COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

The Company has contractual obligations and commitments primarily with regard to future purchases of aircraft, repayment of debt, and lease arrangements. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company purchased 19 new 737-800 aircraft from Boeing and eight used 737-700 aircraft from third parties. In addition, the Company also leased 16 737-700 aircraft from third parties, and retired from service four of its older aircraft (two 737-300 and two 737-500).

In December 2015, the Company and Boeing agreed to modify the existing schedule of future aircraft commitments to reflect 33 additional -800s, and the conversion of its remaining 25 -700 firm orders to -800s. In addition, two pre-owned -700s were added to its delivery schedule. A total of six additional options were added to the schedule as well. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had firm deliveries and options for Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 737 MAX 7, and 737 MAX 8 aircraft as follows:



	The Boeing Company 737 NG				The Boeing Company 737 MAX
	-800 Firm Orders	Options	Additional -700 A/C		-7 Firm Orders	-8 Firm Orders		Options	Total
2016	36	—	17		—	—		—	53
2017	35	—	14		—	14		—	63
2018	18	18	4		—	13		—	53
2019	—	—	—		15	10		—	25
2020	—	—	—		14	22		—	36
2021	—	—	—		1	33		18	52
2022	—	—	—		—	30		19	49
2023	—	—	—		—	24		23	47
2024	—	—	—		—	24		23	47
2025	—	—	—		—	—		36	36
2026	—	—	—		—	—		36	36
2027	—	—	—		—	—		36	36
Total	89	18	35	(b)	30	170	(a)	191	533

(a) The Company has flexibility to substitute MAX 7 in lieu of MAX 8 firm orders beginning in 2019.

(b) To be acquired in leases from various third parties.

The Company's financial commitments associated with the Boeing firm orders and additional scheduled deliveries in the above aircraft table are as follows: $1.1 billion in 2016, $1.3 billion in 2017, $1.1 billion in 2018, $1.2 billion in 2019, $1.5 billion in 2020, and $4.4 billion thereafter.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

In December 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with Broward County, Florida, which owns and operates Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, to oversee and manage the design and construction of the airport's Terminal 1 Modernization Project at a cost not to exceed $295 million. In addition to significant improvements to the existing Terminal 1, the project includes the design and construction of a new five-gate Concourse A with an international processing facility. Funding for the project will come directly from Broward County sources, but will flow through the Company in its capacity as manager of the project. Major construction on the project began during third quarter 2015 and is estimated to be completed during 2017. The Company believes that, due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the project, it is considered the owner of the project for accounting purposes. As such, during construction, the Company records expenditures as Assets constructed for others in the Consolidated Balance Sheet, along with a corresponding outflow within Assets constructed for others in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, and an increase to Construction obligation (with a corresponding cash inflow from Financing activities in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows) as reimbursements are received from Broward County. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had recorded construction costs related to the project of $25 million.

Houston William P. Hobby Airport

The Company entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) with the City of Houston (“City”), effective June 2012, to expand the existing Houston Hobby airport facility. As provided in the MOA, the Company and the City entered into an Airport Use and Lease Agreement (“Lease”) to control the execution of this expansion and the financial terms thereof. Per the MOA and Lease, this project provided a new five-gate international terminal with international passenger processing facilities, expansion of the security checkpoint, and upgrades to the Southwest Airlines ticket counter area. The project cost approximately $156 million, and the Company provided the funding for, as well as management over, the project. In return, the capital cost portion of the rent the Company pays for the international facility is waived from the initial occupancy until the expiration of the Lease. However, at any point following completion of the project, the City has the option to reimburse the Company's investment at the then-unamortized cost of the facility. This purchase would trigger payment of the previously waived capital cost component of rents owed the City. Additionally, a small portion of the project qualified for rental credits that will be utilized against the Company’s 2016 lease payments at the airport. Construction was effectively completed in October 2015, at which time the Company began operating from the new facility.

