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NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]  
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS AND ACCOUNTING CHANGES
    
On August 26, 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows. The standard is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the new guidance, but does not expect it to have a significant impact on its financial statement presentation or results.

On June 16, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Accounting for Credit Losses. The new standard requires the use of an “expected loss” model on certain types of financial instruments. The standard also amends the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and requires estimated credit losses to be recorded as allowances instead of reductions to amortized cost of the securities. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the new guidance, but does not expect it to have a significant impact on its financial statement presentation or results.

On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The standard is part of the FASB effort to simplify various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted in any interim or annual period, with any adjustments reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company early adopted this standard during the three months ended June 30, 2016, with an effective date as of January 1, 2016. The prospective method of adoption of this standard resulted in the recognition of $7 million of excess tax benefits to the Company's income tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2016.

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company believes the most significant impact of this ASU on its accounting will be the presentation of operating leases with durations greater than twelve months, with certain exceptions, on the balance sheet. A portion of the Company's aircraft fleet is on operating lease, and it has contractual lease agreements associated with the majority of space from which it operates at the airports it serves. See Note 7 for more information on the Company's lease arrangements. The Company has formed a project team to evaluate and implement the standard and plans to provide additional information about its expected financial impact at a future date.

On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued 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 has formed a project team to evaluate and implement the standard, and currently 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 liabilities associated with Customer flight points with a relative fair value approach, resulting in a significant increase in the liabilities. The Company's liabilities associated with these flight points was $63 million at December 31, 2016, and the Company currently estimates that applying a relative fair value would increase the liabilities by approximately twenty times that value. The adoption of the new standard is also expected to result in different income statement classification for certain types of revenues, such as ancillary revenues, which are currently classified as Other revenues. The Company currently anticipates utilizing the full retrospective method of adoption allowed by the standard, in order to provide for comparative results in all periods presented, and plans to adopt the standard as of January 1, 2018. The Company is continuing to evaluate the new guidance both internally and through its participation in an industry working group, and plans to provide additional information at a future date.