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SPECIAL ITEMS SPECIAL ITEMS | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
SPECIAL ITEMS [Abstract] |
Unusual or Infrequent Items Disclosure [Text Block] | SPECIAL ITEMS In 2016, the Company recognized special items of $117 million for merger-related costs associated with its acquisition of Virgin America. Costs classified as merger-related are directly attributable to merger activities. $39 million of these costs were not deductible under U.S. federal tax law, as discussed in Note 7. The Company also recognized a special tax expense of $17 million representing the impact of adjustments to the Company's position on income sourcing in various states. In 2015, the Company recognized special items of $32 million in aggregate. The special items comprise an expense of $14 million for a lump sum settlements offered to terminated and vested participants in the qualified defined benefit pension plans and a litigation-related matter. See Note 8 for more information regarding the pension settlement charge. The Company also recognized a special tax benefit of $26 million representing the discrete impacts of adjustments to the Company's position on income sourcing in various states. In 2014, the Company recognized special items of $30 million. As discussed in Note 8, a $20 million benefit was recognized related to the curtailment of certain postretirement benefit plans. Furthermore, in 2014 the Company recorded a one-time gain of $10 million associated with the settlement of a legal matter.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for an event or transaction that is unusual in nature or infrequent in occurrence, or both. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 225 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64828382&loc=d3e15138-107781 + Details
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