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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Flight Equipment Commitments
As of September 30, 2021, our firm aircraft orders consisted of 64 Airbus A321neo aircraft and 64 Airbus A220 aircraft, scheduled for delivery through 2027. Committed expenditures for these aircraft and related flight equipment, including estimated amounts for contractual price escalations and predelivery deposits as of September 30, 2021 is approximately $0.2 billion for the remainder of 2021, $0.9 billion in 2022, $1.6 billion in 2023, $1.8 billion in 2024, $1.3 billion in 2025, and $1.9 billion thereafter.
In October 2019, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced a 10% tariff on new commercial aircraft and related parts imported from certain European Union member states, which include aircraft and other parts we are already contractually obligated to purchase, including those noted above. The U.S. Trade Representative increased the tariff to 15% effective March 2020. In March 2021, the U.S. Trade Representative announced a four-month suspension of the tariff that was followed by an announcement in June 2021 that the suspension will be extended for five years. We continue to work with our business partners, including Airbus, to evaluate the potential financial and operational impact on our future aircraft deliveries, including after the suspension is lifted. The continued imposition of the tariff could substantially increase the cost of new Airbus aircraft and parts.
Other Commitments
We utilize several credit card processors to process our ticket sales. Our agreements with these processors do not contain covenants, but do generally allow the processor to withhold cash reserves to protect the processor from potential liability for tickets purchased, but not yet used for travel. While we currently do not have any collateral requirements related to our credit card processors, we may be required to issue collateral to our credit card processors, or other key business partners, in the future.
As of September 30, 2021, we had approximately $28 million in assets serving as collateral for letters of credit relating to a certain number of our leases. These are included in restricted cash and expire at the end of the related lease terms. Additionally, we had approximately $26 million pledged related to our workers' compensation insurance policies and other business partner agreements, which will expire according to the terms of the related policies or agreements.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we reached an Agreement in Principle with ALPA to avoid involuntary furloughs of our pilots through at least October 1, 2021 in exchange for short-term changes to the collective bargaining agreement.
In April 2018, JetBlue inflight crewmembers elected to be solely represented by the Transport Workers Union of America, or TWU. The National Mediation Board, or NMB, certified the TWU as the representative body for JetBlue inflight crewmembers. In November 2020, our inflight crewmembers voted to reject the tentative collective bargaining agreement between JetBlue and the TWU. The parties have re-engaged in negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.
Except as noted above, our crewmembers do not have third party representation.
Legal Matters
Occasionally, we are involved in various claims, lawsuits, regulatory examinations, investigations and other legal matters involving suppliers (business partners), crewmembers, customers, and governmental agencies, arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of business. The outcome of litigation and other legal matters is always uncertain. The Company believes it has valid defenses to the legal matters currently pending against it, is defending itself vigorously, and has recorded accruals determined in accordance with GAAP, where appropriate. In making a determination regarding accruals, using available information, we evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome in legal or regulatory proceedings to which we are a party and record a loss contingency when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. These subjective determinations are based on the status of such legal or regulatory proceedings, the merits of our defenses, and consultation with legal counsel. Actual outcomes of these legal and regulatory proceedings may materially differ from our current estimates. It is possible that resolution of one or more of the legal matters currently pending or threatened could result in losses material to our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, or financial condition.
To date, none of these types of litigation matters, most of which are typically covered by insurance, has had a material impact on our operations or financial condition. We have insured and continue to insure against most of these types of claims. A judgment on any claim not covered by, or in excess of, our insurance coverage could materially adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, or financial condition.
On September 21, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), along with the Attorneys General of each of the States of Arizona, California, and Florida, the Commonwealths of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against JetBlue Airways Corporation (“JetBlue”) and American Airlines, Inc. (“American” and, together with JetBlue, the “Carriers”) concerning the Carriers’ previously implemented Northeast Alliance (the “NEA”). The lawsuit asserts and seeks an adjudication that the NEA violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and that the Carriers be permanently enjoined from continuing and restrained from further implementing the NEA. JetBlue believes the lawsuit is without merit and, along with American, intends to defend itself vigorously. Given the nature of this case, we are unable to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss, if any, arising from this matter.