Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments. As of September 30, 2023, United had firm commitments to purchase aircraft from The Boeing Company ("Boeing") and Airbus S.A.S. ("Airbus") as presented in the table below:


		Contractual Aircraft Deliveries			Expected Aircraft Deliveries (b)
Aircraft Type	Number of Firm Commitments (a)	Last Three Months of 2023	2024	After 2024	Last Three Months of 2023	2024	After 2024
787	150	—	8	142	—	8	142
737 MAX	374	73	100	201	20	77	277
A321neo	130	4	26	100	4	26	100
A321XLR	50	—	—	50	—	—	50
A350	45	—	—	45	—	—	45
(a) United also has options and purchase rights for additional aircraft.
(b) Expected aircraft deliveries reflect adjustments communicated by Boeing and Airbus or estimated by United.

The aircraft listed in the table above are scheduled for delivery through 2033. The amount and timing of the Company's future capital commitments could change to the extent that: (i) the Company and the aircraft manufacturers, with whom the Company has existing orders for new aircraft, agree to modify the contracts governing those orders; (ii) rights are exercised pursuant to the relevant agreements to cancel deliveries or modify the timing of deliveries; or (iii) the aircraft manufacturers are unable to deliver in accordance with the terms of those orders.

On September 28, 2023, United entered into a supplemental agreement with Boeing, pursuant to which United exercised options to purchase 50 Boeing 787-9 aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2031 and was granted options to purchase up to an additional 50 Boeing 787 aircraft. In addition, on September 29, 2023, United entered into an amendment to the A320 Family Purchase Agreement, dated December 19, 2019, as amended, with Airbus, pursuant to which United exercised purchase rights to purchase 60 A321neo aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030 and was granted purchase rights to purchase up to an additional 40 A321neo aircraft. The table above reflects the number of firm commitments related to these agreements as well as the contractual and expected aircraft deliveries.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, United entered into agreements with third parties to finance through sale and leaseback transactions new Boeing model 737 MAX aircraft subject to purchase agreements between United and Boeing. For certain aircraft, United assigned its right to purchase such aircraft to the buyer, and simultaneous with the buyer's purchase from Boeing, United entered into a long-term lease for such aircraft with the buyer as lessor. Upon delivery of the aircraft in these sale and leaseback transactions, the Company accounted for these aircraft as part of Flight equipment on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and the related obligation recorded in Current maturities of other financial liabilities and Other financial liabilities since they did not qualify for sale recognition (failed sale and leaseback).

As of September 30, 2023, United had additional leases for 47 Embraer E175/E175LL regional jets under a CPA, 12 A321neo mainline aircraft, airport facilities and office space, none of which had commenced as of such date. These leases will commence between fourth quarter 2023 and 2026 with lease terms of up to 12 years.

The table below summarizes United's firm commitments as of September 30, 2023, which include aircraft and related spare engines, aircraft improvements and non-aircraft capital commitments. Aircraft commitments are based on contractual scheduled aircraft deliveries without any adjustments communicated by Boeing and Airbus or estimated by United.


(in billions)
Last three months of 2023	$	4.6
2024	8.8
2025	8.0
2026	6.1
2027	5.0
After 2027	29.6
	$	62.1

Regional CPAs. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, United amended several of its CPAs with certain of its regional carriers to increase the contractually agreed fees (carrier costs) paid to those carriers and to add additional aircraft that will replace existing aircraft near the end of their contractual terms. Separately, the Company terminated its CPA and related regional flight operations with Air Wisconsin in June 2023. Our future commitments under our CPAs are dependent on numerous variables, and are, therefore, difficult to predict. The most important of these variables is the number of scheduled block hours. Although we are not required to purchase a minimum number of block hours under certain of our CPAs, we have set forth below estimates of our future payments under the CPAs based on our assumptions. The actual amounts we pay to our regional operators under CPAs could differ materially from these estimates. United's estimates of its future payments under all of the CPAs do not include the portion of the underlying obligation for any aircraft leased to a regional carrier, or deemed to be leased from other regional carriers, and facility rent. For purposes of calculating these estimates, we have assumed (1) the number of block hours flown is based on our anticipated level of flight activity or at any contractual minimum utilization levels if applicable, whichever is higher, (2) that we will reduce the fleet as rapidly as contractually allowed under each CPA, (3) that aircraft utilization, stage length and load factors will remain constant, (4) that each carrier's operational performance will remain at recent historic levels and (5) an annual projected inflation rate. Based on these assumptions as of September 30, 2023, our estimated future payments through the end of the terms of our CPAs are presented in the table below:


(in billions)
Last three months of 2023	$	0.6
2024	2.2
2025	1.9
2026	2.1
2027	1.6
After 2027	5.7
	$	14.1

Guarantees. As of September 30, 2023, 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 these obligations are accounted for as operating leases recognized on the Company's consolidated balance sheet with the associated expense recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. All of these bonds are due between 2024 and 2041.

As of September 30, 2023, United is the guarantor of $81 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 below for the Company's debt, and the Company would potentially be responsible for those costs under the guarantees.

Increased Cost Provisions. In United's financing transactions that include loans in which United is the borrower, United 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 with respect to which the interest rate is based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), 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. The Company elected to apply the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification 848, Reference Rate Reform, to contracts and transactions that transitioned from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) to SOFR. The application of this guidance did not have any material impact on the Company's financial statements. At September 30, 2023, the Company had $11.4 billion of floating rate debt with remaining terms of up to approximately 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 approximately 12 years and an aggregate balance of $8.2 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.

Labor. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had approximately 102,000 employees, of whom approximately 83% were represented by various U.S. labor organizations.

In January 2023, the Company's more than 8,000 technicians and related employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ratified an extension to their labor contract with United. The agreement becomes amendable in December 2024 and includes a one-year early opener provision that allows for bargaining on a successor agreement to begin in December 2023.

In May 2023, nearly 30,000 fleet service, passenger service, storekeepers, maintenance instructors and fleet technical instructors and related employees represented by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers ("IAM") ratified five agreements with United. The ratified agreements are effective through 2025. The Company recorded a one-time $48 million expense in conjunction with the ratification. Negotiations with the IAM will continue for agreements to cover security guards in California and central load planners.

In September 2023, the Company's pilots represented by ALPA ratified an agreement with United. The agreement includes numerous work rule changes and pay rate increases during the four-year term. The agreement also includes a provision for a one-time $765 million payment upon ratification.