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CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING OR ESTIMATES AND NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2015
Change in Accounting Estimate [Abstract] |
CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING OR ESTIMATES AND NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS | CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING OR ESTIMATES AND NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS New accounting pronouncements On February 18, 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") and the International Accounting Standards Board issued a final standard that amends the current consolidation guidance. The standard amends both the variable interest entity and voting interest entity consolidation models. The standard is effective for public reporting entities in fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and early adoption is permitted. Once adopted, the Company will need to assess the potential for entity consolidation under a new consolidation model; however, the Company does not believe this will result in changes to its previous consolidation conclusions. The Company will adopt this new standard during first quarter 2016, but does not expect it to have a significant impact. On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Following the FASB's finalization of a one year deferral of this standard, the ASU is now effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2016. The Company believes the most significant impact of this ASU on its accounting will be the elimination of the incremental cost method for frequent flyer accounting, which will require the Company to re-value its liability earned by Customers associated with flight points with a relative fair value approach. The Company is continuing to evaluate the new guidance and plans to provide additional information about its expected financial impact at a future date. Changes in accounting or estimates During July 2015, the Company executed an amended co-branded credit card agreement (“Agreement”) with Chase Bank USA, N.A. (“Chase”), through which the Company sells loyalty points and other items to Chase. The Company's Rapid Rewards program members ("Members") are able to accrue loyalty points based on purchases using the Chase co-branded Southwest Visa credit card. The Agreement materially modifies the previously existing agreement between Chase and the Company. Consideration received as part of this Agreement is subject to ASU 2009-13, "Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements - a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force". Historically, funds received from the sale of points associated with these agreements were accounted for under the residual method. Under the residual method, the Company estimated the portion from frequent flyer points sold associated with Southwest’s co-branded Chase Visa credit card that related to free travel. The estimated amounts associated with free travel were deferred and recognized as Passenger revenue when the ultimate free travel awards were flown. Under the residual method, the Company estimated that 100 percent of the amount received from frequent flyer points sold were related to free travel. The modified Agreement has the following multiple elements: travel points to be awarded; use of the Southwest Airlines’ brand and access to Rapid Reward Member lists; advertising elements; and the Company’s resource team. Under ASU 2009-13, these deliverables are accounted for separately, and allocation of consideration from the Agreement is determined based on the relative stand-alone selling price of each deliverable. As compared to the residual method, the application of ASU 2009-13 to the Agreement decreases the relative value of the air transportation deliverables that the Company records as deferred revenue (and ultimately Passenger revenues when redeemed awards are flown) and increases the relative value of the marketing-related deliverables recorded in Other revenues at the time these marketing-related deliverables are provided. Significant management judgment was used to estimate the stand-alone selling price of each of the deliverables. The Company determined the best estimate of selling price by considering multiple inputs and methods including, but not limited to, the estimated selling price of comparable travel, discounted cash flows, brand value, published selling prices, number of points awarded, and the number of points redeemed. The Company estimated the selling prices and volumes over the term of the Agreement in order to determine the allocation of proceeds to each of the multiple deliverables. The Company records Passenger revenue related to (i) air transportation and (ii) certificates for discounted companion travel when the transportation is delivered. The other elements are recognized as Other - net revenue when earned. The Company followed the transition approach of ASU 2009-13, which required that the Company's existing deferred revenue balance, classified within Air traffic liability, be adjusted to reflect the value, on a relative selling price basis, of any undelivered element remaining at the date of contract modification. The relative selling price of the undelivered element (air transportation) is lower than the rate at which it had been deferred under the previous contract and the Company recorded a one-time, non-cash adjustment to decrease frequent flyer deferred revenue and increase Special revenue adjustment. In addition, the Agreement and the resulting application of ASU 2009-13 are expected to result in an acceleration of the timing of Operating revenues on a prospective basis relative to the Company's previous application of the residual method due to assigning a higher value to the non-transportation elements of the Agreement than under the residual method. The impacts on revenue and earnings from this change in accounting principle are as follows:
(in millions, except per share amounts) | Three months ended September 30, 2015 |  | Nine months ended September 30, 2015
Passenger revenue | $ | (40 | ) |  | $ | (40 | )
Special revenue adjustment | 172 |  |  | 172 |
Other revenue | 171 |  |  | 171 |
Operating revenues | $ | 303 |  |  | $ | 303 |
Net income | $ | 161 |  |  | $ | 161 |
Net income per basic share | $ | 0.25 |  |  | $ | 0.24 |
Net income per diluted share | $ | 0.24 |  |  | $ | 0.24 |
During fourth quarter 2014, the Company increased the amount of spoilage recorded associated with frequent flyer points sold to business partners as a result of continued monitoring of Member redemption activity and behavior under its Rapid Rewards program. Based on a sufficient amount of historical data and Member attributes observed since the new program was launched in 2011, the Company developed a predictive statistical model to analyze the amount of spoilage expected. In estimating spoilage, the Company takes into account the Member’s past behavior, as well as several factors that are expected to be indicative of the likelihood of future point redemption. These factors include, but are not limited to, tenure with program, points accrued in the program, and whether or not the Customer has a co-branded credit card. This change in estimate was recorded on a prospective basis, effective October 1, 2014. As a result of its annual update the Company will prospectively apply a slight decrease in the rate beginning as of October 1, 2015; however, the precise revenue impact will not be determinable until the actual number of point redemptions for the period is known. The Company will continue to monitor all factors that influence spoilage and Member behavior in order to determine its best estimate of expected spoilage. The impacts on revenue and earnings for the lower rate applied in fourth quarter 2014 are as follows:
(in millions, except per share amounts) | Three months ended September 30, 2015 |  | Nine months ended September 30, 2015
Passenger revenue | $ | 30 |  |  | $ | 115 |
Net income | $ | 16 |  |  | $ | 61 |
Net income per basic share | $ | 0.02 |  |  | $ | 0.09 |
Net income per diluted share | $ | 0.02 |  |  | $ | 0.09 |

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- Definition The entire disclosure for reporting accounting changes and error corrections. It includes the conveyance of information necessary for a user of the Company's financial information to understand all aspects and required disclosure information concerning all changes and error corrections reported in the Company's financial statements for the period. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 7 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=56949863&loc=d3e22644-107794 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 23 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6368906&loc=d3e21914-107793 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=56949863&loc=d3e22595-107794 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=56949863&loc=d3e22499-107794 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 250 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 1.N.Q3) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26874127&loc=d3e30840-122693 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) -Number Topic 1 -Section N + Details
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