XML 33 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.4
Commitments
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments Commitments
Flight Equipment Commitments
As of December 31, 2022, our firm aircraft orders consisted of 62 Airbus A321neo aircraft and 86 Airbus A220 aircraft, all scheduled for delivery through 2028. 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 2023 to 2026. Options for 20 additional A220-300 aircraft remain available to us. With the addition of these 30 Airbus A220 aircraft, our flight equipment purchase obligations are expected to be $1.6 billion in 2023, $2.1 billion in 2024, $1.8 billion 2025, $1.4 billion in 2026, and $1 billion thereafter. Due to Airbus delivery delays, our capacity planning assumes delivery of 11 A-220, 4 A-321neo, and 4 A321neo LR aircrafts in 2023.
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 were 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. The imposition or re-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 December 31, 2022, we had approximately $41 million cash 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.
In April 2018, JetBlue inflight crewmembers elected to be represented by the Transport Workers Union of America ("TWU"). The National Mediation Board ("NMB") certified the TWU as the representative for JetBlue inflight crewmembers. The parties reached a final agreement for the first collective bargaining agreement which was ratified by our inflight
crewmembers in December 2021. The agreement is a five-year, renewable contract effective December 13, 2021. During the fourth quarter of 2021, we recorded a one-time ratification bonus totaling $8 million to be allocated amongst our inflight crewmembers as determined by TWU. Refer to Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information.
As of December 31, 2022, approximately 48% of our full-time equivalent crewmembers were represented by labor unions and approximately 21% were covered by collective bargaining agreements that are currently amendable or that will become amendable within one year.
Except for our pilots and inflight crewmembers who are represented by Airline Pilots Association ("ALPA"), and 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 ("NEA"), ALPA claims that in entering the NEA, JetBlue violated certain scope clauses as contained in the pilots’ ALPA collective bargaining agreement. The matter proceeded to arbitration pursuant to the grievance procedure contained in the collective bargaining agreement, which concluded in September 2021, and in January 2022, the parties submitted final, written briefs to the System Board of Adjustment. 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 and associated payroll taxes of $32 million, paid and recorded as an expense within special items in the second quarter of 2022, and a 3% base pay increase effective May 1, 2022. In January 2023, JetBlue pilots approved a two year contract extension which included a one time payment and associated payroll taxes of $66 million, and a 21% base pay increase effective March 31, 2023. We did not accrue for this one time payment as of December 31, 2022 as it relates to 2023 compensation and is only applicable to pilots employed as of February 1, 2023.
In September 2022, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers filed for an election to unionize our ground operations crewmembers. In February 2023, our crewmembers voted to maintain our direct relationship rather than elect a union.
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.
In February 2022, we executed a new lease for our primarily corporate offices that will extend our stay in the present Long Island City location until 2039. The term of this lease will begin in 2023. The new lease increased our lease commitments by approximately $3 million in 2024, $6 million in 2025, $8 million in 2026, and an anticipated lease expenditure of $100 million thereafter. We have a one-time option to terminate the lease in 2034. At the end of the initial lease term, we have the option to renew the lease for either one renewal term of 10 years, or two renewal terms of five years each.
In April 2022, we announced an agreement with Aemetis for it to supply us with 125 million gallons of SAF over a ten-year term with a target start date of 2025.