Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other [Abstract]

Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other

Note 15. Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other

Viad and certain of its subsidiaries are plaintiffs or defendants to various actions, proceedings and pending claims, some of which involve, or may involve, compensatory, punitive or other damages. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties and it is possible that some of the legal actions, proceedings or claims could be decided against Viad. Although the amount of liability as of September 30, 2011, with respect to certain of these matters is not ascertainable, Viad believes that any resulting liability, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for, including insurance coverage, will not have a material impact on the Company’s business, financial position or results of operations.

Viad is subject to various U.S. federal, state and foreign laws and regulations governing the prevention of pollution and the protection of the environment in the jurisdictions in which Viad has or had operations. If the Company has failed to comply with these environmental laws and regulations, civil and criminal penalties could be imposed and Viad could become subject to regulatory enforcement actions in the form of injunctions and cease and desist orders. As is the case with many companies, Viad also faces exposure to actual or potential claims and lawsuits involving environmental matters relating to its past operations. Although it is a party to certain environmental disputes, Viad believes that any resulting liabilities, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for, including insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. As of September 30, 2011, there was a remaining environmental remediation liability of $5.8 million related to previously sold operations of which $936,000 was included in the consolidated balance sheets under the caption “Other current liabilities” and $4.9 million under the caption “Other deferred items and liabilities.”

As of September 30, 2011, Viad had certain obligations under guarantees to third parties on behalf of its subsidiaries. These guarantees are not subject to liability recognition in the consolidated financial statements and relate to leased facilities entered into by Viad’s subsidiary operations. The Company would generally be required to make payments to the respective third parties under these guarantees in the event that the related subsidiary could not meet its own payment obligations. The maximum potential amount of future payments that Viad would be required to make under all guarantees existing as of September 30, 2011 would be $30.4 million. These guarantees relate to leased facilities expiring through October 2017. There are no recourse provisions that would enable Viad to recover from third parties any payments made under the guarantees. Furthermore, there are no collateral or similar arrangements whereby Viad could recover payments.

Viad’s businesses contribute to various multi-employer pension plans based on obligations arising under collective bargaining agreements covering its union-represented employees. Based upon the information available to Viad from plan administrators, management believes that several of these multi-employer plans are underfunded. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 requires pension plans underfunded at certain levels to reduce, over defined time periods, the underfunded status. In addition, under current laws, the termination of a plan, or a voluntary withdrawal from a plan by Viad, or a shrinking contribution base to a plan as a result of the insolvency or withdrawal of other contributing employers to such plan, would require Viad to make payments to such plan for its proportionate share of the plan’s unfunded vested liabilities. As of September 30, 2011, the amount of additional funding, if any, that Viad would be required to make related to multi-employer pension plans is not ascertainable.

Glacier Park operates the concession portion of its business under a concession contract with the U.S. National Park Service (the “Park Service”) for Glacier National Park. Glacier Park’s original 25-year concession contract with the Park Service that was to expire on December 31, 2005, has been extended for six one-year periods and now expires on December 31, 2011. The Park Service, in its sole discretion, may continue extending Glacier Park’s concession contract in one-year increments. When this contract ultimately expires, Glacier Park will have the opportunity to bid on a new concession contract. If Glacier Park does secure a new contract, possible terms would be for 10, 15 or 20 years. Glacier Park generated approximately 70 percent of its 2010 revenue through its concession contract for services provided within Glacier National Park. If a new concessionaire is selected by the Park Service, Glacier Park’s remaining business would consist of its operations at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada; East Glacier, Montana; Whitefish, Montana and St. Mary, Montana. In such a circumstance, Glacier Park would be entitled to an amount equal to its “possessory interest,” which generally means the value of the structures acquired or constructed, fixtures installed and improvements made to the concession property at Glacier National Park during the term of the concession contract. Glacier Park owns its Glacier Park Lodge operations in East Glacier, Montana, Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Montana and St. Mary Lodge & Resort in St. Mary, Montana. Glacier Park also owns the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, which is operated under a 42-year ground lease with the Canadian government running through January 31, 2052. Glacier Park generated 25 percent of Travel & Recreation Group’s full year 2010 segment operating income.