A few months ago we took a short weekend trip up to the Freddies. If you aren’t familiar, the Freddies is where the Loyalty Program Winners are crowned. This year the organizers picked Newark Airport Renaissance hotel as the venue.

When we found out we had a ticket at the last minute we had to scramble for transportation to and from the Freddies. In the end it worked out. We got to the Freddies and back for only 17,000 miles plus taxes and fees and ~$31 for a bus ride. What ended up as our itinerary was somewhat interesting.

Breakfast At The Airport With Delta

We arrived in the early morning to catch our flight to LaGuardia. American Airlines flights depart out of Terminal T at the Atlanta Airport. There is an American Admirals Club Lounge and a Delta SkyClub. Since we didn’t have access to the Admirals Club, we headed over to the Delta SkyClub in Terminal T for a quick breakfast and coffee with a view.

Flight Up To New York LaGuardia With American Airlines

We redeemed 4,500 British Airways Avios Points to secure a flight on American Airlines. We caught the regional jet from Atlanta to LaGuardia. We reserved the exit row and had plenty of legroom.

I really like how American Airlines serves the entire soda can when you ask for a drink.

The flight to LaGuardia was only 4,500 Avios Points. But the problem was the Freddies event was all the way over near Newark Airport. So we tweeted to the twitterati (hat tip to Ryan) and found out about the ETS shuttle from LaGuardia to Newark.

ETS Shuttle To Newark From LaGuardia

The ETS shuttle operates at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports. The shuttle makes a loop from JFK to LaGuardia to Newark and then repeats. So we headed to the ETS counter near baggage claim and paid the ~$31 fee for the direct shuttle. The shuttle picked three of us up near baggage claim and we went straight to Newark airport.

The shuttle took about 35 minutes door to door. Since it dropped us off at the complimentary transportation stop, we were able to pick up the complimentary shuttle over to the Newark Renaissance hotel for the event. This is a great way to get around between the three New York area airports.

Renaissance Hotel Newark Airport

I think it is safe to say, this is the second nicest airport hotel I’ve ever visited. It comes in behind the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Ray in my opinion. You walk into the main lobby. There is a bar and restaurant to your left. Through the bar you come to the conference center where the event was held. To the right of the check-in desk are the elevators.

Check-in was a breeze. We were offered a regular room with a view of Newark airport. The room was in fantastic condition. The bathroom was to the right once you entered the room.

There was a nice sitting area beyond the bed with a great view of the airport.

Return Flight From Newark With United

We looked at the direct United flight for our return trip from Newark. The one-way award was a deal at 12,500 United MileagePlus miles compared to the going rate at the time.

We weren’t as fortunate as on the American Airlines flight and had a regular seat on the regional jet. The legroom was a little tight but we did have the entire row to our self.

Bottom Line

We had a great time at the Freddies. It was great to catch up with friends and meet new contacts within the industry. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to American Air, United and ETS for the rides.

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