General	9 Months Ended
Feb. 29, 2016
General [Abstract]
General	(1) General SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES. These interim financial statements of Federal Express Corporation (“FedEx Express”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and Securities and Exchange Commission instructions for interim financial information, and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2015 (“Annual Report”). Accordingly, significant accounting policies and other disclosures normally provided have been omitted since such items are disclosed in our Annual Report. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly our financial position as of February 29, 2016, the results of our operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 and February 28, 2015 and cash flows for the nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 and February 28, 2015. Operating results for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending May 31, 2016. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) engaged in a single line of business and operate in one business segment – the worldwide express transportation and distribution of goods and documents. Except as otherwise specified, references to years indicate our fiscal year ending May 31, 2016 or ended May 31 of the year referenced and comparisons are to the corresponding period of the prior year. PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT HEALTHCARE PLANS. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we changed our method of accounting for our defined benefit pension and postretirement healthcare plans as discussed in our Annual Report. Prior year amounts have been recast to conform to these accounting changes. EMPLOYEES UNDER COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ARRANGEMENTS. Our pilots, which represent a small number of our total employees, are employed under a collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) that took effect on November 2, 2015. The CBA is scheduled to become amendable in November 2021, after a six-year term. In addition to our pilots, certain non-U.S. employees are unionized. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION. FedEx has two types of equity-based compensation: stock options and restricted stock. The key terms of the stock option and restricted stock awards granted under FedEx's incentive stock plans and all financial disclosures about these programs are set forth in FedEx's Annual Report. Our stock-based compensation expense was $9 million for the three-month period ended February 29, 2016 and $37 million for the nine-month period ended February 29, 2016. Our stock-based compensation expense was $9 million for the three-month period ended February 28, 2015 and $35 million for the nine-month period ended February 28, 2015. This amount represents the amount charged to us by FedEx for awards granted to our employees. LONG-TERM DEBT. Long-term debt, exclusive of capital leases, had a carrying value of $239 million at February 29, 2016 and May 31, 2015 compared with an estimated fair value of $304 million at February 29, 2016 and $345 million at May 31, 2015. The estimated fair values were determined based on quoted market prices and the current rates offered for debt with similar terms and maturities. The fair value of our long-term debt is classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. This classification is defined as a fair value determined using market-based inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the liability, either directly or indirectly. RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE. New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can significantly impact our reported results and the comparability of our financial statements. These matters are described in our Annual Report. In the second quarter of 2016, we chose to early adopt the authoritative guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) requiring acquirers in a business combination to recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period that the adjustment amounts are determined and eliminates the requirement to retrospectively account for these adjustments. It also requires additional disclosure about the effects of the adjustments on prior periods. Adoption of this guidance had no impact on our financial reporting. On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued the new lease accounting standard which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize the expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to current practice. The new standard states that a lessee will 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. Expense related to leases determined to be operating leases will be recognized on a straight-line basis, while those determined to be financing leases will be recognized following a front-loaded expense profile in which interest and amortization are presented separately in the income statement. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on our financial reporting, but recognizing the lease liability and related right-of-use asset will significantly impact our balance sheet. These changes will be effective for our fiscal year beginning June 1, 2019 (fiscal 2020), with a modified retrospective adoption method to the beginning of 2018. On November 20, 2015, the FASB issued an Accounting Standards Update that will require companies to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet instead of separating deferred taxes into current and noncurrent amounts. This new guidance will have minimal impact on our accounting and financial reporting, and we plan to early adopt on a retrospective basis in the fourth quarter of 2016. We believe that no other new accounting guidance was adopted or issued during the nine months of 2016 that is relevant to the readers of our financial statements.

General

9 Months Ended

Feb. 29, 2016

(1) General

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES. These interim financial statements of Federal Express Corporation (“FedEx Express”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and Securities and Exchange Commission instructions for interim financial information, and should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2015 (“Annual Report”). Accordingly, significant accounting policies and other disclosures normally provided have been omitted since such items are disclosed in our Annual Report.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly our financial position as of February 29, 2016, the results of our operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 and February 28, 2015 and cash flows for the nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 and February 28, 2015. Operating results for the three- and nine-month periods ended February 29, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending May 31, 2016.

We are a wholly owned subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) engaged in a single line of business and operate in one business segment – the worldwide express transportation and distribution of goods and documents.

Except as otherwise specified, references to years indicate our fiscal year ending May 31, 2016 or ended May 31 of the year referenced and comparisons are to the corresponding period of the prior year.

PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT HEALTHCARE PLANS. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we changed our method of accounting for our defined benefit pension and postretirement healthcare plans as discussed in our Annual Report. Prior year amounts have been recast to conform to these accounting changes.

EMPLOYEES UNDER COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ARRANGEMENTS. Our pilots, which represent a small number of our total employees, are employed under a collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) that took effect on November 2, 2015. The CBA is scheduled to become amendable in November 2021, after a six-year term. In addition to our pilots, certain non-U.S. employees are unionized.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION. FedEx has two types of equity-based compensation: stock options and restricted stock. The key terms of the stock option and restricted stock awards granted under FedEx's incentive stock plans and all financial disclosures about these programs are set forth in FedEx's Annual Report.

Our stock-based compensation expense was $9 million for the three-month period ended February 29, 2016 and $37 million for the nine-month period ended February 29, 2016. Our stock-based compensation expense was $9 million for the three-month period ended February 28, 2015 and $35 million for the nine-month period ended February 28, 2015. This amount represents the amount charged to us by FedEx for awards granted to our employees.

LONG-TERM DEBT. Long-term debt, exclusive of capital leases, had a carrying value of $239 million at February 29, 2016 and May 31, 2015 compared with an estimated fair value of $304 million at February 29, 2016 and $345 million at May 31, 2015. The estimated fair values were determined based on quoted market prices and the current rates offered for debt with similar terms and maturities. The fair value of our long-term debt is classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. This classification is defined as a fair value determined using market-based inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the liability, either directly or indirectly.

RECENT ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE. New accounting rules and disclosure requirements can significantly impact our reported results and the comparability of our financial statements. These matters are described in our Annual Report.

In the second quarter of 2016, we chose to early adopt the authoritative guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) requiring acquirers in a business combination to recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period that the adjustment amounts are determined and eliminates the requirement to retrospectively account for these adjustments. It also requires additional disclosure about the effects of the adjustments on prior periods. Adoption of this guidance had no impact on our financial reporting.

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued the new lease accounting standard which requires lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize the expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to current practice. The new standard states that a lessee will 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. Expense related to leases determined to be operating leases will be recognized on a straight-line basis, while those determined to be financing leases will be recognized following a front-loaded expense profile in which interest and amortization are presented separately in the income statement. We are currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on our financial reporting, but recognizing the lease liability and related right-of-use asset will significantly impact our balance sheet. These changes will be effective for our fiscal year beginning June 1, 2019 (fiscal 2020), with a modified retrospective adoption method to the beginning of 2018.

On November 20, 2015, the FASB issued an Accounting Standards Update that will require companies to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet instead of separating deferred taxes into current and noncurrent amounts. This new guidance will have minimal impact on our accounting and financial reporting, and we plan to early adopt on a retrospective basis in the fourth quarter of 2016.

We believe that no other new accounting guidance was adopted or issued during the nine months of 2016 that is relevant to the readers of our financial statements.