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Special Charges And Restructuring Activities
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]  
Special Charges And Restructuring Activities
 Special Charges and Restructuring Activities
The Company's business plan as announced on February 1, 2012 contemplates, among other things, significantly reducing the number of positions. Based on ratified and tentative agreements reached with various workgroups we now expect to reduce a total of approximately 10,000 positions. During the second quarter, the Company commenced both voluntary and involuntary employee separations from the Company. Consequently, in the three and nine months ending September 30, 2012, the Company recorded charges of approximately $211 million and $305 million, respectively, for severance related costs associated with the voluntary and involuntary reductions in certain work groups. The severance charges will be paid through the end of 2013. Implementing the Company's business plan will require continued collaboration with the Creditors’ Committee, various economic stakeholders and union representatives, and in some instances, approval of the Bankruptcy Court. The Company cannot predict whether, or to what extent, its business plan will be implemented. As such, at this time, the Company is not able to reasonably estimate the amount and timing of any additional charges or the portion of these charges that will result in future cash expenditures.
In 2008 and 2009, the Company announced capacity reductions due to unprecedented high fuel costs at that time and the other challenges facing the industry. In connection with these capacity reductions, the Company incurred special charges related to aircraft and certain other charges.
The following table summarizes the components of the Company’s special charges, the remaining accruals for these charges and the capacity reduction related charges (in millions) as of September 30, 2012:
 
Aircraft
Charges
 
Facility Exit
Costs
 
Employee
Charges
 
Total
Remaining accrual at December 31, 2011
$
49

 
$
16

 
—

 
$
65

Special Charges
11

 
13

 
305

 
329

Non-cash charges
(11
)
 
(13
)
 
—

 
(24
)
Adjustments
(47
)
 
(11
)
 
—

 
(58
)
Payments
(2
)
 
(1
)
 
(73
)
 
(76
)
Remaining accrual at September 30, 2012
$
—

 
$
4

 
$
232

 
$
236