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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation Southwest Airlines Co. (the “Company”) operates Southwest Airlines, a major domestic airline. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, which include AirTran Holdings, LLC. The Company owns all of the outstanding equity of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (“AirTran Holdings”), the former parent company of AirTran Airways, Inc. (“AirTran Airways”). Throughout these Notes, the Company makes reference to AirTran, which is meant to be inclusive of AirTran Holdings, LLC, the successor to AirTran Holdings, and its subsidiaries, including among others, AirTran Airways. AirTran's final passenger service was on December 28, 2014. All integration costs were incurred in periods prior to 2016. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the results of operations and cash flows for all periods presented and all significant inter-entity balances and transactions have been eliminated. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash in excess of that necessary for operating requirements is invested in short-term, highly liquid, income-producing investments. Investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased are classified as cash and cash equivalents, which primarily consist of certificates of deposit, money market funds, and investment grade commercial paper issued by major corporations and financial institutions. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. As of December 31, 2016, $301 million in net cash collateral deposits were provided by the Company to its fuel hedge counterparties and no cash collateral deposits were held by or provided by the Company to its interest rate hedge counterparties. As of December 31, 2015, $835 million in cash collateral deposits were provided by the Company to its fuel hedge counterparties and no cash collateral deposits were held by or provided by the Company to its interest rate hedge counterparties. Cash collateral amounts provided or held associated with fuel and interest rate derivative instruments are not restricted in any way and earn interest income at an agreed upon rate that approximates the rates earned on short-term securities issued by the U.S. Government. Depending on the fair value of the Company’s fuel and interest rate derivative instruments, the amounts of collateral deposits held or provided at any point in time can fluctuate significantly. See Note 10 for further information on these collateral deposits and fuel derivative instruments. Short-term and Noncurrent Investments Short-term investments consist of investments with original maturities of greater than three months but less than twelve months when purchased. These are primarily short-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and certificates of deposit issued by domestic banks. All of these investments are classified as available-for-sale securities and are stated at fair value, which approximates cost. For all short-term investments, at each reset period or upon reinvestment, the Company accounts for the transaction as Proceeds from sales of short-term investments for the security relinquished, and Purchases of short-investments for the security purchased, in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. Unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, if any, are recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet. Realized net gains and losses on specific investments, if any, are reflected in Interest income in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Income. Both unrealized and realized gains and/or losses associated with investments were immaterial for all years presented. Noncurrent investments consist of investments with maturities of greater than twelve months. Noncurrent investments are included as a component of Other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Accounts and Other Receivables Accounts and other receivables are carried at cost. They primarily consist of amounts due from credit card companies associated with sales of tickets for future travel, and amounts due from business partners in the Company’s frequent flyer program. The allowance for doubtful accounts was immaterial at December 31, 2016 and 2015. In addition, the provision for doubtful accounts and write-offs for 2016, 2015, and 2014 were each immaterial. Inventories Inventories primarily consist of aircraft fuel, flight equipment expendable parts, materials, and supplies. All of these items are carried at average cost, less an allowance for obsolescence. These items are generally charged to expense when issued for use. The reserve for obsolescence was $57 million and $47 million at December 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively. In addition, the Company’s provision for obsolescence and write-offs for 2016, 2015, and 2014 were each immaterial. Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost. Capital expenditures includes payments made for aircraft, other flight equipment, purchase deposits related to future aircraft deliveries, and ground and other property and equipment. Depreciation is provided by the straight-line method to estimated residual values over periods generally ranging from 23 to 25 years for flight equipment, 5 to 30 years for ground property and equipment, and 25 to 30 years, or the expected term of the Company's lease if shorter, for Assets constructed for others, once the asset is placed in service. Residual values estimated for aircraft generally range from 2 to 20 percent, for ground property and equipment generally range from 0 to 10 percent, and for Assets constructed for others range from 17 to 25 percent. Property under capital leases and related obligations are initially recorded at an amount equal to the present value of future minimum lease payments computed on the basis of the Company’s incremental borrowing rate or, when known, the interest rate implicit in the lease. Amortization of property under capital leases is on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in Depreciation and amortization expense. Leasehold improvements generally are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease. Assets constructed for others primarily consists of airport improvement projects, once placed into service, in which the Company is considered the accounting owner of the facilities. See Note 4 for further information. During first quarter 2016, the Company made the decision to further simplify its operations and accelerate the retirement of its less-efficient Classic fleet to no later than third quarter 2017, versus the original scheduled retirement of this fleet that had extended out to 2021. This change in retirement dates is considered a change in estimate and has been accounted for on a prospective basis as of the dates the decisions were finalized. Therefore, the Company has recorded and will record accelerated depreciation expense over the remainder of the useful lives for each Classic aircraft and related parts. See Note 7 for further information regarding the Company's aircraft fleet. The impacts on expense and earnings from this change in assumption for the year ended December 31, 2016 are as follows:
(in millions, except per share amounts) | Year ended December 31, 2016
Depreciation and amortization expense | $ | 123 |
Net income * | $ | (66 | )
Net income per basic share | $ | (0.11 | )
Net income per diluted share | $ | (0.10 | )
* net of profitsharing benefit The estimated impact to Depreciation and amortization expense from this change in assumption for 2017 is an approximate increase of $21 million. The Company evaluates its long-lived assets used in operations for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the undiscounted cash flows to be generated by that asset are less than the carrying amounts of the asset and may not be recoverable. Factors that would indicate potential impairment include, but are not limited to, significant decreases in the market value of the long-lived asset(s), a significant change in the long-lived asset’s physical condition, and operating or cash flow losses associated with the use of the long-lived asset. If an asset is deemed to be impaired, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset book value in relation to its estimated fair value. Aircraft and Engine Maintenance The cost of scheduled inspections and repairs and routine maintenance costs for all aircraft and engines are charged to Maintenance materials and repairs expense as incurred. The Company also has “power-by-the-hour” agreements related to certain of its aircraft engines with external service providers. Under these agreements, which the Company has determined effectively transfer the risk and create an obligation associated with the maintenance on such engines to the counterparty, expense is recorded commensurate with each hour flown on an engine. In situations where the payments to the counterparty do not sufficiently match the level of services received during the period, expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the agreement based on the Company's best estimate of expected future aircraft utilization. For its engine maintenance contracts that do not transfer risk to the service provider, the Company records expense on a time and materials basis when an engine repair event takes place. Modifications that significantly enhance the operating performance or extend the useful lives of aircraft or engines are capitalized and amortized over the remaining life of the asset. Goodwill and Intangible Assets The Company applies a fair value based impairment test to the carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets annually on October 1st, or more frequently if certain events or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss may have been incurred. The Company assesses the value of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets under either a qualitative or quantitative approach. Under a qualitative approach, the Company considers various market factors, including applicable key assumptions listed below. These factors are analyzed to determine if events and circumstances could reasonably have affected the fair value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. If the Company determines that it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, the quantitative approach is used to assess the asset’s implied fair value and the amount of the impairment. Under a quantitative approach, the implied fair value of the Company's identifiable assets and liabilities is calculated based on key assumptions. If the Company assets' carrying value exceeds the fair value calculated using the quantitative approach, an impairment charge is recorded for the difference in fair value and carrying value. The following table is a summary of the Company’s intangible assets, which are included as a component of Other assets in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet, as of December 31, 2016 and 2015:
|  |  | Year ended December 31, 2016 |  | Year ended December 31, 2015
(in millions) | Weighted-average useful life (in years) |  | Gross carrying amount |  | Accumulated amortization |  | Gross carrying amount |  | Accumulated Amortization
Customer relationships/marketing agreements | 9 |  |  | $ | 38 |  |  | $ | 32 |  |  | $ | 38 |  |  | $ | 30 |
Trademarks/trade names | 6 |  |  | 36 |  |  | 36 |  |  | 36 |  |  | 34 |
Owned domestic slots (a) | Indefinite |  |  | 295 |  |  | — |  |  | 303 |  |  | n/a |