As a result of its significant involvement in the Houston Hobby project, the Company determined that it is the owner of the facility for accounting purposes. As such, during construction, the Company recorded expenditures as Assets constructed for others in the Consolidated Balance Sheet, along with a corresponding outflow within Assets constructed for others, in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had recorded construction costs related to Houston Hobby of $146 million.

Los Angeles International Airport

In March 2013, the Company executed a lease agreement with Los Angeles World Airports (“LAWA”), which owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport ("LAX"). Under the lease agreement, which was amended in June 2014, the Company is overseeing and managing the design, development, financing, construction and commissioning of the airport's Terminal 1 Modernization Project (the “Project”) at a cost not to exceed $526 million. The Project is being funded primarily using the Regional Airports Improvement Corporation ("RAIC"), which is a quasi-governmental special purpose entity that acts as a conduit borrower under a syndicated credit facility provided by a group of lenders. Loans made under the credit facility are being used to fund the development of the Project, and the outstanding loans will be repaid with the proceeds of LAWA’s payments to purchase completed Project phases. The Company has guaranteed the obligations of the RAIC under the credit facility. Construction on the Project began during 2014 and is estimated to be completed during 2018. The Company believes that, due to its agreed upon role in overseeing and managing the Project, it is considered the owner of the Project for accounting purposes. LAWA will reimburse the Company for the non-proprietary renovations, while the Company will not be reimbursed for proprietary renovations. As a result, the $196 million of costs incurred as of December 31, 2015, are included within Assets constructed for others, and all amounts that have been or will be reimbursed will be included within Construction obligation on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Dallas Love Field

During 2008, the City of Dallas approved the Love Field Modernization Program (“LFMP”), a project to reconstruct Dallas Love Field with modern, convenient air travel facilities. Pursuant to a Program Development Agreement with the City of Dallas and the Love Field Airport Modernization Corporation (or “LFAMC,” a Texas non-profit “local government corporation” established by the City of Dallas to act on the City of Dallas' behalf to facilitate the development of the LFMP), the Company managed this project. Major construction was effectively completed by December 31, 2014. This project consisted of the complete replacement of gate facilities with a new 20-gate facility, including infrastructure, systems and equipment, aircraft parking apron, fueling system, roadways and terminal curbside, baggage handling systems, passenger loading bridges and support systems, and other supporting infrastructure.

Although the City of Dallas received commitments from various sources that are helping to fund portions of this LFMP project, including the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), the Transportation Security Administration, and the City of Dallas' Aviation Fund, the majority of the funds used were from the issuance of bonds. During fourth quarter 2010, $310 million of such bonds were issued by the LFAMC, and the Company has guaranteed principal and interest payments on the bonds. An additional tranche of such bonds totaling $146 million was issued during second quarter 2012, and the Company has guaranteed the principal and interest payments on these bonds as well.

In conjunction with the Company's significant presence at Dallas Love Field, the Company agreed to manage the majority of the LFMP project. Based on the pertinent factors in place at the time the agreement was made, the Company utilized the accounting guidance provided for lessees involved in asset construction. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had recorded LFMP construction costs of $548 million within Assets constructed for others and had recorded a liability of $536 million within Construction obligation in its Consolidated Balance Sheet. Upon completion of different phases of the LFMP project, the Company has placed the associated assets in service and has begun depreciating the assets over their estimated useful lives. The amount of depreciation recorded for the year ended December 31, 2015, associated with the LFMP assets in service was $36 million. The corresponding LFMP liabilities are being reduced primarily through the Company's airport rental payments to the City of Dallas as the construction costs of the project are passed through to the Company via recurring airport rates and charges. A portion of these payments are reflected as Repayment of construction obligation in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The imputed interest rate associated with construction obligation was nominal for 2015 and 2014. During 2015, the City of Dallas issued additional bonds for the construction of a new parking garage. The Company has not guaranteed the principal or interest payments on these bonds, but remains the accounting owner of this project.

Contingencies

The Company is from time to time subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business, including, but not limited to, examinations by the IRS. The Company's management does not expect that the outcome in any of its currently ongoing legal proceedings or the outcome of any adjustments presented by the IRS, individually or collectively, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, or cash flow.