News and notes from around the interweb:

• Staff in a Miami airport lounge stole millions of dollars by depositing airline checks into their personal accounts. They’ve now plead guilty after almost four years. The Club America lounge in Miami remains very much guilty, of course. (HT: Robert G.)

• Promo code QRSUBSCRIBER is good for 10% of the base fare of any Qatar Airways economy or business class ticket booked by March 7. (HT: One Mile at a Time)

• American’s Business ExtrAA upgrades are going electronic, which means they’re more convenient but also not re-usable when agents don’t collect them. And they’ll still require a phone call to American’s Meeting Services in order to use them.

  Upgrade awards are going paperless
  Going forward, when you redeem points for an upgrade award, you’ll receive the upgrade certificate via email – allowing you to request an upgrade immediately. No more waiting for paper certificates to arrive in the mail!

  Is the process for requesting an upgrade changing?
  Nope, American Airlines Meeting Services is still available to assist when you’re ready to apply your upgrade certificate to a ticketed reservation. Simply follow the instructions provided with your electronic upgrade certificate.

• SkyTeam announced new alliance lounges opening in Santiago and Istanbul by the end of the year.

• Delta’s problems with high speed Gogo 2Ku internet stem from de-icing aircraft

• Cranky Flier writes up a trip report from an American Airlines coach domestic flight on a Boeing 787-9. It’s notable because he mentions traveling to American’s international leadership conference (several thousand managers coming together over the course of three one day sessions). It’s an off-the-record event.

  I should flag that I attended the first day of the event, though I paid my own air and hotel (I did eat lunch at the conference, and the hotel stole my underwear).

  
  American Boeing 787-9 Economy