Leased domestic slots (a) | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 17 |  |  | 3 |
Gate leasehold rights (b) | 15 |  |  | 180 |  |  | 55 |  |  | 180 |  |  | 43 |
Total | 13 |  |  | $ | 549 |  |  | $ | 123 |  |  | $ | 574 |  |  | $ | 110 |
(a) The Company recorded a $21 million impairment associated with owned and leased slots at Newark Liberty International Airport as a result of the FAA announcement, in April 2016, that this airport was being changed to a Level 2 schedule-facilitated airport from its previous designation as Level 3. (b) Intangible assets primarily consist of acquired leasehold rights to certain airport owned gates, takeoff and landing slots (a “slot” is the right of an air carrier, pursuant to regulations of the FAA, to operate a takeoff or landing at a specific time at certain airports) at certain domestic slot-controlled airports, and certain intangible assets acquired. The aggregate amortization expense for 2016, 2015, and 2014 was $17 million, $19 million, and $13 million, respectively. Estimated aggregate amortization expense for the five succeeding years and thereafter is as follows: 2017 – $13 million, 2018 – $13 million, 2019 – $13 million, 2020 – $12 million, 2021 – $12 million, and thereafter – $68 million. Revenue Recognition Tickets sold are initially deferred as Air traffic liability. Passenger revenue is recognized when transportation is provided. Air traffic liability primarily represents tickets sold for future travel dates and funds that are past flight date and remain unused. The majority of the Company’s tickets sold are nonrefundable. Refundable tickets that are sold but not flown on the travel date can be reused for another flight, up to a year from the date of sale, or refunded. A small percentage of tickets (or partial tickets) expire unused. The Company estimates the amount of tickets that expire unused and recognizes such amounts in Passenger revenue using the redemption method based on the scheduled flight date. Southwest has a No Show policy that applies to certain nonrefundable fares that are not canceled or changed by a Customer at least ten minutes prior to a flight's scheduled departure. Based on the Company's revenue recognition policy, revenue is recorded at the flight date for a Customer who does not change his/her itinerary and loses his/her funds. Amounts collected from passengers for ancillary service fees are generally recognized as Other revenue when the service is provided, which is typically the flight date. The Company's policy is to record revenue for the estimated spoilage of tickets (including partial tickets) once the flight date has passed, under the redemption method. Initial spoilage estimates are routinely adjusted and ultimately finalized once the tickets expire, which is typically twelve months after the original purchase date. Spoilage estimates are based on the Customers' historical travel behavior as well as assumptions about the Customers' future travel behavior. Assumptions used to generate spoilage estimates can be impacted by several factors including, but not limited to: fare increases, fare sales, changes to the Company's ticketing policies, changes to the Company’s refund, exchange and unused funds policies, and economic factors. The Company is also required to collect certain taxes and fees from Customers on behalf of government agencies and remit these back to the applicable governmental entity on a periodic basis. These taxes and fees include foreign and U.S. federal transportation taxes, federal security charges, and airport passenger facility charges. These items are collected from Customers at the time they purchase their tickets, but are not included in Passenger revenue. The Company records a liability upon collection from the Customer and relieves the liability when payments are remitted to the applicable governmental agency. Frequent Flyer Program The Company records a liability for the estimated incremental cost of providing free travel under its frequent flyer program for all amounts earned from flight activity that are expected to be redeemed for future travel. The estimated incremental cost includes direct passenger costs such as fuel, food, and other operational costs, but does not include any contribution to fixed overhead costs or profit. Southwest also sells frequent flyer points and related services to companies participating in its frequent flyer program. Historically, until July 1, 2015, funds received from the sale of points associated with these agreements were accounted for under the residual method. Under this method, the Company estimated the portion of the amounts received from the sale of frequent flyer points that related to free travel and these amounts were deferred and recognized as Passenger revenue when the ultimate free travel awards were flown. Effective July 1, 2015, the Company entered into 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. This material modification triggered an accounting change under ASU 2009-13, which was recorded on a prospective basis. The impact of the accounting change is that 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 deliverables (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). The Company records passenger revenue related to air transportation and 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 adjust the existing deferred revenue balance, classified within Air traffic liability, 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) was lower than the rate at which it had been deferred under the residual method, and the Company recorded a one-time, non-cash adjustment to decrease frequent flyer deferred revenue and increase revenue through the recording of a Special revenue adjustment of $172 million in 2015. The estimated impacts on revenue and earnings associated with the Agreement and this change in accounting principle recognized subsequent to the effective date of July 1, 2015, are as follows:
