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Flying Agreements Revenue and Airport Customer Service and Other Revenues | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2019
Flying Agreements Revenue and Airport Customer Service and Other Revenues |
Flying Agreements Revenue and Airport Customer Service and Other Revenues | Note 2 — Flying Agreements Revenue and Airport Customer Service and Other Revenues ​ The Company recognizes flying agreements revenue and airport customer service and other revenues when the service is provided under its code-share agreements. Under the Company’s fixed-fee arrangements (referred to as “fixed-fee arrangements,” “fixed-fee contracts” or “capacity purchase agreements”) with Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta”), United Airlines, Inc. (“United”), American Airlines, Inc. (“American”) and Alaska Airlines, Inc. (“Alaska”) (each, a “major airline partner”), the major airline partner generally pays the Company a fixed-fee for each departure, flight hour (measured from takeoff to landing, excluding taxi time) or block hour (measured from takeoff to landing, including taxi time) incurred, and an amount per aircraft in service each month with additional incentives based on flight completion and on-time performance. The major airline partner also directly reimburses the Company for certain direct expenses incurred under the fixed-fee arrangement, such as airport landing fees and airport rents. Under the fixed-fee arrangements, the Company’s performance obligation is met when each flight is completed and is reflected in flying agreements revenue. The transaction price for the fixed-fee agreements is determined from the fixed-fee consideration, incentive consideration and directly reimbursed expenses earned as flights are completed over the agreement term. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, fixed-fee arrangements represented approximately 82.1% of the Company’s flying agreements revenue. Under the Company’s revenue-sharing arrangements (referred to as a “revenue-sharing” or “prorate” arrangement), the major airline partner and the Company negotiate a passenger fare proration formula, pursuant to which the Company receives a percentage of the ticket revenues for those passengers traveling for one portion of their trip on a Company airline and the other portion of their trip on the major airline partner. Under the Company’s prorate flying agreements, the performance obligation is met and revenue is recognized when each flight is completed based upon the portion of the prorate passenger fare the Company anticipates that it will receive for each completed flight. The transaction price for the prorate agreements is determined from the proration formula derived from each passenger ticket amount on each completed flight over the agreement term. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, prorate flying arrangements represented approximately 17.9% of the Company’s flying agreements revenue. Airport customer service and other revenues primarily consist of ground handling functions, such as gate and ramp agent services at applicable airports where the Company provides such services. The transaction price for airport customer service agreements is determined from an agreed-upon rate by location applied to the applicable number of flights handled by the Company over the agreement term. Additionally, airport customer service and other revenues includes revenue generated from aircraft and spare engines leased to third parties. Of the Company’s $5.3 billion of property and equipment, net as of September 30, 2019, $76.7 million of regional jet aircraft and spare engines was leased to third parties under operating leases as of September 30, 2019. The Company mitigates the residual asset risks of these assets by leasing aircraft and engine types that can be operated by the Company in the event of a default. Additionally, the operating leases typically have specified lease return condition requirements paid by the lessee to the Company and the Company typically maintains inspection rights under the leases. The following table summarizes future minimum rental income under operating leases primarily related to leased aircraft that had remaining non-cancelable lease terms as of September 30, 2019 (in thousands):
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October 2019 through December 2019 |  | $ | 4,975 |
2020 | ​ |  | 17,733 | ​
2021 | ​ |  | 17,333 | ​
2022 | ​ |  | 10,775 | ​
2023 | ​ |  | 4,549 | ​
Thereafter | ​ |  | 14,521 | ​
​ | ​ | $ | 69,886 | ​
​ Other ancillary revenues commonly associated with airlines, such as baggage fee revenue, ticket change fee revenue and the marketing component of the sale of mileage credits, are retained by the Company’s major airline partners on flights that the Company operates under its code-share agreements. ​ The following table represents the Company’s flying agreements revenue by type for the three-and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): ​
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​ | ​ | For the three months ended September 30, | ​ | For the nine months ended September 30, | ​
​ |  | 2019 |  | 2018 |  | 2019 |  | 2018 | ​
Capacity purchase agreements revenue: flight operations |  | $ | 385,537 |  | $ | 472,952 |  | $ | 1,155,814 |  | $ | 1,404,801 | ​
Capacity purchase agreements revenue: aircraft lease revenue | ​ | ​ | 207,467 | ​ | ​ | 208,813 | ​ | ​ | 621,526 | ​ | ​ | 599,188 | ​
Prorate agreements revenue | ​ |  | 145,834 | ​ |  | 134,292 | ​ |  | 386,833 | ​ |  | 373,670 | ​
Flying agreements revenue |  | $ | 738,838 |  | $ | 816,057 |  | $ | 2,164,173 |  | $ | 2,377,659 |
