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Recent Accounting Guidance
12 Months Ended
May 31, 2020
New Accounting Pronouncements And Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Guidance

NOTE 2: RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can significantly impact our reported results and the comparability of our financial statements. We believe the following new accounting guidance is relevant to the readers of our financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a new lease accounting standard, which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize the expenses in their income statements in a manner similar to current practice. Lessees are required to recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Expenses related to leases determined to be operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis, while those determined to be finance leases are recognized following a front-loaded expense profile in which interest and amortization are presented separately in the income statement.  

We adopted this new standard on June 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective transition method. Under this approach, we did not adjust the balance sheet for comparative periods but recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings on June 1, 2019. We have elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which, among other things, allows us to carry forward the historical accounting relating to lease identification and classification for existing leases upon adoption. We also elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for the majority of our classes of assets. For leases in which the lease and non-lease components have been combined, the lease expense includes expenses such as common area maintenance. We have made an accounting policy election not to recognize leases with an initial term of 12 months or less on the consolidated balance sheet.  

The adoption of the new lease accounting standard resulted in the recognition of an operating lease liability of $14.2 billion and an operating right-of-use asset of $14.1 billion, with an immaterial impact on our income statement compared to the previous lease accounting model. Existing prepaid asset and net deferred rent liability balances of $154 million and $309 million, respectively, were recorded to the right-of-use asset. The cumulative effect of the adoption to retained earnings was an increase of $57 million ($47 million, net of tax), primarily related to the reclassification of deferred gains related to sale-leasebacks of aircraft. Substantially all of our lease arrangements are operating leases under the new standard. The new standard had a material impact on our balance sheet but did not materially impact consolidated operating results and had no impact on operating cash flows.

See Note 1 “Leases” and Note 7 for additional information.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02 that permits companies to reclassify the income tax effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) on items within AOCI to retained earnings. We adopted this new standard on June 1, 2019.

In March 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) amended Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X regarding financial disclosure requirements for registered debt offerings involving subsidiaries as either issuers or guarantors and affiliates whose securities are pledged as collateral. This new guidance narrows the circumstances that require separate financial statements of subsidiary issuers and guarantors and streamlines the alternative disclosures required in lieu of those statements. This rule is effective January 4, 2021 (fiscal 2021) with earlier adoption permitted. We adopted this new standard in the fourth quarter of 2020. Accordingly, summarized financial information has been presented only for the issuer and guarantors of the Company’s registered debt securities for the most recent fiscal year, and the location of the required disclosures has been moved outside the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and is provided in the “Financial Condition—Guarantor Financial Information” section of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition.”

New Accounting Standards and Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 that changes how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. We adopted this standard effective June 1, 2020 (fiscal 2021). This standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 that reduces the complexity of accounting for costs of implementing a cloud computing service arrangement and aligns the accounting for capitalizing implementation costs of hosting arrangements, regardless of whether they convey a license to the hosted software. We adopted this standard effective June 1, 2020 (fiscal 2021) and applied these changes prospectively. This standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This standard is effective June 1, 2021 (fiscal 2022). We adopted this standard effective June 1, 2020 (fiscal 2021). This new standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.