NOTE 6 - ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

The tables below present the components of the Company’s AOCI, net of tax (in millions):


	Pension and Other Postretirement Liabilities			Fuel Derivatives Contracts		Investments and Other		Deferred Taxes			Total
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	(472)		$	(499)	$	8	$	(116)		$	(1,079)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		78	(a)		(320)		(5)		88			(159)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income		31			604		—		(228)			407

Net other comprehensive income (loss)		109			284		(5)		(140)			248

Balance at December 31, 2015	$	(363)		$	(215)	$	3	$	(256)		$	(831)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(517)	(a)		(4)		—		187			(334)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income		26			217		(2)		95			336

Net other comprehensive income (loss)		(491)			213		(2)		282			2

Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(854)		$	(2)	$	1	$	26		$	(829)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(306)	(a)		—		(7)		74			(239)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income		58			2		—		(21)			39
Reclassification of stranded tax effects		—			—		—		(118)	(b)		(118)

Net other comprehensive income (loss)		(248)			2		(7)		(65)			(318)

Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(1,102)		$	—	$	(6)	$	(39)	(c)	$	(1,147)


Details about AOCI Components	Amount Reclassified from AOCI to Income							Affected Line Item in the Statement Where Net Income is Presented
	Year Ended December 31,
	2017		2016			2015
Fuel derivative contracts
Fuel contracts-reclassifications of losses into earnings (d)	$	2	$	217		$	604		Aircraft fuel
Pension and Postretirement liabilities
Amortization of unrecognized (gains) losses and prior service cost (e)		58		26			31		Salaries and related costs
Investments and other
Available-for-sale securities—reclassifications of gains into earnings		—		(2	)		—		Miscellaneous, net

(a) Prior service credits increased by $0 million, $30 million and $0 million and actuarial losses increased by approximately $306 million, $560 million and $78 million for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

(b) This amount represents the reclassification from AOCI to RE of the stranded tax effects resulting from the enactment of the Tax Act.

(d) The last of the Company’s fuel hedge derivatives designated for cash flow hedge accounting expired in December 2016. The 2017 amount reclassified from AOCI into fuel expense represents hedge losses on December 2016 settled trades, but for which the associated fuel purchased in December 2016 was not consumed until January 2017. The Company’s current strategy is to not enter into transactions to hedge its fuel consumption, although the Company regularly reviews its strategy based on market conditions and other factors.

(e) This AOCI component is included in the computation of net periodic pension and other postretirement costs (see Note 8 of this report for additional information).

Prior to the release of the deferred income tax valuation allowance in the third quarter of 2015, the Company recorded approximately $465 million of valuation allowance adjustments in AOCI. Subsequent to the release of the deferred income tax valuation allowance in 2015, the $465 million debit remained within AOCI, of which $180 million related to losses on fuel hedges designated for hedge accounting and $285 million related to pension and other postretirement liabilities. Accounting rules required the adjustments to remain in AOCI as long as the Company had fuel derivatives designated for cash flow hedge accounting and the Company continues to provide pension and postretirement benefits. In 2016, the Company settled all of its fuel hedges and has not entered into any new fuel derivative contracts for hedge accounting. Accordingly, the Company reclassified the $180 million to income tax expense in 2016.