​ A portion of the Company’s compensation under its fixed-fee agreements is designed to reimburse the Company for certain aircraft ownership costs. The consideration for aircraft ownership costs varies by agreement but is intended to cover either the Company’s aircraft principal and interest debt service costs, its aircraft depreciation and interest expense or its aircraft lease expense costs while the aircraft is under contract. The consideration received for the use of the aircraft under the Company’s fixed-fee agreements is reflected as lease revenue, inasmuch as the agreements identify the “right of use” of a specific type and number of aircraft over a stated period of time. The lease revenue associated with the Company’s fixed-fee agreements is accounted for as an operating lease and is reflected as flying agreements revenue on the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The Company has not separately stated aircraft rental income and aircraft rental expense in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income since the use of the aircraft is not a separate activity of the total service provided. The Company’s fixed-fee and prorate agreements include weekly provisional cash payments from the respective major airline partner based on a projected level of flying each month. The Company and each major airline partner subsequently reconcile these payments to the actual completed flight activity on a monthly or quarterly basis. In the event a flying agreement includes a mid-term rate reset to adjust rates prospectively and the contractual rates under the Company’s flying agreements have not been finalized at quarterly or annual financial statement dates, the Company applies the variable constraint guidance under ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers, (Topic 606)” (“Topic 606”), where the Company records revenue to the extent it believes that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. ​ In several of the Company’s agreements, the Company is eligible to receive incentive compensation upon the achievement of certain performance criteria. The incentives are defined in the agreements and are measured and determined on a monthly or quarterly basis. At the end of each period during the term of an agreement, the Company calculates the incentives achieved during that period and recognizes revenue attributable to that agreement accordingly, subject to the variable constraint guidance under Topic 606. ​ The following table summarizes the significant provisions of each code-share agreement SkyWest Airlines has with each major airline partner:
|  |  | ​ |  |  |
Delta Connection Agreements
Agreement |  | Aircraft type |  | Number of Aircraft |  | Term / Termination Dates
Delta Connection Agreement (fixed-fee arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 200 • CRJ 700 • CRJ 900 • E175 | ​ | 55 14 43 54 | ​ | • Individual aircraft have scheduled removal dates from 2019 to 2029
Delta Connection Prorate Agreement (revenue-sharing arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 200 | ​ | 28 | ​ | • Terminable with 30-day notice
​
United Express Agreements
Agreement |  | Aircraft type |  | Number of Aircraft |  | Term / Termination Dates
United Express Agreements (fixed-fee arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 200 • CRJ 700 • E175 | ​ | 67 19 65 | ​ | • Individual aircraft have scheduled removal dates from 2020 to 2029
United Express Prorate Agreement (revenue-sharing arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 200 | ​ | 33 | ​ | • Terminable with 120-day notice
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American Agreements
Agreement |  | Aircraft type |  | Number of Aircraft |  | Term / Termination Dates
American Agreement (fixed-fee arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 700 | ​ | 66 | ​ | • Individual aircraft have scheduled removal dates from 2022 to 2025
American Prorate Agreement (revenue-sharing arrangement) | ​ | • CRJ 200 | ​ | 7 | ​ | • Terminable with 120-day notice
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Alaska Capacity Purchase Agreement
Agreement |  | Aircraft type |  | Number of Aircraft |  | Term / Termination Dates
Alaska Agreement (fixed-fee arrangement) | ​ | • E175 | ​ | 32 | ​ | • Individual aircraft have scheduled removal dates from 2027 to 2030
​ In addition to the contractual arrangements described above, SkyWest Airlines has entered into a fixed-fee agreement with Delta to place additional Embraer E175 dual-class regional jet aircraft (“E175”) into service. As of September 30, 2019, the Company was scheduled to take delivery of eleven new E175 aircraft in connection with its agreement with Delta (five aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2019 and six aircraft in 2020). Final delivery dates may be adjusted based on various factors. Each new E175 aircraft will replace either a Canadair CRJ900 regional jet aircraft (“CRJ900”) or a Canadair CRJ700 regional jet aircraft (“CRJ700”) scheduled to expire under SkyWest Airlines’ flying contract with Delta. Separate from these new aircraft deliveries, the Company is scheduled to add six used E175 aircraft to be financed by Delta under the Delta agreement during 2020. ​ SkyWest Airlines also entered into an agreement with Delta to operate 13 CRJ900 aircraft under a fixed-fee agreement. As of September 30, 2019, SkyWest Airlines had placed 12 of these CRJ900 aircraft into service with Delta. The delivery date for the remaining aircraft is expected to take place during 2020. The remaining new CRJ900 aircraft will replace a CRJ700 scheduled to expire under SkyWest Airlines’ flying contract with Delta. ​ SkyWest Airlines also entered into an agreement with American to place ten used CRJ700s under a multi-year contract beginning in late 2019. The Company anticipates acquiring seven CRJ700 aircraft from a third party and internally sourcing three CRJ700 aircraft through upcoming scheduled contract expirations. ​ When an aircraft is scheduled to be removed from a fixed-fee arrangement, the Company may, as practical under the circumstances, negotiate an extension with the respective major airline partner, negotiate the placement of the aircraft with another major airline partner, return the aircraft to the lessor if the aircraft is leased and the lease is expiring, place owned aircraft for sale, or pursue other uses for the aircraft. Other uses for the aircraft may include placing the aircraft in a prorate arrangement, leasing the aircraft to a third party or parting out the aircraft to use the engines and parts as spare inventory or to lease the engines to a third party. ​ The Company’s operating revenues could be impacted by a number of factors, including changes to the Company’s code-share agreements with its major airline partners, contract modifications resulting from contract renegotiations, the Company’s ability to earn incentive payments contemplated under the Company’s code-share agreements and settlement of reimbursement disputes with the Company’s major airline partners.

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