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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments
In December 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with Broward County, Florida, which owns and operates Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, to oversee and manage the design and construction of the airport's Terminal 1 Modernization Project at a cost not to exceed $295 million. In addition to significant improvements to the existing Terminal 1, the project includes the design and construction of a new five-gate Concourse A with an international processing facility. Funding for the project will come directly from Broward County sources, but will flow through the Company in its capacity as manager of the project. Construction on the project is not expected to begin until mid to late 2015. The Company believes that due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the project, it will be considered the owner of the project for accounting purposes. As such, in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, the Company is expected to record an increase in Assets constructed for others as the project is built (with a corresponding cash outflow in Investing activities in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows), and an increase to Construction obligation (with a corresponding cash inflow in Financing activities in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows) as reimbursements are received from Broward County.

The Company entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) with the City of Houston (“City”), effective June 2012, to expand the existing Houston Hobby airport facility. As provided in the MOA, the Company and the City have entered into an Airport Use and Lease Agreement (“Lease”) to control the execution of this expansion and the financial terms thereof. Per the MOA and Lease, this project provides for a new five-gate international terminal with international passenger processing facilities, expansion of the existing security checkpoint, and upgrades to the Southwest ticket counter area. The project is estimated to cost $156 million, and the Company has agreed to provide the funding for, as well as management over, the project. In return, the capital cost portion of the rent the Company pays for the international facility will be waived from the initial occupancy until the expiration of the Lease. However, after completion of the project, the City may purchase the facility under the Lease at the then-unamortized cost of the facility. This purchase would trigger payment of the previously waived capital cost component of rents owed the City. Additionally, some portion of the project is expected to qualify for rental credits that would be utilized upon completion of the facility against the Company’s current lease space at the airport. Construction began during third quarter 2013 and is estimated to be completed during the second half of 2015.

As a result of its significant involvement in the Houston Hobby project, the Company has evaluated its ongoing accounting requirements in consideration of accounting guidance provided for lessees involved in asset construction, and has determined that it qualifies as the accounting owner of the facility during the construction period. As such, during construction, the Company records expenditures as Assets constructed for others in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, along with a corresponding outflow within Capital expenditures, in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. As of June 30, 2014, the Company had recorded construction costs related to Houston Hobby of $26 million.

In March 2013, the Company executed a lease agreement with Los Angeles World Airports (“LAWA”), which owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport. Under the lease agreement, which was amended in June 2014, the Company will oversee and manage the design, development, financing, construction and commissioning of the airport's Terminal 1 Modernization Project (the “Project”) at a cost of approximately $500 million. The Company and LAWA are currently determining how the Project will be funded. Under one option being considered, a quasi-governmental special purpose entity would act as a conduit borrower under a syndicated credit facility provided by a group of lenders. Loans made under the credit facility would be used to fund the development of the Project. Outstanding loans would be repaid with the proceeds of LAWA’s payments to purchase completed Project phases. And, the Company would guaranty the obligations of the conduit borrower under the credit facility.  Certain minor enabling projects have begun, and major construction on the project is expected to begin late 2014 or early 2015. The Company believes that due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the project, it will be considered the owner of the project for accounting purposes.

During 2008, the City of Dallas approved the Love Field Modernization Program (“LFMP”), a project to reconstruct Dallas Love Field with modern, convenient air travel facilities. Pursuant to a Program Development Agreement with the City of Dallas and the Love Field Airport Modernization Corporation (or “LFAMC,” a Texas non-profit “local government corporation” established by the City of Dallas to act on the City of Dallas' behalf to facilitate the development of the LFMP), the Company is managing this project. Major construction commenced during 2010. New ticketing and check-in areas opened during fourth quarter 2012, and 12 new gates and new concessions opened in 2013. Full completion of the project is scheduled for second half 2014. The project consists of the complete replacement of gate facilities with a new 20-gate facility, including infrastructure, systems and equipment, aircraft parking apron, fueling system, roadways and terminal curbside, baggage handling systems, passenger loading bridges and support systems, and other supporting infrastructure.

It is currently expected that the total construction costs associated with the LFMP project will be approximately $519 million. Although the City of Dallas has received commitments from various sources that are helping to fund portions of the LFMP project, including the FAA, the Transportation Security Administration, and the City of Dallas' Aviation Fund, the majority of the funds used are from the issuance of bonds. During fourth quarter 2010, $310 million of such bonds were issued by the LFAMC, and the Company has guaranteed principal and interest payments on the bonds. An additional tranche of such bonds totaling $146 million was issued during second quarter 2012, and the Company has guaranteed the principal and interest payments on these bonds as well. The Company currently expects that as a result of the funding commitments from the above mentioned sources and the bonds that have been issued thus far, no further bond issuances and related guarantees from the Company will be required to complete the LFMP project.

In conjunction with the Company's significant presence at Dallas Love Field, its rights to occupy 16 of the available gates upon completion of the facility, and other factors, the Company agreed to manage the majority of the LFMP project. Based on these facts, the Company has evaluated its ongoing accounting requirements in consideration of accounting guidance provided for lessees involved in asset construction. The Company has recorded and will continue to record an asset and corresponding obligation for the cost of the LFMP project as the construction of the facility occurs. As of June 30, 2014, the Company had recorded LFMP construction costs of $470 million within Assets constructed for others and had recorded a liability of $468 million within Construction obligation in its unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. Upon completion of different phases of the LFMP project, the Company has placed the associated assets in service and has begun depreciating the assets over their estimated useful lives. The corresponding LFMP liabilities will be reduced primarily through the Company's airport rental payments to the City of Dallas as the construction costs of the project are passed through to the Company via recurring airport rates and charges. These payments are reflected as Repayment of construction obligation in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

Contingencies
The Company is from time to time subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business, including, but not limited to, examinations by the IRS. The Company's management does not expect that the outcome in any of its currently ongoing legal proceedings or the outcome of any adjustments presented by the IRS, individually or collectively, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, or cash flow.