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WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both [Abstract]  
WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC
As a result of the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, throughout the world, including into the United States, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization classified the virus as a pandemic. The speed with which the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the U.S. economic landscape, outlook, and in particular the travel industry, was swift and unexpected. The Company saw a negative impact on bookings for future travel throughout 2020. The Company proactively canceled a significant portion of its scheduled flights in March 2020 and continued adjusting capacity throughout 2020, as the Company grounded a significant portion of its fleet and operated a significantly reduced portion of its previously scheduled capacity. The Company continued to experience negative impacts to passenger demand and bookings early in 2021 due to the pandemic, in particular with respect to business travel, although as a result of declining reported COVID-19 cases throughout the United States, easing travel restrictions, lifting of business restrictions, and an increase in the number of individuals vaccinated, domestic leisure travel demand and bookings improved during second quarter 2021. In third quarter 2021, the Company experienced softness in bookings and elevated trip cancellations, especially close-in, as a result of the rise in COVID-19 cases associated with the Delta variant. The Company continues to monitor demand for air travel and proactively adjust its published flight schedules and capacity in response.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Company entered into definitive documentation with the United States Department of Treasury ("Treasury") with respect to payroll funding support ("Payroll Support") pursuant to three separate Payroll Support programs: the "PSP1 Payroll Support Program" in April 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act"); the "PSP2 Payroll Support Program” in January 2021 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; and the "PSP3 Payroll Support Program" in April 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

As consideration for each of these Payroll Support programs, the Company issued a promissory note in favor of Treasury and entered into a warrant agreement with Treasury, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue warrants to purchase common stock of the Company to Treasury, subject to adjustment pursuant to the terms of the warrants. Under each of the three Payroll Support programs, funds were received in multiple disbursements. Upon each initial disbursement of Payroll Support under each of the three Payroll Support programs, the Company provided a promissory note and issued warrants to Treasury. Upon each subsequent disbursement of Payroll Support under each of the three Payroll Support programs, (i) the principal amount of the applicable promissory note was increased and (ii) the Company issued additional warrants to Treasury. The following table provides the details from each of these programs:
(in millions, except shares in thousands)GrantPromissory NoteWarrants Total Payroll Support ProceedsWarrants (shares)
PSP1 Payroll Support Program
April 21, 2020$1,152 $459 $18 $1,630 1,258 
May 29, 2020448 196 8 652 536 
June 30, 2020448 196 9 652 536 
July 30, 2020225 97 3 326 268 
September 30, 202064 28 2 94 78 
$2,337 $976 $40 $3,354 2,676 
PSP2 Payroll Support Program
January 15, 2021$625 $229 $9 $864 495 
March 5, 2021591 259 14 864 560 
April 23, 2021177 78 4 259 168 
$1,393 $566 $27 $1,987 1,223 
PSP3 Payroll Support Program
April 23, 2021$670 $248 $9 $926 424 
June 3, 2021640 278 9 926 475 
$1,310 $526 $18 $1,852 899 
Total$5,040 $2,068 $85 $7,193 4,798 

The promissory note under the PSP1 Payroll Support Program ("PSP1 Note") matures in full on April 19, 2030, and is subject to mandatory prepayment requirements in connection with certain change of control triggering events that may occur prior to its maturity. Amounts outstanding under the PSP1 Note bear interest at a rate of 1.00 percent before April 20, 2025, and afterwards, at a rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") or other benchmark replacement rate consistent with customary market conventions plus a margin of 2.00 percent. The PSP1 Note contains customary representations and warranties and events of default. Each warrant issued pursuant to the PSP1 Payroll Support Program is exercisable at a strike price of $36.47 per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of such warrant.

The promissory note under the PSP2 Payroll Support Program ("PSP2 Note") matures in full on January 15, 2031, and is subject to mandatory prepayment requirements in connection with certain change of control triggering events that may occur prior to its maturity. Amounts outstanding under the PSP2 Note bear interest at a rate of 1.00 percent before January 15, 2026, and, afterwards, at a rate equal to the SOFR or other benchmark replacement rate consistent with customary market conventions plus a margin of 2.00 percent. The PSP2 Note contains customary representations and warranties and events of default. Each warrant issued pursuant to the PSP2 Payroll Support Program is exercisable at a strike price of $46.28 per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of such warrant.

