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NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]  
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

New accounting pronouncements
On March 10, 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The standard requires employers to present the service cost component of the net periodic benefit cost in the same income statement line item as other employee compensation costs arising from services rendered during the period. The other components of net benefit cost, including amortization of prior service cost/credit, and settlement and curtailment effects, are to be included in nonoperating expenses. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted in first fiscal quarters only. The Company does not expect this to have a material impact on Operating income and expects this to have no impact on Net income. The Company will adopt this guidance as of January 1, 2018.

On January 26, 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The standard simplifies the accounting for goodwill impairment by removing Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test (as defined by the FASB), which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation (implied fair value of goodwill) to measure impairment loss. 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 10, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-05, Derivatives and Hedging: Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships. The standard states that the novation of a derivative contract in a hedge accounting relationship does not, in and of itself, require de-designation of the hedge accounting relationship. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein. The Company adopted this standard as of January 1, 2017.

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 recognition 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. 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 after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning 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 $64 million at March 31, 2017, 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. However, based on the Company's full year 2016 results, the estimated impact of this ASU would not have had a material impact on Operating 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.