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Summary of Financial Statement Preparation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements include the accounts of Air Transport Services Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated. The financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for interim financial information. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for Form 10-Q. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements of the Company and notes thereto included in the annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements contain all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s results of operations and financial position for the periods presented.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Estimates and assumptions are used to record allowances for uncollectible amounts, self-insurance reserves, spare parts inventory, depreciation and impairments of property, equipment, goodwill and intangibles, post-retirement obligations, income taxes, contingencies and litigation. Changes in estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company classifies short-term, highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase as cash and cash equivalents. These investments, consisting of money market funds, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value. Substantially all deposits of the Company’s cash are held in accounts that exceed federally insured limits. The Company deposits cash in common financial institutions which management believes are financially sound.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts

The Company's accounts receivable is primarily due from its significant customers (see Note B), other airlines, the USPS and freight forwarders. The Company performs a quarterly evaluation of the accounts receivable and the allowance for uncollectible accounts by reviewing specific customers' recent payment history, growth prospects, financial condition and other factors that may impact a customer's ability to pay. The Company establishes an allowance for uncollectible accounts for probable losses due to a customer's potential inability or unwillingness to make contractual payments. Account balances are written off against the allowance when the Company ceases collection efforts.

Inventory

The Company’s inventory is comprised primarily of expendable aircraft parts and supplies used for aircraft maintenance. Inventory is generally charged to expense when issued for use on a Company aircraft. The Company values its inventory of aircraft parts and supplies at weighted-average cost and maintains a related obsolescence reserve. The Company records an obsolescence reserve on a base stock of inventory for each fleet type. The amortization of base stock for the obsolescence reserve corresponds to the expected life of each fleet type. Additionally, the Company monitors the usage rates of inventory parts and segregates parts that are technologically outdated or no longer used in its fleet types. Slow moving and segregated items are actively marketed and written down to their estimated net realizable values based on market conditions.

Management analyzes the inventory reserve for reasonableness at the end of each quarter. That analysis includes consideration of the expected fleet life, amounts expected to be on hand at the end of a fleet life, and recent events and conditions that may impact the usability or value of inventory. Events or conditions that may impact the expected life, usability or net realizable value of inventory include additional aircraft maintenance directives from the FAA, changes in DOT regulations, new environmental laws and technological advances.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company assesses, during the fourth quarter of each year, the carrying value of goodwill. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful economic lives. The Company also conducts impairment assessments of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and finite-lived intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate an impairment may have occurred.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment held for use is stated at cost, net of any impairment recorded. The cost and accumulated depreciation of disposed property and equipment are removed from the accounts with any related gain or loss reflected in earnings from operations.

Depreciation of property and equipment is provided on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the asset’s useful life or lease term. Depreciable lives of operating equipment are summarized as follows:



DC-8 combi aircraft and flight equipment	Less than 1 year
Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft and flight equipment	10 to 20 years
Support equipment	5 to 10 years
Vehicles and other equipment	3 to 8 years

The Company periodically evaluates the useful lives, salvage values and fair values of property and equipment. Acceleration of depreciation expense or the recording of significant impairment losses could result from changes in the estimated useful lives of assets due to a number of reasons, such as excess aircraft capacity or changes in regulations governing the use of aircraft.

Aircraft and other long-lived assets are tested for impairment when circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. To conduct impairment testing, the Company groups assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of cash flows of other assets and liabilities. For assets that are to be held and used, impairment is recognized when the estimated undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset group is less than the carrying value. If impairment exists, an adjustment is made to write the assets down to fair value, and a loss is recorded as the difference between the carrying value and fair value. Fair values are determined considering quoted market values, discounted cash flows or internal and external appraisals, as applicable. For assets held for sale, impairment is recognized when the fair value less the cost to sell the asset is less than the carrying value.

The Company’s accounting policy for major airframe and engine maintenance varies by subsidiary and aircraft type. The costs for ABX's Boeing 767-200 airframe maintenance, which is the majority of the Company's aircraft fleet, are expensed as they are incurred. The costs of major airframe maintenance for the Company's other aircraft are capitalized and amortized over the useful life of the overhaul. The Company's General Electric CF6 engines that power the Boeing 767-200 aircraft are maintained under “power by the hour” agreements with an engine maintenance provider. Under the power by the hour agreements, the engines are maintained by the service provider for a fixed fee per flight hour; accordingly, the cost of engine maintenance is generally expensed as flight hours occur. Maintenance for the airlines’ other aircraft engines, including those on the Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 757 aircraft, are typically contracted to service providers on a time and material basis and the costs of those engine overhauls are capitalized and amortized over the useful life of the overhaul.