The promissory note under the PSP3 Payroll Support Program ("PSP3 Note") matures in full on April 23, 2031, and is subject to mandatory prepayment requirements in connection with certain change of control triggering events that may occur prior to its maturity. Amounts outstanding under the PSP3 Note bear interest at a rate of 1.00 percent before April 23, 2026, and afterwards, at a rate equal to the SOFR or other benchmark replacement rate consistent with customary market conventions plus a margin of 2.00 percent. The PSP3 Note contains customary representations and warranties and events of default. Each warrant issued pursuant to the PSP3 Payroll Support Program is exercisable at a strike price of $58.51 per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of such warrant.
In connection with the receipt of Payroll Support, the Company is subject to certain restrictions, including the elimination of share repurchases and dividends through September 30, 2022; and limits on executive compensation until April 1, 2023.

Under each of the three Payroll Support programs, funds received were used solely to pay qualifying employee salaries, wages, and benefits. As of September 30, 2021, all grant portions of the Payroll Support programs received had been allocated and classified as a contra-expense line item in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company has an option to prepay the promissory notes at any time without premium or penalty. Warrants will be settled through net share settlement or net cash settlement, at the Company’s option. The Company has also granted Treasury certain demand underwritten offering and piggyback registration rights with respect to the warrants and the underlying common stock. The warrants do not have voting rights and include adjustments for below market issuances, payment of dividends, and other customary anti-dilution provisions.

On June 1, 2020, the Company announced Voluntary Separation Program 2020 ("Voluntary Separation Program"), a voluntary separation program that allowed eligible Employees the opportunity to voluntarily separate from the Company in exchange for severance, medical/dental coverage for a specified period of time, and travel privileges based on years of service. A total of over 4,200 Employees initially elected to participate in Voluntary Separation Program.

In conjunction with Voluntary Separation Program, the Company also offered certain contract Employees the option to take voluntary Extended Emergency Time Off ("Extended ETO"), for periods between six and 18 months, with the exception of Pilots, who could elect to take Extended ETO for periods up to five years, all subject to early recalls. Approximately 11,000 Employees participated in the Extended ETO program. During third quarter 2021, approximately 1,000 Employees returned from the Extended ETO program and less than 500 Employees remained on Extended ETO leave as of September 30, 2021. Contract employees who elected to take Extended ETO for periods between 12 and 18 months and had 10 or more years of service were given the opportunity to convert to the Voluntary Separation Program beginning on September 1, 2020, until up to 90 days before the end of their respective Extended ETO term. Approximately 300 Employees elected this conversion option during the first nine months of 2021.

The purpose of Voluntary Separation Program and Extended ETO was to maintain a reduced workforce to operate at reduced capacity relative to the Company's operations prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with the accounting guidance in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 712 (Compensation — Nonretirement Postemployment Benefits), the Company accrued charges related to the special termination benefits described above upon Employees accepting Voluntary Separation Program or Extended ETO offers. The Company accrued expenses totaling $1.4 billion for its Voluntary Separation Program and Extended ETO program in 2020, which are being reduced as program benefits are paid. For both the Voluntary Separation Program and Extended ETO programs combined, approximately $405 million of the liability balances were relieved during the first nine months of 2021 through payments to Employees, leaving a balance of $369 million as of September 30, 2021. During the first nine months of 2021, the Company determined that it was no longer probable that a portion of the Employees on Extended ETO would remain on such leave for their entire elected term. Therefore, a portion of the accruals previously recorded were reversed, resulting in a net $140 million credit to expense during the first nine months of 2021. Both the initial charge and the partial reversal were classified within Payroll support and voluntary Employee programs, net, in the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss), and are in addition to the allocation of the PSP2 Payroll Support Program and PSP3 Payroll Support Program funds utilized to fund salaries, wages, and benefits, which totaled $763 million and $2.7 billion for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

In response to flight schedule adjustments due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of aircraft were taken out of the Company’s schedule beginning in late March 2020, and placed in short-term storage, as well as some in a longer term storage program. As of September 30, 2021, 24 aircraft remained in storage, and given the
expectation that this storage was temporary in nature, the Company has continued to record depreciation expense associated with them.