(in millions, except per share amounts) | Year ended December 31, 2016 |  | Year ended December 31, 2015
Passenger revenue | $ | (250 | ) |  | $ | (89 | )
Special revenue adjustment | — |  |  | 172 |
Other revenue | 794 |  |  | 344 |
Operating revenues | $ | 544 |  |  | $ | 427 |
Net income | $ | 293 |  |  | $ | 227 |
Net income per basic share | $ | 0.47 |  |  | $ | 0.34 |
Net income per diluted share | $ | 0.46 |  |  | $ | 0.34 |
For all points sold to business partners that are expected to expire unused, the Company recognizes spoilage in accordance with the redemption method. The Company’s consolidated liability associated with the sale of frequent flyer points, was approximately $1.4 billion and $1.3 billion as of December 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively, which is classified within Air traffic liability. During fourth quarter 2014, the Company obtained sufficient historical behavioral data to develop a predictive statistical model to analyze the amount of spoilage expected for points sold to business partners, which indicated an increase in the expected spoilage rate. This change in estimate was recorded on a prospective basis, as of October 1, 2014. The impacts on revenue and earnings were as follows:
(in millions, except per share amounts) |  | Year ended December 31, 2015 | Year ended December 31, 2014
Passenger revenue |  | $ | 115 |  | $ | 55 |
Net income |  | $ | 61 |  | $ | 29 |
Net income per basic share |  | $ | 0.09 |  | $ | 0.04 |
Net income per diluted share |  | $ | 0.09 |  | $ | 0.04 |
The Company continues to evaluate annually in October, but these analyses have not resulted in a material adjustment. Advertising Advertising costs are charged to expense as incurred. Advertising and promotions expense for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014 was $232 million, $218 million, and $207 million, respectively, and is included as a component of Other operating expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Income. Share-based Employee Compensation The Company has share-based compensation plans covering certain Employees, including a plan that also covers the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company accounts for share-based compensation based on its grant date fair value. See Note 9 for further information. Financial Derivative Instruments The Company accounts for financial derivative instruments at fair value and applies hedge accounting rules where appropriate. The Company utilizes various derivative instruments, including jet fuel, crude oil, unleaded gasoline, and heating oil-based derivatives, to attempt to reduce the risk of its exposure to jet fuel price increases. These instruments consist primarily of purchased call options, collar structures, call spreads, put spreads, and fixed price swap agreements, and upon proper qualification are accounted for as cash-flow hedges. The Company also has interest rate swap agreements to convert a portion of its fixed-rate debt to floating rates and has swap agreements that convert certain floating-rate debt to a fixed-rate. These interest rate hedges are appropriately designated as either fair value hedges or as cash flow hedges. Since the majority of the Company’s financial derivative instruments are not traded on a market exchange, the Company estimates their fair values. Depending on the type of instrument, the values are determined by the use of present value methods or option value models with assumptions about commodity prices based on those observed in underlying markets. Also, since there is not a reliable forward market for jet fuel, the Company must estimate the future prices of jet fuel in order to measure the effectiveness of the hedging instruments in offsetting changes to those prices. Forward jet fuel prices are estimated through utilization of a statistical-based regression equation with data from market forward prices of like commodities. This equation is then adjusted for certain items, such as transportation costs, that are stated in the Company’s fuel purchasing contracts with its vendors. For the effective portion of settled fuel hedges, the Company records the associated gains or losses as a component of Fuel and oil expense in the Consolidated Statement of Income. For amounts representing ineffectiveness, as defined, or changes in fair value of derivative instruments for which hedge accounting is not applied, the Company records any gains or losses as a component of Other (gains) losses, net, in the Consolidated Statement of Income. Amounts that are paid or received in connection with the purchase or sale of financial derivative instruments (i.e., premium costs of option contracts) are classified as a component of Other (gains) losses, net, in the Consolidated Statement of Income in the period in which the instrument settles or expires. All cash flows associated with purchasing and selling derivatives are classified as operating cash flows in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, within Changes in certain assets and liabilities. See Note 10 for further information on hedge accounting and financial derivative instruments. The Company classifies its cash collateral provided to or held from counterparties in a “net” presentation on the Consolidated Balance Sheet against the fair value of the derivative positions with those counterparties. See Note 10 for further information. Software Capitalization The Company capitalizes certain internal and external costs related to the acquisition and development of internal use software during the application development stages of