Under certain leases, the Company is required to make periodic payments to the lessor for future maintenance events such as engine overhauls and major airframe maintenance. These payments are recorded as deposits until drawn for qualifying maintenance costs. The maintenance costs are expensed or capitalized in accordance with the airline's accounting policy for major airframe and engine maintenance. The Company evaluates at the balance sheet date, whether it is probable that an amount on deposit will be returned by the lessor to reimburse the costs of the maintenance activities. When an amount on deposit is less than probable of being returned, it is recognized as additional maintenance expense.

Capitalized Interest

Interest costs incurred while aircraft are being modified are capitalized as an additional cost of the aircraft until the date the asset is placed in service.

Discontinued Operations

A business component whose operations are discontinued is reported as discontinued operations if the cash flows of the component have been eliminated from the ongoing operations of the Company, and the Company will no longer have any significant continuing involvement in the business component. The results of discontinued operations are aggregated and presented separately in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company's results of discontinued operations consist primarily of pension expenses and other benefits for former employees previously associated with ABX's former freight sorting and aircraft fueling services provided to DHL. ABX is self-insured for medical coverage and workers’ compensation, and may incur expenses and cash outlays in the future related to pension obligations, reserves for medical expenses and wage loss for former employees.

Exit Activities

One-time, involuntary employee termination benefits are generally expensed when the Company communicates the benefit arrangement to the employee that it will no longer require the services of the employee beyond a minimum retention period. Liabilities for contract termination costs associated with exit activities are recognized in the period incurred and measured initially at fair value.

Self-Insurance

The Company is self-insured for certain workers’ compensation, employee healthcare, automobile, aircraft, and general liability claims. The Company maintains excess claim coverage with common insurance carriers to mitigate its exposure to large claim losses. The Company records a liability for reported claims and an estimate for incurred claims that have not yet been reported. Accruals for these claims are estimated utilizing historical paid claims data and recent claims trends. Other liabilities included $30.6 million and $31.6 million at June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively, for self-insured reserves. Changes in claim severity and frequency could result in actual claims being materially different than the costs accrued.

Income Taxes

Income taxes have been computed using the asset and liability method, under which deferred income taxes are provided for the temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities. Deferred taxes are measured using provisions of currently enacted tax laws. A valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets is recorded when it is more likely than not that such assets will not be fully realized. Tax credits are accounted for as a reduction of income taxes in the year in which the credit originates.

The Company recognizes the benefit of a tax position taken on a tax return, if that position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. An uncertain income tax benefit is not recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. The Company recognizes interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain tax positions in operating expense.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes net earnings and other comprehensive income or loss. Other comprehensive income or loss results from certain changes in the Company’s liabilities for pension and other post-retirement benefits and gains and losses associated with interest rate hedging instruments.

Fair Value Information

Assets or liabilities that are required to be measured at fair value are reported using the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. FASB ASC Topic 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures establishes three levels of input that may be used to measure fair value:


•	Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.


•	Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.


•	Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include items where the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues generated from airline service agreements are typically recognized based on hours flown or the amount of aircraft and crew resources provided during a reporting period. Certain agreements include provisions for incentive payments based upon on-time reliability. These incentives are typically measured on a monthly basis and recorded to revenue in the corresponding month earned. Revenues for operating expenses that are reimbursed through customer agreements, including consumption of aircraft fuel, are generally recognized as the costs are incurred. Revenues from charter service agreements are recognized on scheduled and non-scheduled flights when the specific flight has been completed. Aircraft lease revenues are recognized as operating lease revenues on a straight-line basis over the term of the applicable lease agreements. Revenues from the sale of aircraft parts and engines are recognized when the parts are delivered. Revenues earned and expenses incurred in providing aircraft-related maintenance, repair or technical services are recognized in the period in which the services are completed and delivered to the customer. Revenues derived from sorting parcels are recognized in the reporting period in which the services are performed.