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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies | NOTE 8 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments. As of March 31, 2017, United had firm commitments and options to purchase aircraft from The Boeing Company (“Boeing”), Airbus S.A.S. (“Airbus”), and Embraer S.A. (“Embraer”) presented in the table below:
Aircraft Type |  | Number of Firm Commitments (a) |
Airbus A350 |  |  | 35 |
Boeing 737NG/737 MAX |  |  | 165 |
Boeing 777-300ER |  |  | 6 |
Boeing 787 |  |  | 19 |
Embraer E175 |  |  | 24 |
(a) United also has options and purchase rights for additional aircraft. |
The aircraft listed in the table above are scheduled for delivery through 2027. To the extent the Company and the aircraft manufacturers with whom the Company has existing orders for new aircraft agree to modify the contracts governing those orders, the amount and timing of the Company’s future capital commitments could change. For the remainder of 2017, United expects to take delivery of four Boeing 737NG aircraft, one Boeing 787-9 aircraft, six Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and 24 Embraer E175. Additionally, the Company also currently expects to take delivery of five used Airbus A319s in 2017. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company also purchased 12 Boeing 737NG aircraft which were previously leased by United. The table below summarizes United’s commitments as of March 31, 2017, which primarily relate to the acquisition of aircraft and related spare engines, aircraft improvements and include other capital purchase commitments. Any new firm aircraft orders, including through the exercise of purchase options and purchase rights, will increase the total future capital commitments of the Company.
|  | (in billions) |
Last nine months of 2017 |  | $ | 2.9 |
2018 |  |  | 2.8 |
2019 |  |  | 3.5 |
2020 |  |  | 3.1 |
2021 |  |  | 2.2 |
After 2021 |  |  | 8.7 |
|  | $ | 23.2 |
As of March 31, 2017, United had $555 million in financing available through EETC transactions for the financing of all of its aircraft deliveries scheduled for the first half of 2017. See Note 9 of this report for additional information on aircraft financing. The Company has also secured backstop financing commitments from certain of its aircraft manufacturers for a limited number of its future aircraft deliveries, subject to certain customary conditions. Financing may be necessary to satisfy the Company’s capital commitments for its firm order aircraft and other related capital expenditures. Regional CPAs. In February 2017, United entered into a five-year capacity purchase agreement (“CPA”) with Air Wisconsin Airlines for regional service under the United Express brand commencing no later than February 2018. Air Wisconsin will operate no less than 50 and up to 65 CRJ 200s. The table below summarizes the Company’s future payments through the end of the terms of our CPAs, excluding variable pass-through costs such as fuel and landing fees, among others.
|  | (in billions) |
Last nine months of 2017 |  | $ | 1.3 |
2018 |  |  | 1.9 |
2019 |  |  | 1.4 |
2020 |  |  | 1.1 |
2021 |  |  | 1.0 |
After 2021 |  |  | 4.0 |
|  | $ | 10.7 |
Guarantees. As of March 31, 2017, United is the guarantor of approximately $1.9 billion in aggregate principal amount of tax-exempt special facilities revenue bonds and interest thereon. These bonds, issued by various airport municipalities, are payable solely from rentals paid under long-term agreements with the respective governing bodies. The leasing arrangements associated with $1.4 billion of these obligations are accounted for as operating leases with the associated expense recorded on a straight-line basis resulting in ratable accrual of the lease obligation over the expected lease term. The leasing arrangements associated with approximately $421 million of these obligations are accounted for as capital leases. All of these bonds are due between 2017 and 2038. In the Company’s financing transactions that include loans, the Company typically agrees to reimburse lenders for any reduced returns with respect to the loans due to any change in capital requirements and, in the case of loans in which the interest rate is based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), for certain other increased costs that the lenders incur in carrying these loans as a result of any change in law, subject, in most cases, to obligations of the lenders to take certain limited steps to mitigate the requirement for, or the amount of, such increased costs. At March 31, 2017, the Company had $3.0 billion of floating rate debt and $83 million of fixed rate debt, with remaining terms of up to 12 years, that are subject to these increased cost provisions. In several financing transactions involving loans or leases from non-U.S. entities, with remaining terms of up to 12 years and an aggregate balance of $3.0 billion, the Company bears the risk of any change in tax laws that would subject loan or lease payments thereunder to non-U.S. entities to withholding taxes, subject to customary exclusions. As of March 31, 2017, United is the guarantor of $166 million of aircraft mortgage debt issued by one of United’s regional carriers. The aircraft mortgage debt is subject to similar increased cost provisions as described above for the Company’s debt and the Company would potentially be responsible for those costs under the guarantees. Labor Negotiations. As of March 31, 2017, United had approximately 88,400 active employees, of whom approximately 80% were represented by various U.S. labor organizations.

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