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SPECIAL CHARGES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
SPECIAL CHARGES | NOTE 14 - SPECIAL CHARGES Special charges in the statements of consolidated operations consisted of the following for the years ended December 31 (in millions):
Operating: |  | 2017 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |
Severance and benefit costs |  | $ | 116 |  |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 107 |
Impairment of assets |  |  | 25 |  |  |  | 412 |  |  |  | 79 |
Cleveland airport lease restructuring |  |  | — |  |  |  | 74 |  |  |  | — |
Labor agreement costs |  |  | — |  |  |  | 64 |  |  |  | 18 |
(Gains) losses on sale of assets and other special charges |  |  | 35 |  |  |  | 51 |  |  |  | 122 |
Total operating special charges |  |  | 176 |  |  |  | 638 |  |  |  | 326 |
Nonoperating: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
(Gains) losses on extinguishment of debt and other |  |  | — |  |  |  | (1) |  |  |  | 202 |
Total operating and nonoperating special charges before income taxes |  |  | 176 |  |  |  | 637 |  |  |  | 528 |
Income tax benefit related to special charges |  |  | (63) |  |  |  | (229) |  |  |  | (11) |
Income tax adjustments (Notes 6 and 7) |  |  | (192) |  |  |  | 180 |  |  |  | (3,130) |
Total operating and nonoperating special charges, net of income taxes and income tax adjustments |  | $ | (79) |  |  | $ | 588 |  |  | $ | (2,613) |
2017 During 2017, the Company recorded $83 million ($53 million net of taxes) of severance and benefit costs related to a voluntary early-out program for its technicians and related employees represented by the IBT. In the first quarter of 2017, approximately 1,000 technicians and related employees elected to voluntarily separate from the Company and will receive a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through early 2019. Also during 2017, the Company recorded $33 million ($21 million net of taxes) of severance primarily related to its management reorganization initiative. During 2017 the Company recorded a $10 million ($6 million net of taxes) impairment charge related to obsolete spare parts inventory and a $15 million ($10 million net of taxes) intangible asset impairment charge related to a maintenance service agreement. 2016 In April 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) announced that it will designate Newark Liberty International Airport (“Newark”) as a Level 2 schedule-facilitated airport under the International Air Transport Association Worldwide Slot Guidelines. The designation was associated with an updated demand and capacity analysis of Newark by the FAA. In 2016, the Company determined that the FAA’s action impaired the entire value of its Newark slots because the slots are no longer the mechanism that governs take-off and landing rights. Accordingly, the Company recorded a $412 million special charge ($264 million net of taxes) to write off the intangible asset. In 2016, the City of Cleveland agreed to amend the Company’s lease, which runs through 2029, associated with certain excess airport terminal space (principally Terminal D) and related facilities at Hopkins International Airport (“Cleveland”). The Company recorded an accrual for remaining payments under the lease for facilities that the Company no longer uses and will continue to incur costs under the lease without economic benefit to the Company. This liability was measured and recorded at its fair value when the Company ceased its right to use such facilities leased to it pursuant to the lease. The Company recorded a net charge of $74 million ($47 million net of taxes) related to the amended lease. The fleet service, passenger service, storekeeper and other employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (the “IAM”) ratified seven new contracts with the Company which extended the contracts through 2021. The technicians and related employees represented by the IBT ratified a six-year joint collective bargaining agreement which extended the contract through 2022. During 2016, the Company recorded $171 million ($110 million net of taxes) of special charges primarily for payments in conjunction with the IAM and IBT agreements described above. As part of the ratified contract with the IBT, the Company amended some of its technicians and related employees’ postretirement medical plans. The amendments triggered curtailment accounting, resulting in the recognition of a one-time $60 million gain ($38 million net of taxes) for accelerated recognition of a prior service credit in one of the plans. Also, as part of the ratified contract with the Association of Flight Attendants, the Company amended two of its flight attendant postretirement medical plans. The amendments triggered curtailment accounting, resulting in the recognition of a one-time $47 million gain ($30 million net of taxes) for accelerated recognition of a prior service credit. During 2016, the Company recorded $37 million ($24 million net of taxes) of severance and benefit costs related to a voluntary early-out program for the Company’s flight attendants and other severance agreements. In 2014, more than 2,500 flight attendants elected to voluntarily separate from the Company for a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through the end of 2016. 2015 During its annual assessment in the fourth quarter, the Company recorded $33 million ($22 million net of related income tax benefit) related to the impairment of its indefinite-lived intangible assets (certain domestic slots and international Pacific routes), $8 million for the write-off of unexercised aircraft purchase options and $7 million for inventory held for sale. For the full-year 2015, the Company also recorded other impairments, including $10 million for discontinued internal software projects and $10 million for the impairment of several engines held for sale. The Company recorded $107 million of severance and benefit costs primarily related to a voluntary early-out program for its flight attendants. In 2014, more than 2,500 flight attendants elected to voluntarily separate from the Company for a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through the end of 2016. During 2015, the Company also recorded $18 million related to collective bargaining agreements, $60 million of integration-related costs primarily related to systems integration and training for employees, $32 million related to charges for settlements in connection with legal matters, $16 million for the cease use of an aircraft under lease and $14 million for losses on the sale of aircraft and other miscellaneous gains and losses. The Company recorded $202 million of losses as part of Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net due primarily to the write-off of $134 million related to the unamortized non-cash debt discount from the extinguishment of the 6% Notes due 2026 and the 6% Notes due 2028. During 2015, the Company also recorded a $61 million foreign exchange loss related to its cash holdings in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has maintained currency controls and fixed official exchange rates (i.e. Sistema Complementario de Administracion de Divisas (“SICAD”), and Sistema Marginal de Divisas (“SIMADI”)) for many years. Previously, airlines were permitted to use the more favorable SICAD rate (13.5 Venezuelan bolivars to one U.S. dollar) if repatriating profits and for payments of local goods and services in Venezuela. During 2015, many of the payments for local goods and services transitioned to utilizing the SIMADI rate (200 Venezuelan bolivars to one U.S. dollar) or were required to be paid in U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the Venezuelan government has not permitted the exchange and repatriations of local currency since mid-2014. As a result, the Company changed the exchange rate from historical SICAD rates to a combination of SIMADI and SICAD rates based on projections of future cash payments. Including this adjustment, the Company’s resulting cash balance held in Venezuelan bolivars at December 31, 2015 was approximately $13 million. Accrual Activity Activity related to the accruals for severance and medical costs and future lease payments on permanently grounded aircraft is as follows (in millions):
|  | Severance/ Benefit Costs |  |  | Permanently Grounded Aircraft |
Balance at December 31, 2014 |  | $ | 109 |  |  | $ | 102 |
Accrual |  |  | 107 |  |  |  | 30 |
Payments |  |  | (189) |  |  |  | (54) |
Balance at December 31, 2015 |  |  | 27 |  |  |  | 78 |
Accrual and related adjustments |  |  | 37 |  |  |  | (17) |
Payments |  |  | (50) |  |  |  | (20) |
Balance at December 31, 2016 |  |  | 14 |  |  |  | 41 |
Accrual |  |  | 116 |  |  |  | (4) |
Payments |  |  | (93) |  |  |  | (15) |
Balance at December 31, 2017 |  | $ | 37 |  |  | $ | 22 |
The Company’s accrual and payment activity is primarily related to severance and other compensation expense associated with voluntary employee early retirement programs.

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- Definition The entire description for costs incurred to effect a business combination that have been expensed during the period. Such costs could include business integration costs, systems integration and conversion costs, and severance and other employee-related costs. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 805 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2303972 + Details
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