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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Flight Equipment Commitments In February 2022, we exercised our option to purchase 30 additional Airbus A220-300 aircraft under our existing agreement with Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. The 30 additional A220-300 aircraft are expected to be delivered from 2022 to 2026. Options for 20 additional A220-300 aircraft remain available to us. As of March 31, 2022, our firm aircraft orders consisted of 64 Airbus A321neo aircraft and 92 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 March 31, 2022 is approximately $0.7 billion for the remainder of 2022, $1.6 billion in 2023, $2.0 billion in 2024, $1.7 billion in 2025, $1.4 billion in 2026, and $1.0 billion thereafter. The amount of committed expenditures stated above represents the current delivery schedule set forth in our Airbus order book as of March 31, 2022. In February 2022, we received notice from Airbus of anticipated delivery delays for the A220 aircraft. We expect a delivery of a maximum of nine A220 aircraft in 2022 as a result of the delays. 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 of these announcements on our future aircraft deliveries, including after the suspension is lifted. The imposition of this or any tariff could substantially increase the cost of new 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 March 31, 2022, we had approximately $32 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. Except for our pilots and inflight crewmembers who are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association ("ALPA") and the Transport Workers Union of America ("TWU"), respectively, our other frontline crewmembers do not have third party representation. In April 2021, ALPA, on behalf of the JetBlue pilot group, filed a grievance relating to the Northeast Alliance Agreement ("NEA"), an expanded codeshare and marketing alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines, Inc. ("American") at four Northeast airports. ALPA claims that in entering the NEA, JetBlue violated certain scope clauses as contained in the pilots’ ALPA collective bargaining agreement. A final mediation session concluded in September 2021 and in January 2022, the parties submitted final written briefs to the System Board. Shortly after submission of the briefs, the parties agreed to enter into non-binding mediation with the assistance of the arbitrator with a temporary hold on a System Board decision. As a result of the mediation process, the parties agreed to certain changes to the collective bargaining agreement. The agreement, ratified by the JetBlue pilot group in April 2022, included a one-time payment of $30 million to be paid and recorded as expense in the second quarter of 2022 and a 3% base pay increase effective May 1, 2022. We enter into individual employment agreements with each of our non-unionized FAA-licensed crewmembers, which include dispatchers, technicians, and inspectors, as well as air traffic controllers. Each employment agreement is for a term of five years and automatically renews for an additional five years unless either the crewmember or we elect not to renew it by giving at least 90 days' notice before the end of the relevant term. Pursuant to these agreements, these crewmembers can only be terminated for cause. In the event of a downturn in our business that would require a reduction in work hours, we are obligated to pay these crewmembers a guaranteed level of income and to continue their benefits if they do not obtain other aviation employment. 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 and American, and, together with JetBlue, the “Carriers” concerning the Carriers’ previously implemented 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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