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COVID-19 Pandemic | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract] |
Impacts of COVID-19 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC The public health and economic crisis resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020 continues to have a significant impact on the Company. Although the relaxation of restrictions by state and local governments and the rollout of vaccination programs have allowed for the return of some demand, passenger enplanements remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels. As a result, we continue to fly far less capacity than normal. Beginning in 2020, the Company implemented various cost-saving initiatives, including permanently parking aircraft, restructuring the workforce through early-out and incentive leave programs, and obtaining funding available under programs offered by the U.S. Treasury. The impacts of these programs for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are described below. Lease Return Costs When 40 leased Aircraft were removed from operating service in 2020, we recorded an estimate of the expected future lease return costs for the aircraft. Lease return costs include the write off of associated maintenance deposits, as the Company no longer expects to perform maintenance events covered by those deposits. The total net charge recorded in 2020 for aircraft that were permanently parked amounted to $209 million. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company recorded an additional $18 million in incremental costs associated with leased aircraft that have been retired and removed from the operating fleet but not yet returned to the lessor, which is classified as Special items - impairment charges and other on the condensed consolidated statement of operations. The lease return cost estimates are based on the Company's best estimate of costs to return aircraft as of the date of this filing. Workforce restructuring The Company continues to expect that demand will remain below pre-pandemic levels in 2021, but will continue rebuilding toward 2019 capacity levels. In response, the Company reduced its workforce in 2020 to better align with the expected size of the business. To mitigate the need for involuntary furloughs, various early-out and voluntary leave programs were made available to all frontline work groups, in addition to incentive leave programs made available to Alaska pilots and mechanics. Through these programs over 600 employees took permanent early-outs, and over 3,300 employees took voluntary or incentive leaves. As of March 31, 2021, approximately 2,800 employees remain on a voluntary leave program. In 2020, as a result of these programs, the Company recorded $220 million in wage expense for those pilots and mechanics on incentive leaves, ongoing medical benefit coverage and lump-sum termination payments. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company refined capacity expectations and training schedules, and delayed certain recalls to a future period beyond what was anticipated in the accrual at December 31, 2020. As a result, an additional expense of $11 million was recorded as Special items - restructuring charges in the condensed consolidated statement of operations during the three months ended March 31, 2021. The table below presents a roll forward of the outstanding voluntary leave liability (in millions):
|  | Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
Total voluntary leave liability balance at January 1 |  | $ | 127 |
Cash payments |  | (47) |
Charges and adjustments |  | 11 |
Total voluntary leave liability balance at March 31 |  | $ | 91 |
The outstanding accrual is based on the Company's best estimate of capacity expectations and training schedules for 2021 as of the date of this filing. The Company will make the majority of the remaining cash payments associated with this liability in 2021. The balance is reflected in accrued wages, benefits and payroll taxes on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. CARES Act Funding During the first quarter of 2021, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee finalized agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) through an extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, made available under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (PSP 2). Under PSP 2 and the supporting agreements, Alaska and Horizon received total funds of approximately $539 million in the first quarter of 2021. Subsequent to March 31, 2021, Alaska and Horizon received notification of an additional $80 million in funds made available under PSP 2. Those additional funds were received on April 29, 2021. On April 29, 2021, Alaska, Horizon and McGee finalized additional agreements with the Treasury under a third round of the PSP, made available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PSP 3). Under PSP 3 and the supporting agreements, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee expect to receive total funds of approximately $584 million in the second quarter of 2021. Of the amounts received during the three months ended March 31, 2021, $136 million represented unsecured debt and was recorded at par, and $8 million represented warrants recorded at fair value using a Black-Scholes model. Both were recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The remaining $403 million was recorded as grant proceeds. These amounts are inclusive of additional funding of $8 million made available to McGee under the first installment of PSP program (PSP 1). The grant is recorded as an offset to wages, salaries and benefits as eligible expenses are incurred. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company recognized $411 million of the PSP grant proceeds as a wage offset. Included within this $411 million is approximately $8 million for employee retention credits as in the CARES Act. The Company expects to record any remaining wage offsets in the second quarter of 2021. Total funds contracted from the Treasury under the three Payroll Support Programs are allocated as follows (in millions):
| Grants |  | Loans |  | Warrants |  | Total Proceeds
PSP 1 | $ | 757 |  |  | $ | 293 |  |  | $ | 9 |  |  | $ | 1,059 |
PSP 2 | 457 |  |  | 159 |  |  | 9 |  |  | 625 |
PSP 3(a) | 431 |  |  | 147 |  |  | 6 |  |  | 584 |
Total | $ | 1,645 |  |  | $ | 599 |  |  | $ | 24 |  |  | $ | 2,268 |
(a) - The Company has reached an agreement for total proceeds to be received under PSP 3, however, the allocation of those proceeds are subject to change based on the final Black-Scholes valuation at the funding date. Funds are exclusively used for continuing to pay employee salaries, wages and benefits. Upon receipt of the funds issued under PSP 3, certain conditions and restrictions were extended. These conditions include, but are not limited to, refraining from conducting involuntary furloughs or reducing employee pay rates through September 30, 2021 and placing limits on executive compensation and severance through April 1, 2023. Alaska Air Group also agreed to continue the suspension of dividends and share repurchases until September 30, 2022.

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