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INCOME TAXES (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] |
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block] | Deferred tax (assets) and liabilities comprise the following (in millions):
| 2015 |  | 2014
Excess of tax over book depreciation | $ | 1,110 |  |  | $ | 1,042 |
Other—net | 23 |  |  | 22 |
Gross deferred tax liabilities | 1,133 |  |  | 1,064 |
Mileage Plan | (208 | ) |  | (206 | )
Inventory obsolescence | (22 | ) |  | (20 | )
Deferred gains | (8 | ) |  | (10 | )
Employee benefits | (167 | ) |  | (166 | )
Fuel hedge contracts | (5 | ) |  | (5 | )
Other—net | (41 | ) |  | (24 | )
Gross deferred tax assets | (451 | ) |  | (431 | )
Net deferred tax liabilities | $ | 682 |  |  | $ | 633 |
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block] | The components of income tax expense were as follows (in millions):
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Current tax expense: |  |  |  |  |
Federal | $ | 397 |  |  | $ | 229 |  |  | $ | 145 |
State | 30 |  |  | 27 |  |  | 17 |
Total current | 427 |  |  | 256 |  |  | 162 |
Deferred tax expense: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Federal | 60 |  |  | 103 |  |  | 131 |
State | (23 | ) |  | 11 |  |  | 15 |
Total deferred | 37 |  |  | 114 |  |  | 146 |
Income tax expense | $ | 464 |  |  | $ | 370 |  |  | $ | 308 |
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block] | Income tax expense reconciles to the amount computed by applying the U.S. federal rate of 35% to income before income tax and accounting change as follows (in millions):
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Income before income tax | $ | 1,312 |  |  | $ | 975 |  |  | $ | 816 |
Expected tax expense | 459 |  |  | 341 |  |  | 286 |
Nondeductible expenses | 4 |  |  | 4 |  |  | 4 |
State income taxes | 19 |  |  | 25 |  |  | 21 |
State income sourcing | (15 | ) |  | — |  |  | — |
Other—net | (3 | ) |  | — |  |  | (3 | )
Actual tax expense | $ | 464 |  |  | $ | 370 |  |  | $ | 308 |
Effective tax rate | 35.4 | % |  | 37.9 | % |  | 37.7 | %
Summary of Income Tax Contingencies [Table Text Block] | A summary of the Company's jurisdictions and the periods that are subject to examination are as follows:
Jurisdiction | Period
Federal | 2012 to 2014
Alaska | 2012 to 2014
California | 2010 to 2014
Oregon | 2003 to 2014*
*The 2003, 2004, 2008-2010 and 2011 Oregon tax returns are subject to examination only to the extent of net operating loss carryforwards from those years that were utilized in 2010 and later years. Changes in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits during 2015, 2014, and 2013 are as follows (in millions):
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Balance at January 1, | $ | 3 |  |  | $ | 2 |  |  | $ | 1 |
Additions based on tax positions and settlements related to the current year | 19 |  |  | 1 |  |  | 1 |
Balance at December 31, | $ | 22 |  |  | $ | 3 |  |  | $ | 2 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the reconciliation using percentage or dollar amounts of the reported amount of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for the year to the amount of income tax expense that would result from applying domestic federal statutory tax rates to pretax income from continuing operations. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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