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Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Debt

NOTE 11 - DEBT

 

(In millions)

   At December 31,  
     2016      2015  

Secured

     
Notes payable, fixed interest rates of 1.42% to 9.75% (weighted average rate of 4.85% as of December 31, 2016), payable through 2028     $ 7,586         $ 7,971    
Notes payable, floating interest rates of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus 0.20% to 2.85%, payable through 2028      1,546          1,302    
Term loan, LIBOR subject to a 0.75% floor, plus 2.50%, or alternative rate based on certain market rates plus 1.50%, due 2019      866          875    
Term loan, LIBOR subject to a 0.75% floor, plus 2.75%, or alternative rate based on certain market rates plus 1.75%, due 2021      192          194    
Unsecured      
6% Senior Notes due 2020 (a)      300          300    
6.375% Senior Notes due 2018 (a)      300          300    
Other      101          100    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
      10,891           11,042    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Less: unamortized debt discount, premiums and debt issuance costs

     (124)         (145)   

Less: current portion of long-term debt

     (849)         (1,224)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
Long-term debt, net     $     9,918         $     9,673    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a) UAL is the issuer of this debt. United is a guarantor.

 

The table below presents the Company’s contractual principal payments at December 31, 2016 under then-outstanding long-term debt agreements in each of the next five calendar years (in millions):

 

2017

    $ 849    

2018

     1,427    

2019

     1,852    

2020

     1,007    

2021

     1,174    

After 2021

     4,582    
  

 

 

 
    $     10,891    
  

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2016, a substantial portion of the Company’s assets, principally aircraft, route authorities, airport slots and loyalty program intangible assets, was pledged under various loan and other agreements. As of December 31, 2016, UAL and United were in compliance with their respective debt covenants. Continued compliance depends on many factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, including the overall industry revenue environment and the level of fuel costs.

Secured debt

2013 Credit and Guaranty Agreement. United and UAL are parties to a Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) as the borrower and guarantor, respectively. The Credit Agreement consists of a $900 million term loan due April 2019 (of which $866 million was outstanding as of December 31, 2016) (the “Term Loan due 2019”), a $500 million term loan due September 2021 (of which $192 million was outstanding as of December 31, 2016) (the “Term Loan due 2021”) and a $1.35 billion revolving credit facility, with $1.35 billion being available for drawing until April 2018 and $1.315 billion being available for drawing until January 2019.

Borrowings under the revolving credit facility of the Credit Agreement bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus a margin of 3.0% per annum, or another rate based on certain market interest rates, plus a margin of 2.0% per annum. The principal amount of the term loans must be repaid in consecutive quarterly installments of 0.25% of the original principal amount thereof, with any unpaid balance due, in the case of the Term Loan due 2019, on April 1, 2019 and, in the case of the Term Loan due 2021, on September 15, 2021. United may prepay all or a portion of the term loans from time to time, at par plus accrued and unpaid interest. United pays a commitment fee equal to 0.75% per-annum on the undrawn amount available under the revolving credit facility.

The Term Loan due 2021 ranks pari passu with the Term Loan due 2019 that United originally borrowed under the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement requires United to repay the term loans and any other outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement at par plus accrued and unpaid interest if certain changes of control of UAL occur.

As of December 31, 2016, United had its entire capacity of $1.35 billion available under the revolving credit facility of the Company’s Credit Agreement.

As of December 31, 2016, United had cash collateralized $72 million of letters of credit. United also had $383 million of surety bonds securing various obligations at December 31, 2016. Most of the letters of credit have evergreen clauses and are expected to be renewed on an annual basis and the surety bonds have expiration dates through 2021.

