Singapore or Abu Dhabi on Points This Holiday Season

Updated as of 28 Oct 2026. Award seats checked on Air India, ANA and JetBlue’s own sites, and on seats.aero, on 28 Oct 2026. Cash fares and hotel prices from Google Flights and Gondola, same day. US$1 = ₹94.43; Maharaja points valued at ₹1.10, Bonvoy at ₹0.70, ALL points at ₹2.12, EDGE points at ₹1.04.

Singapore and Abu Dhabi are the two easiest family holidays from India: nonstop flights from most big cities, about 4 hours away, with theme parks at both ends. On points, they work very differently. Singapore is cheapest on Air India’s own points; Abu Dhabi is cheapest on JetBlue points you can buy at a discount right now. Here’s what’s open for a family of 3 over Christmas, Pongal and Republic Day, and the cheapest way to book it.

TL;DR

• Singapore, economy: Air India Maharaja Club books nonstops from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai for 12,000 points + about ₹1,950 one way, with up to 4 seats on every holiday date we checked. That’s the cheapest seat to Singapore on points we’ve found.
• Singapore, business: ANA miles at 27,500 one way on Singapore Airlines or Thai. Cheap if you have Marriott points; expensive if you’d be moving bank points.
• Abu Dhabi, economy: JetBlue books Etihad for 8,000 points one way, and JetBlue is selling points with a 120% bonus until 5 Nov. A family of 3 flies return for about ₹73,000 all in, against about ₹1.4 lakh in cash.
• Abu Dhabi, business: JetBlue shows Etihad business only within about 30 days of departure: 17,300 points + US$25.66 one way from Delhi or Chennai. Further out, it’s economy only. Etihad’s own business awards carry about ₹38,000 in taxes each way.

Singapore: what’s open

Holiday	Going	Returning	Verdict
Christmas–New Year	24 Dec: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000 Maharaja points	1 Jan: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000; business via Bangkok on ANA, 27,500	✅ Economy on Maharaja Club, up to 4 seats
Pongal weekend	12 Jan: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000 (4 seats left); ANA via Bangkok, 15,000 economy / 27,500 business	17 Jan: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000; Singapore Airlines nonstop business on ANA, 27,500	✅ Best window: economy both ways on Maharaja Club, or business back on ANA
Republic Day weekend	23 Jan: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000	26 Jan: Air India Express nonstop, 12,000; Singapore–Hyderabad nonstop, 25,000 Aeroplan	✅ Economy on Maharaja Club, up to 4 seats

Singapore: which points to use

Programme	One way	Taxes	Worth about	Best for
Air India Maharaja Club (Air India and Air India Express nonstops)	12,000 economy	₹1,947 from Chennai; similar from Delhi and Mumbai	₹13,200	Economy, all three holidays
ANA (Singapore Airlines nonstop)	27,500 business	US$60 (₹5,700)	₹47,250 if from Marriott points	Business, if you hold Marriott points
ANA (Thai via Bangkok)	15,000 economy / 27,500 business	US$107 / US$149 (₹10,100 / ₹14,000)	–	Only if the nonstop is full; 7h45m with a stop
Aeroplan	25,000 economy / 47,500 business	CA$ fees	₹32,500 / ₹61,750	Back-up for returns to Hyderabad or Mumbai

Why the cost of getting ANA miles matters: ANA’s 27,500 in business is the lowest price on paper, but no Indian card transfers to ANA directly. You go through Marriott Bonvoy at 3:1, with 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy. So one business seat needs 67,500 Bonvoy points. If you earned those Bonvoy points from hotel stays or an Amex card, that’s about ₹47,000 of value: a good deal against ₹82,700 in cash. But if you’d be moving HSBC points (1:1 to Marriott), you’d spend 67,500 HSBC points via Marriott, when the same HSBC points go 1:1 to Air India or KrisFlyer directly.

Maharaja points from cards: HSBC TravelOne and Premier, ICICI Emeralde Private and SBI Card MILES (1:1), Axis Burgundy Private and Magnus for Burgundy (5:4), Atlas (1:2), HDFC Infinia and Diners Black (2:1). Full list on our Air India Maharaja Club page.

Abu Dhabi: what’s open on JetBlue

Holiday	Going	Returning	Verdict
Christmas–New Year	24 Dec: from Chennai and Kochi, 8,000 JetBlue points	1 Jan: no JetBlue seats; Etihad Guest 15,000 from Abu Dhabi to Chennai	⚠️ JetBlue going, Etihad Guest coming back
Pongal weekend	12 Jan: from Hyderabad, 8,000 (4+ seats); not from Chennai that day	15, 16 or 17 Jan: to Chennai, 8,000 + US$36.80; also to Bengaluru and Hyderabad on 17 Jan	✅ Best window, especially from Hyderabad
Republic Day weekend	23 Jan: no JetBlue seats; Etihad Guest 13,000–15,000	26 Jan: no JetBlue seats; Etihad Guest 13,000–15,000	⚠️ Etihad Guest only

JetBlue business opens about 30 days out. More than about 30 days before departure, JetBlue shows only economy on Etihad. Inside that window, business appears too: 17,300 points + US$25.66 one way from Delhi or Chennai in our checks on 28 Oct. With points bought in the sale, that’s about ₹22,600, against a ₹78,000 cash fare. For a 24 Dec flight, start checking jetblue.com from about 24 Nov. That’s after the 120% points sale ends on 5 Nov, so buying points early for business is a gamble. Etihad Guest itself wants 33,000–45,000 miles plus about ₹38,000 in taxes each way.

