On our to visit list. A few things to know about Emirates promotions going on now:

1. Double miles when crediting to Alaska Air for flights until November 30th
2. 5% off coupon code when booking on Emirates.com

Colombo is also a great gateway to the Maldives. For British Airways Avios collectors, Sri Lankan Air is joining Oneworld on May 1st. You will be able to redeem Colombo to Male, Maldives for 9,000 points roundtrip.

Central Business District, Colombo, Sri Lanka – Photo: Andrew from Sydney, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• November 10th – 17th

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel on the outbound from August 30th – December 4th or December 28th – March, 2015 for Sunday through Wednesday departures from the United States and Monday through Thursday departures to the United States.  Must purchase by May 27th

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: IAD
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code: dxb
  • Destination:  CMB
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: dxb
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “0-7” (the max date range is 7 days. So 0-7, 5-12, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Fare Class:

• L

Routing:

• IAD – DXB (Dubai) – CMB (Colombo) – DXB – IAD

Stopover:

• Three permitted. Two for free and additional at $100
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Mileage:

• 18,220 or 5.1 cents per mile. Emirates is an Alaska Air partner. This fare normally would earn 50% mileage with Alaska. However, with the double miles promotion for flights until November 30th, you will earn 100% mileage for the entire itinerary. Remember to register by June 15th. Promo link – Emirates double miles promotion with Alaska Air. Bonus miles are not elite status miles — you will only earn 9,110 status miles with but 18,220 redeemable miles when crediting to Alaska.

How to Book:

• Support us by using our Emirates link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search.
  • Enter promo code USALK14  on the promo code box to receive 5% off. The discount is valid for travel until November 30th and bookings by June 15th.

Accommodations:

For hotel bookings, we recommend that you only book using online travel agencies (Hotels.com, HotelsCombined.com or Hotwire.com) if it is a non-chain hotel. We don’t want you to miss out on earning rewards with chain hotels.

• Accor Hotels
  • Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis
• Aloft Hotels
• CheapTickets
• Four Points
• Hilton Hotels
  • Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2
• Hotels.com
• HotelsCombined.com
• Hotwire
• Intercontinental Group
  • Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
• Le Meridien
• Orbitz
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts
  • Preferred, Sterling, Summit
• Sheraton
• Westin
• W Hotels
• Wyndham Hotels
  • Wyndham, Tryp, Wingate, Hawthorn, Microtel, Dream, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Night, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Car Rentals

• Avis – US and Canadian Rentals
• CarRentals.com
• Fox Rent A Car
• Hotwire
• Orbitz
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Car Rental – Good Agency for Rentals in Europe

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – Visa or Electronic Travel Authorization required prior to arrival. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). $1USD = 130 LKR

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Emirates, accommodation or car rental affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

=====

To make sure you receive our latest deals, LIKE our  The Flight Deal Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @TheFlightDeal, or subscribe to The Flight Deal RSS Feed or Subscribe via Email (Once a Day)

The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.