EETCs. United has $7.5 billion principal amount of equipment notes outstanding issued under EETC financings included in notes payable in the table of outstanding debt above. Generally, the structure of these EETC financings consists of pass-through trusts created by United to issue pass-through certificates, which represent fractional undivided interests in the respective pass-through trusts and are not obligations of United. The proceeds of the issuance of the pass-through certificates are used to purchase equipment notes which are issued by United and secured by its aircraft. The payment obligations under the equipment notes are those of United. Proceeds received from the sale of pass-through certificates are initially held by a depositary in escrow for the benefit of the certificate holders until United issues equipment notes to the trust, which purchases such notes with a portion of the escrowed funds. These escrowed funds are not guaranteed by United and are not reported as debt on United’s consolidated balance sheet because the proceeds held by the depositary are not United’s assets.

In September 2016 and June 2016, United created separate EETC pass-through trusts, each of which issued pass-through certificates. The proceeds of the issuance of the pass-through certificates are used to purchase equipment notes issued by United and secured by its aircraft. The Company records the debt obligation upon issuance of the equipment notes rather than upon the initial issuance of the pass-through certificates. United expects to receive all proceeds from the September 2016 and June 2016 pass-through trusts by the end of the second quarter of 2017. Certain details of the pass-through trusts with proceeds received from issuance of debt in 2016 are as follows (in millions, except stated interest rate):

 

EETC Date

  Class   Principal     Final expected
distribution
date
  Stated
interest
rate
    Total debt
recorded

as of December 31,
2016
    Proceeds
received from
issuance of
debt during
2016
    Remaining
proceeds from
issuance of debt
to be received
in future
periods
 

September 2016

  AA    $ 637       October 2028     2.875%       $ 80        $ 80        $ 557    

September 2016

  A     283       October 2028     3.10%        36         36         247    

June 2016

  AA     729       July 2028     3.10%        410         410         319    

June 2016

  A     324       July 2028     3.45%        182         182         142    
   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     $ 1,973            $ 708        $ 708        $ 1,265    
   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

In 2016, United borrowed approximately $369 million aggregate principal amount from various financial institutions to finance the purchase of several aircraft delivered in 2016. The notes evidencing these borrowings, which are secured by the related aircraft, have maturity dates ranging from 2026 to 2028 and have interest rates comprised of the LIBOR plus a specified margin.

Unsecured debt

5% Senior Notes due 2024. In January 2017, United issued $300 million aggregate principal amount of 5% Senior Notes due February 1, 2024 (the “5% Senior Notes due 2024”). These notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed and recorded by United on its balance sheet as debt. The indenture for the 5% Senior Notes due 2024 requires UAL to offer to repurchase the notes for cash if certain changes of control of UAL occur at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount of notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest.

 

The collateral, covenants and cross default provisions of the Company’s principal debt instruments that contain such provisions are summarized in the table below:

 

Debt Instrument   Collateral, Covenants and Cross  Default Provisions

Various equipment notes and other notes payable

  Secured by certain aircraft. The indentures contain events of default that are customary for aircraft financing, including in certain cases cross default to other related aircraft.

Credit Agreement

 

Secured by certain of United’s international route authorities, specified take-off and landing slots at certain airports and certain other assets.

 

The Credit Agreement requires the Company to maintain at least $3.0 billion of unrestricted liquidity at all times, which includes unrestricted cash, short-term investments and any undrawn amounts under any revolving credit facility, and to maintain a minimum ratio of appraised value of collateral to the outstanding obligations under the Credit Agreement of 1.67 to 1.0 at all times. The Credit Agreement contains covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of UAL and its restricted subsidiaries (as defined in the Credit Agreement) to incur additional indebtedness and to pay dividends on or repurchase stock, although the Company currently has ample ability under these restrictions to repurchase stock under the Company’s share repurchase program.

 

The Credit Agreement contains events of default customary for this type of financing, including a cross default and cross acceleration provision to certain other material indebtedness of the Company.

6.375% Senior Notes due 2018

 

6% Senior Notes due 2020

 

5% Senior Notes due 2024

  The indentures for these notes contain covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company and its restricted subsidiaries (as defined in the indenture) to incur additional indebtedness and pay dividends on or repurchase stock, although the Company currently has ample ability under these restrictions to repurchase stock under the Company’s share repurchase program.