from India and ₹6,100 from Colombo.
• Short a seat? Buy the third on cash. A one-way Chennai–Colombo economy fare is far cheaper than the round trip.

What’s open for a family of 3

Holiday	Going	Returning	Verdict
Christmas–New Year	24 Dec: only 1 economy seat	1 Jan: only 1 business seat	❌ Not for a family on points; one person can go out in economy and come back in business
Pongal weekend	12 Jan: 2 economy seats	17 Jan: 3 seats in economy	✅ Best bet: 2 on points + 1 on cash going, all 3 on points coming back
Republic Day weekend	23 Jan: check	26 Jan: check	⚠️ Search early; space comes and goes

Points vs cash for a family of 3

Chennai–Colombo return, 3 people	Points	Cash
Economy, all on points	36,000 Avios + ₹23,600 (about ₹65,000 all in)	₹88,600–₹1,04,500 at Christmas
Business, all on points	75,000 Avios + ₹24,500 (about ₹1,10,800 all in)	₹2,39,800 at Christmas

From Bengaluru in January, Qantas points may also work: seats.aero showed SriLankan economy at 11,500 Qantas points on 13 and 23 Jan. Axis (Group A), HSBC and SBI Card transfer to Qantas. Check on Qantas’s site before transferring.

Where to stay on points in Colombo

Hotel	Points a night	Cash a night	Verdict
Sheraton Colombo (5★)	23,833 Bonvoy	₹18,400	✅ Best points use; on the sea front
Courtyard Colombo (4.5★)	20,000 Bonvoy	₹15,700	✅ Good for city and shopping
Hilton Colombo Residence (5★)	35,000 Hilton	₹17,200	⚠️ Apartments suit families; points value is low
ITC Ratnadipa (5★)	45,000 Bonvoy	₹20,100	❌ Pay cash; points value is poor
Shangri-La Colombo (5★)	–	₹19,100	Cash only in our search

Bonvoy points come from HSBC (1:1) and Amex (1:1). Hilton points come from Axis and Amex. See our Marriott Bonvoy and Qatar Avios pages for every card.

Book at least 3 months ahead

Two months before Christmas, there was already just one award seat left each way. Holiday weeks and long weekends sell out first, on points and in cash. Waiting for a last-minute deal doesn’t work on these dates; the seats are simply gone. Our rule: book holiday and long-weekend trips at least 3 months ahead, and for a family of 3 or more, as soon as the airline opens its schedule.

• Diwali, Christmas, New Year: book by August or September.
• Pongal, Sankranti and Republic Day: book by October.
• Summer holidays (April–June): book by January.

What to do

You are…	What to do
Planning Christmas in Sri Lanka	❌ Pay cash for the family; use points for one person at most
Free for Pongal	✅ Book 12 Jan out (2 on points, 1 cash) and 17 Jan back (3 on points) now
Holding HSBC, Axis, HDFC, Amex or Kotak points	⚠️ Check the seats on Qatar’s site first, then transfer; transfers can’t be reversed
Holding Bonvoy points	✅ Sheraton Colombo at 23,833 a night is the best hotel use

DealUni take: at 6,000 Avios a seat, Sri Lanka is one of the cheapest holiday trips you can book on points, but Christmas seats are already gone. Lock in Pongal now, and next year book 3 months ahead. Mix points and cash if you’re one seat short. Teen seat na mile, toh do points se, ek cash se. (Can’t find three seats? Two on points, one on cash.)

Sources: Qatar Airways and Etihad award searches, seats.aero, Google Flights and Gondola, 27 Oct 2026; DealUni award searches on Qatar Airways (Sept 2026). Checked 27 Oct 2026.