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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
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. Major construction on the project began during third quarter 2015 and is estimated to be substantially completed by mid-2017. The Company has determined that due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the project, it is considered the owner of the project for accounting purposes. 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 Assets constructed for others in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, and an increase to Construction obligation (with a corresponding cash inflow from Financing activities in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows) as reimbursements are received from Broward County. As of June 30, 2016, the Company had recorded construction costs related to the project of $60 million.
Houston William P. Hobby Airport
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 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 provided a new five-gate international terminal with international passenger processing facilities, expansion of the security checkpoint, and upgrades to the Southwest Airlines ticket counter area. The project final cost was approximately $150 million, and the Company provided 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 is waived from the initial occupancy until the expiration of the Lease. However, the City has the option at any time during the term of the Lease to reimburse the Company's investment 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, a small portion of the project qualified for rental credits that have been utilized against the Company’s 2016 lease payments at the airport. Construction was effectively completed in October 2015, at which time the Company began operating from the new facility.

As a result of its significant involvement in the Houston Hobby project, the Company determined that it is the owner of the facility for accounting purposes. As such, during construction, the Company recorded expenditures as Assets constructed for others in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, along with a corresponding outflow within Assets constructed for others, in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

Los Angeles International Airport
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 is overseeing and managing the design, development, financing, construction and commissioning of the airport's Terminal 1 Modernization Project (the “Project”) at a cost not to exceed $526 million. The Project is being funded primarily using the Regional Airports Improvement Corporation ("RAIC"), which is a quasi-governmental special purpose entity that acts as a conduit borrower under a syndicated credit facility provided by a group of lenders. Loans made under the credit facility are being used to fund the development of the Project, and the outstanding loans will be repaid with the proceeds of LAWA’s payments to purchase completed Project phases. The Company has guaranteed the obligations of the RAIC under the credit facility. Construction on the Project began during 2014 and is estimated to be completed during 2018. The Company has determined that due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the Project, it is considered the owner of the Project for accounting purposes. LAWA will reimburse the Company (through the RAIC credit facility) for the non-proprietary renovations, while proprietary renovations will not be reimbursed. As a result, $282 million of costs incurred as of June 30, 2016, to fund the Project, are included within Assets constructed for others and all amounts that have been or will be reimbursed will be included within Construction obligation on the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Dallas Love Field
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 managed this project. Major construction was effectively completed by December 31, 2014. This project consisted 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.

Although the City of Dallas received commitments from various sources that are helping to fund portions of this 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. The Company guaranteed principal and interest payments on $456 million of such bonds issued by the LFAMC. As of June 30, 2016, $439 million of principal remained outstanding.

In conjunction with the Company's significant presence at Dallas Love Field, the Company agreed to manage the majority of the LFMP project. Based on the pertinent factors in place at the time the agreement was made, the Company utilized the accounting guidance provided for lessees involved in asset construction. As of June 30, 2016, the Company had recorded LFMP construction costs of $538 million within Assets constructed for others and had recorded a liability of $522 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. In addition, upon the effective completion of construction, the Company noted the project assets did not meet the qualifications for sale and leaseback accounting due to the Company's continuing involvement with the facility, as defined; therefore, for financial reporting purposes, these assets will remain on the Company's books until the bonds issued by the City of Dallas are repaid. The corresponding LFMP liabilities are being reduced primarily through the Company's airport rental payments to the City of Dallas as the construction costs of this project are passed through to the Company via recurring airport rates and charges. A portion of these payments are reflected as Repayment of construction obligation in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The imputed interest rate associated with construction obligation was nominal for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015.

During 2015, the City of Dallas issued additional bonds for the construction of a new parking garage at Dallas Love Field. The Company has not guaranteed the principal or interest payments on these bonds, but remains the accounting owner of this project. As of June 30, 2016, the Company had recorded LFMP parking construction expenditures of $39 million within Assets constructed for others with a corresponding increase to Construction obligation on the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Contractual Obligations and Contingent Liabilities and Commitments

The Company has contractual obligations and commitments primarily with regard to future purchases of aircraft, repayment of debt, and lease arrangements. As of June 30, 2016, as a result of the modification of the Company’s future aircraft commitments during second quarter 2016, the Company had firm deliveries and options for Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 737-7, and 737-8 aircraft as follows:

 
The Boeing Company
737
 
 
 
 
 
-800 Firm Orders
-800 Options
-7
Firm
Orders
-8
Firm
Orders
 
-8 Options
 
Additional -700s
Total
 
2016
38
 
 
23
61
(2)
2017
39
14
 
 
14
67
 
2018
12
18
13
 
 
4
47
 
2019
15
 
5
 
20
 
2020
14
 
8
 
22
 
2021
1
13
 
18
 
32
 
2022
15
 
19
 
34
 
2023
34
 
23
 
57
 
2024
41
 
23
 
64
 
2025
40
 
36
 
76
 
2026
 
36
 
36
 
2027
 
23
 
23
 
Total
89
18
30
170
(1)
191
(1)
41
539
 
(1) The Company has flexibility to substitute 737-7 in lieu of 737-8 aircraft beginning in 2019.
(2) Includes 14 737-800s and 19 737-700s delivered as of June 30, 2016. The 19 737-700s are classified as capital leases and have increased the Company's future capital lease obligations by $15 million remaining in 2016, $29 million in 2017, $29 million in 2018, $28 million in 2019, $27 million in 2020, and $176 million thereafter.

The Company's capital commitments associated with the firm orders and additional aircraft in the above aircraft table are as follows: $592 million remaining in 2016, $1.1 billion in 2017, $681 million in 2018, $614 million in 2019, $821 million in 2020, and $6.1 billion thereafter.

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 Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). The Company's management does not expect that the outcome of 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.