Buy JetBlue points, ideally in your AEP month

No Indian card transfers to JetBlue, but JetBlue sells points, and until 5 November 2026 it adds a 100% bonus on 5,000+ points, 110% on 10,000+ and 120% on 20,000+. At 120%, a point costs about 1.47 US cents (₹1.39) including JetBlue’s 7.5% tax recovery charge.

Family of 3, Chennai–Abu Dhabi return	Cost
Points needed	48,000 (6 × 8,000)
Buy 22,000 + 26,400 bonus = 48,400 points	About ₹68,600 (with 2% + GST forex)
Paid with Magnus for Burgundy in your AEP month	About 12,000 EDGE points back (₹12,500), so about ₹56,100 net
Taxes (US$60 a person, return)	About ₹17,000
Total	About ₹73,100
Etihad in cash, same family, Christmas	US$1,481 (₹1,39,900)

Don’t buy before you find the seats. Search the exact dates on jetblue.com first, then buy only what you need. JetBlue points don’t expire, but partner prices can change.

Where to stay on points

Hotel	Points a night	Cash a night	Verdict
Singapore
Duxton Reserve (Marriott)	45,000 Bonvoy	₹30,600	✅ Best Bonvoy use
Fairmont Singapore (Accor)	About 15,200 ALL	₹32,200	✅ Plus US$50 a night hotel credit on 2+ nights
Andaz Singapore (Hyatt)	25,000 Hyatt	₹26,400	⚠️ Good, but Indian cards don’t transfer to Hyatt
Hilton Singapore Orchard	70,000 Hilton	₹28,800	⚠️ Fine with Hilton points from Axis or Amex
Abu Dhabi
Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island	70,000 Hilton (5th night free with Hilton status)	₹29,500	✅ For theme parks; ask the hotel about its park access perk
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island (Marriott)	45,800 Bonvoy, 5th night free	₹30,500	✅ On Yas, right by the parks
Fairmont Bab Al Bahr (Accor)	About 13,750 ALL	₹29,100	✅ Plus US$50 a night hotel credit; faces the Grand Mosque
Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche (Accor)	About 7,950 ALL	₹16,900	✅ Cheapest good option for a city stay

Bonvoy points come from HSBC and Amex (1:1). Accor points come from Axis Burgundy Private (5:4) and HDFC Infinia and Diners Black (2:1), among others; see our Accor page and the Fairmont US$50 credit.

Book at least 3 months ahead

Two months out, the cheapest seats are already thin: Air India showed 4 seats left on 12 Jan, and JetBlue had nothing back from Abu Dhabi on 1 Jan. Holiday weeks and long weekends sell out first, on points and in cash. 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
Flying to Singapore in economy	✅ Maharaja Club, 12,000 points on the nonstop from Chennai, Delhi or Mumbai
Want business to Singapore and hold Marriott points	✅ Move them to ANA (3:1, in 60,000 blocks) for 27,500 on Singapore Airlines
Want business to Singapore with HSBC points	⚠️ Skip ANA; check Air India or KrisFlyer, which take HSBC 1:1
Flying to Abu Dhabi in economy	✅ Find seats on jetblue.com, then buy JetBlue points before 5 Nov, in your AEP month if you have Magnus for Burgundy
Want business to Abu Dhabi	⚠️ Check jetblue.com about 30 days before you fly: 17,300 points + US$25.66 if business shows; otherwise pay cash
Holding Accor points	✅ Fairmont in either city, with the US$50 nightly credit

DealUni take: for a family, economy on points is where the savings are: about ₹15,000 a seat with taxes to Singapore on Maharaja Club, and about ₹12,000 a seat to Abu Dhabi on JetBlue points bought in the sale. Lock Pongal now, and plan next year’s holidays 3 months out. Singapore ho ya Abu Dhabi, sahi points se aadha kharcha. (Singapore or Abu Dhabi, the right points halve the cost.)

Sources: Air India Maharaja Club, ANA Mileage Club and JetBlue award searches; ANA: partner award chart; JetBlue TrueBlue buy-points page; Fairmont: Stay Longer, Enjoy More; seats.aero, Google Flights and Gondola, 28 Oct 2026. Checked 28 Oct 2026.