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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies |
Commitments and Contingencies | (5) Commitments and Contingencies Lease Obligations The Company leases 415 aircraft, as well as airport facilities, office space, and various other property and equipment under non‑cancelable operating leases which are generally on a long‑term net rent basis where the Company pays taxes, maintenance, insurance and certain other operating expenses applicable to the leased property. The following table summarizes future minimum rental payments required under operating leases that have non‑cancelable lease terms as of December 31, 2016 (in thousands):
2017 |  | $ | 191,292 |
2018 |  |  | 155,799 |
2019 |  |  | 123,308 |
2020 |  |  | 135,386 |
2021 |  |  | 112,535 |
Thereafter |  |  | 236,503 |
|  | $ | 954,823 |
The majority of the Company’s leased aircraft are owned and leased through trusts whose sole purpose is to purchase, finance and lease these aircraft to the Company; therefore, they meet the criteria of a variable interest entity. However, since these are single owner trusts in which the Company does not participate, the Company is not considered at risk for losses and is not considered the primary beneficiary. As a result, the Company has not consolidated any of these trusts or any other entities in applying the accounting guidance. The Company’s management believes that the Company’s maximum exposure under these leases is the remaining lease payments. The Company’s leveraged lease agreements typically obligate the Company to indemnify the equity/owner participant against liabilities that may arise due to changes in benefits from tax ownership of the respective leased aircraft. The terms of these contracts range up to nine years. The Company did not accrue any liability relating to the indemnification to the equity/owner participant because of management’s assessment that the probability of this occurring is remote. Total rental expense for non-cancelable aircraft operating leases was approximately $262.6 million, $273.7 million and $305.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The minimum rental expense for airport station rents was approximately $31.4 million, $35.1 million and $29.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Self‑insurance The Company self‑insures a portion of its potential losses from claims related to workers’ compensation, environmental issues, property damage, medical insurance for employees and general liability. Losses are accrued based on an estimate of the ultimate aggregate liability for claims incurred, using standard industry practices and the Company’s actual experience. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Legal Matters The Company is subject to certain legal actions which it considers routine to its business activities. As of December 31, 2016, management believed, after consultation with legal counsel, that the ultimate outcome of such legal matters was not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, liquidity or results of operations. Concentration Risk and Significant Customers The Company requires no collateral from its major airline partners or customers, but monitors the financial condition of its major airline partners. Under the majority of the Company’s code-share agreements, the Company receives weekly payments from its major code-share partners that approximate a significant percentage of the compensation earned for such period. Additionally, the Company provides certain customer service functions at multiple airports for various airlines and the Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable based upon expected collectability of all accounts receivable. The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts totaled $173,000 and $187,000 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company’s contractual relationships with Delta and United combined accounted for approximately 85.4%, 86.9% and 88.7%, respectively of the Company’s total revenues. Employees Under Collective Bargaining Agreements As of December 31, 2016, the Company had approximately 16,900 full‑time equivalent employees. Approximately 33.4% of these employees were represented by unions, including the following employee groups. Notwithstanding the completion of the ExpressJet Combination, ExpressJet’s employee groups continue to be represented by those unions who provided representation prior to the ExpressJet Combination. Accordingly, the following table refers to ExpressJet’s employee groups based upon their union affiliations prior to the ExpressJet Combination.
|  | Approximate |  |  |  |  |
|  | Number of |  |  |  |  |
|  | Active Employees |  |  |  | Status of |
Employee Group |  | Represented |  | Representatives |  | Agreement |
Atlantic Southeast Pilots |  | 1,238 |  | Air Line Pilots Association International |  | Amendable February 2018 |
Atlantic Southeast Flight Attendants |  | 833 |  | International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers |  | Currently Amendable |
Atlantic Southeast Flight Controllers |  | 68 |  | Transport Workers Union of America |  | Currently Amendable |
Atlantic Southeast Mechanics |  | 366 |  | International Brotherhood of Teamsters |  | Currently Amendable |
Atlantic Southeast Stock Clerks |  | 35 |  | International Brotherhood of Teamsters |  | Currently Amendable |
ExpressJet Delaware Pilots |  | 1496 |  | Air Line Pilots Association International |  | Amendable February 2018 |
ExpressJet Delaware Flight Attendants |  | 783 |  | International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers |  | Currently Amendable |
ExpressJet Delaware Mechanics |  | 730 |  | International Brotherhood of Teamsters |  | Currently Amendable |
ExpressJet Delaware Dispatchers |  | 47 |  | Transport Workers Union of America |  | Currently Amendable |
ExpressJet Delaware Stock Clerks |  | 47 |  | International Brotherhood of Teamsters |  | Currently Amendable |
In February 2016, the Atlantic Southeast Pilots and the ExpressJet Delaware Pilots ratified a two-year contract extension to their respective labor agreements.

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