projects. The Company amortizes these costs using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which is typically five to fifteen years. Costs incurred during the preliminary project or the post-implementation/operation stages of the project are expensed as incurred. Capitalized computer software, included as a component of Ground property and equipment in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet, net of accumulated depreciation, was $544 million and $378 million at December 31, 2016, and 2015, respectively. Computer software depreciation expense was $111 million, $106 million, and $122 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively, and is included as a component of Depreciation and amortization expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Income. The Company evaluates internal use software for impairment on a quarterly basis; if it is determined the value of an asset was not recoverable or it qualifies for impairment, a charge would be recorded to write down the software to the lower of its carrying value or fair value. The Company had no significant impairments during 2016, 2015, or 2014. Income Taxes The Company accounts for deferred income taxes utilizing an asset and liability method, whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the tax effect of temporary differences between the financial statements and the tax basis of assets and liabilities, as measured by current enacted tax rates. The Company also evaluates the need for a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to estimated recoverable amounts. See "Basis of Presentation" for further information on current presentation of deferred income taxes. The Company’s policy for recording interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions is to record such items as a component of income before income taxes. Penalties are recorded in Other (gains) losses, net, and interest paid or received is recorded in Interest expense or Interest income, respectively, in the Consolidated Statement of Income. Amounts recorded for penalties and interest related to uncertain tax positions were immaterial for all years presented. See Note 14 for further information. Concentration Risk Approximately 83 percent of the Company’s full-time equivalent Employees are unionized and are covered by collective-bargaining agreements. A small percentage of the Company's unionized Employees, including its Mechanics, Material Specialists, and Facilities Maintenance Technicians, are in discussions on labor agreements. These Employee groups represent approximately five percent of the Company’s full-time equivalent Employees as of December 31, 2016. The Company attempts to minimize its concentration risk with regards to its cash, cash equivalents, and its investment portfolio. This is accomplished by diversifying and limiting amounts among different counterparties, the type of investment, and the amount invested in any individual security or money market fund. To manage risk associated with financial derivative instruments held, the Company selects and will periodically review counterparties based on credit ratings, limits its exposure to a single counterparty, and monitors the market position of the program and its relative market position with each counterparty. The Company also has agreements with counterparties containing early termination rights and/or bilateral collateral provisions whereby security is required if market risk exposure exceeds a specified threshold amount or credit ratings fall below certain levels. Collateral deposits provided to or held from counterparties serve to decrease, but not totally eliminate, the credit risk associated with the Company’s hedging program. See Note 10 for further information. As of December 31, 2016, the Company operated an all-Boeing fleet, all of which are variations of the Boeing 737. If the Company were unable to acquire additional aircraft or associated aircraft parts from Boeing, or Boeing were unable or unwilling to make timely deliveries of aircraft or to provide adequate support for its products, the Company’s operations would be materially adversely impacted. In addition, the Company would be materially adversely impacted in the event of a mechanical or regulatory issue associated with the Boeing 737 aircraft type, whether as a result of downtime for part or all of the Company’s fleet, increased maintenance costs, or because of a negative perception by the flying public. The Company is also dependent on sole suppliers for aircraft engines and certain other aircraft parts and would, therefore, also be materially adversely impacted in the event of the unavailability of, or a mechanical or regulatory issue associated with, engines and other parts. The Company has historically entered into agreements with some of its co-brand, payment, and loyalty partners that contain exclusivity aspects which place certain confidential restrictions on the Company from entering into certain arrangements with other payment and loyalty partners. These arrangements generally extend for the terms of the agreements, none of which currently extend beyond May 2022. The Company believes the financial benefits generated by the exclusivity aspects of these arrangements outweigh the risks involved with such agreements.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the basis of presentation and significant accounting policies concepts. Basis of presentation describes the underlying basis used to prepare the financial statements (for example, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting, IFRS). Accounting policies describe all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. + References No definition available. + Details
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