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Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Contingencies | Contingencies We self-insure a portion of our losses from claims related to workers’ compensation, environmental issues, property damage, medical insurance for crewmembers, and general liability. Losses are accrued based on an estimate of the ultimate aggregate liability for claims incurred, using standard industry practices and our actual experience. We are a party to many routine contracts under which we indemnify third parties for various risks. These indemnities consist of the following: All of our bank loans, including our aircraft mortgages obligate us to reimburse the bank for any increased costs arising from regulatory changes, including changes in reserve requirements and bank capital requirements; these obligations are standard terms present in loans of this type. These indemnities would increase the interest rate on our debt if they were to be triggered. In all cases, we have the option to repay the loan and avoid the increased costs. These terms match the length of the related loan up to 15 years. Under both aircraft leases with foreign lessors and aircraft mortgages with foreign lenders, we have agreed to customary indemnities concerning withholding tax law changes. Under these contracts we are responsible, should withholding taxes be imposed, for paying such amount of additional rent or interest as is necessary to ensure that the lessor or lender still receives, after taxes, the rent stipulated in the lease or the interest stipulated under the loan. The term of these indemnities matches the length of the related lease o r loan up to 25 years. We have various leases with respect to real property as well as various agreements among airlines relating to fuel consortia or fuel farms at airports. Under these contracts we have agreed to standard language indemnifying the lessor against environmental liabilities associated with the real property or operations described under the agreement, even if we are not the party responsible for the initial event that caused the environmental damage. In the case of fuel consortia at airports, these indemnities are generally joint and several among the participating airlines. We have purchased a standalone environmental liability insurance policy to help mitigate this exposure. Our existing aviation hull and liability policy includes some limited environmental coverage when a cleanup is part of an associated single identifiable covered loss. Under certain contracts, we indemnify specified parties against legal liability arising out of actions by other parties. The terms of these contracts range up to 25 years. Gener ally, we have liability insurance protecting ourselves for the obligations we have undertaken relative to these indemnities. We are unable to estimate the potential amount of future payments under the foregoing indemnities and agreements. Under a certain number of our operating lease agreements we are required to restore certain property or equipment to its original form upon expiration of the related agreement. We have recorded the estimated fair value of these retirement obligations of approximatel y $5 million as of December 31, 2021. Legal Matters Occasionally, we are involved in various claims, lawsuits, regulatory examinations, investigations, and other legal matters involving suppliers, 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. Also on September 21, 2021, the Department of Transportation (the "DOT") published a Clarification Notice relating to the agreement that had been reached between the DOT, JetBlue, and American in January 2021, at the conclusion of the DOT’s review of the NEA ("DOT Agreement"). The DOT Clarification Notice stated, among other things, that the DOT Agreement remains in force during the pendency of the DOJ action against the NEA and, while the DOT retains independent statutory authority to prohibit unfair methods of competition in air transportation, the DOT intends to defer to DOJ to resolve the antitrust concerns that the DOJ has identified with respect to the NEA. The DOT simultaneously published a Notice Staying Proceeding in relation to a complaint by Spirit Airlines, Inc. regarding the NEA, pending resolution of the DOJ action described above. 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. In November 2021, JetBlue and American filed a motion to dismiss the DOJ's lawsuit against the NEA. Motion practice has concluded and the parties await a decision, while the lawsuit proceeds concurrently.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for loss and gain contingencies. Describes any existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as of the balance sheet date (or prior to issuance of the financial statements) as to a probable or reasonably possible loss incurred by an entity that will ultimately be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur, and typically discloses the amount of loss recorded or a range of possible loss, or an assertion that no reasonable estimate can be made. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127197 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127163 + Details
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