XML 70 R12.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.25.0.1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Allegiant Travel Company and its majority-owned operating subsidiaries. The Company's investments in unconsolidated affiliates, which are 50 percent or less owned, are accounted for under the equity or cost method. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

The Company has reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include highly liquid investments and interest bearing instruments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Such investments are carried at cost which approximates fair value.

Restricted Cash
 
Restricted cash represents escrowed funds under fixed fee contracts, and cash collateral held against letters of credit required by hotel properties for guaranteed room availability, airports and certain other parties.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amount which approximates fair value. In addition to income tax receivable, the accounts receivable consist primarily of amounts due from credit card companies associated with the sale of tickets for future travel. These receivables are short-term and generally settle within a few days of sale. There are also receivables related to commission amounts due from rental car providers based on terms in the rental car provider agreement and amounts due related to fixed fee charter agreements. If deemed necessary, the Company records charges to its allowance for doubtful accounts for amounts not expected to be collected, for which the balance was immaterial for all years presented.

Short-term and Long-term Investments
 
The Company’s investments in marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value with the net unrealized gain or (loss) reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity. For investments in an unrealized loss position, the Company determines whether a credit loss exists by considering information about the collectability of the instrument and current market conditions. There have been no material credit losses in the years presented. Investment securities with original maturities of three months or less are classified as cash equivalents. Investment securities with original maturities greater than three months are classified as either short-term investments or long-term investments based on the maturity date in relation to the balance sheet date. Short-term investments have a maturity date less than or equal to one year from the balance sheet date, and long-term investments have a maturity date greater than one year from the balance sheet date. 

The amortized cost of investment securities sold is determined by the specific identification method with any realized gains or losses reflected in other (income) expense. The Company had no material realized losses during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022. The Company believes unrealized losses related to debt securities are not other-than-temporary and does not intend to sell these securities prior to amortized cost recoverability.

The Company attempts to minimize its concentration risk with regard to its cash, cash equivalents, and investment portfolio. This is accomplished by diversifying and limiting amounts among different counterparties, the type of investment, and the amount invested in any individual security, commercial paper, or money market fund.

Expendable Parts, Supplies and Fuel, Net
 
Expendable parts, supplies and fuel inventories are valued at cost using the first-in, first-out method. Such expendable parts, supplies and fuel are charged to expense as they are used in operations. An obsolescence allowance for expendable parts and supplies is based on salvage values and the average remaining useful life of the fleet. The obsolescence allowance for expendable parts and supplies was $12.6 million and $10.3 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Deposits and Other Assets

Deposits and other assets consist primarily of airport deposits, aircraft lease deposits, investments in unconsolidated affiliates, credits receivable under aircraft purchase agreements and scrap assets. At December 31, 2023, deposits and other assets included a $50.0 million note receivable from the counterparty in the Company's joint-venture alliance, which amount was repaid in full during 2024. The Company also had outstanding receivables from third parties as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, of which $15.1 million and $17.0 million respectively, were due more than one year after the balance sheet date.

Operating Lease Right-of-Use Asset and Liability

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception and has lease agreements for aircraft, office facilities, office equipment, certain airport and terminal facilities, and other space and assets with non-cancelable lease terms. Certain real estate and property leases, aircraft leases, and various other operating leases are measured on the balance sheet with a lease liability and right-of-use ("ROU") asset. Airport terminal leases mostly include variable lease payments outside of those based on a fixed index, and are therefore excluded from consideration.

ROU assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the obligation to make scheduled lease payments. ROU assets and liabilities are recognized on the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. At lease commencement, the present value of lease payments is calculated using the rate implicit in the lease, if known, or an estimated incremental borrowing rate which takes into consideration recent debt issuances as well as other applicable market data available.

Lease payments include fixed payments, variable payments based on an index or rate, reasonably certain purchase options, termination penalties, and others as required by the Accounting Standards (ASU) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). Lease payments do not include variable lease payments other than those based on an index or rate, any guarantee by the lessee of the lessor’s debt, or any amount allocated to non-lease components.

Lease terms include options to extend when it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised. Leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. Additionally, lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a single lease component for real estate agreements.

Property and Equipment
 
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives less any estimated salvage value. Property under finance leases and related obligations are initially recorded at an amount equal to the present value of future minimum lease payments computed using the rate implicit in the lease, if known, or on the basis of the Company’s estimated incremental borrowing rate, and depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis and is included within depreciation and amortization expense. The estimated useful lives of the principal asset classes are shown below.

Aircraft, engines and related rotable parts 10-25 Years
Buildings and leasehold improvements10-39 Years
Equipment5-10 Years
Computer hardware and software3-15 Years

In estimating the useful lives and residual values of aircraft, the Company primarily relies upon actual experience with the same or similar aircraft types, current and projected future market information, and input from other industry sources. Subsequent revisions to these estimates could be caused by changing market prices of the Company’s aircraft, changes in utilization of the aircraft, and other fleet events. Changes in the estimate for useful lives or residual values of the Company’s property and equipment could result in changes in depreciation expense.

The Company is required to make pre-delivery payments ("PDPs") towards the purchase price of new aircraft and engines prior to delivery. These deposits are included in flight equipment on the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

Interest is capitalized by applying a capitalization rate to the weighted-average carrying amount of expenditures for qualifying assets over the period and depreciated over the estimated useful life of the related asset(s) acquired/developed.
Software Capitalization
 
The Company capitalizes certain internal and external costs related to the acquisition and development of computer software during the application development stage of projects. The Company amortizes these capitalized costs using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which typically ranges from three to fifteen years. The Company had unamortized computer software development costs of $149.7 million and $139.1 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Amortization expense related to computer software was $18.8 million, $12.4 million and $15.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 respectively. Costs incurred during the preliminary and post-implementation stages are expensed as incurred.

Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Costs
 
The Company accounts for all non-major maintenance and repair costs incurred for its fleet under the direct expense method. Under this method, maintenance and repair costs for aircraft are charged to maintenance and repair expenses as incurred. Maintenance and repair costs include all parts, materials, and line maintenance activities required to maintain the Company's fleet.

The Company accounts for major maintenance costs of its airframes and engines using the deferral method. Under this method, the Company capitalizes the cost of major maintenance events, which are amortized as a component of depreciation and amortization expense, over the estimated period until the next scheduled major maintenance event. During 2024 and 2023, the Company capitalized $76.8 million and $68.5 million of major maintenance costs as deferred major maintenance.

Amortization expense related to deferred major maintenance, excluding amounts recorded in special charges related to the Company's aircraft retirement plan, was $65.8 million, $55.5 million, and $43.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

Measurement of Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company records impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations, consisting principally of property and equipment, when events or changes in circumstances indicate, in management’s judgment, that the assets might be impaired, and the undiscounted future cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amount of those assets. In making these determinations, the Company utilizes certain assumptions, including, but not limited to: (i) estimated fair value of the assets; and (ii) estimated future cash flows expected to be generated by those assets which are based on additional assumptions such as (but not limited to) asset utilization, average fare, block hours, fuel costs, fixed fee contracts, estimated salvage values, discount rate, projected growth rates and terminal value assumptions.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded a $321.8 million impairment loss related to the Sunseeker Resort Segment. The impairment is more fully discussed in Note 15.

Manufacturer's Credits

The Company periodically receives credits in connection with the acquisition of aircraft and engines or in connection with delivery delays or manufacturer's incentives. These credits are generally applied as a reduction of the cost of each item acquired under the purchase agreement at the time of delivery, which results in either deferral of the credit or recognition of an asset depending on the timing of receipt.

Revenue Recognition

Passenger revenue

Passenger revenue includes scheduled service revenue, ancillary air-related charges, and travel point redemptions from the co-brand Allegiant credit card and the Company's non-card loyalty program. Revenue from travel point redemptions from the co-brand credit card and the loyalty program are described in the Allways Rewards® Credit Card Program and Allways Rewards® Loyalty Program sections below.

Scheduled service revenue consists of ticket revenue generated from nonstop flights in the Company’s route network, recognized either when the transportation is provided, or when ticket voucher breakage occurs. Nonrefundable scheduled itineraries expire on the date of the intended flight, unless the itinerary is changed or canceled in advance of the flight under the terms and conditions of the ticket. Itineraries sold for transportation not yet used, as well as unexpired vouchers, are included in air traffic liability.

Ancillary air-related charges include various services and products related to the flight such as baggage fees, the use of the Company’s website to purchase scheduled service transportation, advance seat assignments, and other services which are not included in the base ticket price. Revenues from air-related charges are nonrefundable and recognized when the transportation is provided. If a customer cancels a flight, a voucher may be issued for a future flight under certain circumstances, at which time
the associated revenue is recognized in scheduled service revenue upon completion of the future flight. Additionally, the Company estimates the value of vouchers that will expire unused and recognizes such estimate into revenue at the time of issuance. Air-related charges sold for transportation not yet used, as well as unexpired vouchers, are included in air traffic liability.

Various taxes and fees, assessed on the sale of tickets to customers, are collected by the Company serving as an agent, and remitted to taxing authorities. These taxes and fees are not included as revenue in the Company’s consolidated statements of income and are recorded as a liability until remitted to the appropriate taxing authority.

Third party products revenue

Ancillary third party products revenue is generated from the sale of hotel rooms, rental cars, travel insurance and ticket attractions, as well as marketing revenue associated with the co-brand credit card. Revenue from the sale of third party products is recognized at the time the product is utilized, such as the time a purchased hotel room is occupied. Revenue from the sale of third party products is recorded net of amounts paid to wholesale providers, travel agent commissions, and transaction costs.

Revenue from travel point redemptions from the co-brand credit card and the loyalty program are described in the Allways Rewards® Credit Card Program and Allways Rewards® Loyalty Program sections below.
Fixed fee contract revenue

Fixed fee contract revenue consists of fees under agreements to provide charter service on a year-round and ad hoc basis. Fixed fee contract revenue is recognized when the transportation is provided.

Sunseeker Resort

Sunseeker Resort's revenue from contracts with customers primarily consists of sales of rooms, food and beverage, golf, retail and other goods and services. As compensation for such goods and services, the Company is typically entitled to a fixed nightly fee for an agreed upon period and additional fixed fees for any ancillary services purchased. Room charges are generally payable at the time the hotel guest checks out of the hotel. The Company generally satisfies the performance obligation related to room sales over time, and the Company recognizes the revenue on a daily basis, as the rooms are occupied and the Company has rendered the services. Charges for food and beverage, golf, retail and other goods and services are settled at a point in time, as the sale is made. Sunseeker Resort revenues are included in resort and other revenue in the consolidated statements of income.

Allways Rewards® Credit Card Program

Under the Allegiant co-brand credit card arrangement, points are sold and consideration is received under an agreement with the issuer bank that expires in 2031. Under this arrangement, the Company identified the following deliverables: travel points to be awarded (the travel component), use of the Company’s brand and access to its member lists, and certain other advertising and marketing elements (collectively the marketing component). Each of these deliverables is accounted for separately and allocation of the consideration from the agreement is determined based on the relative selling price of each deliverable. The Company applied a level of management judgment and estimation in determining the best estimate of selling price for each deliverable by considering multiple inputs and methods including, but not limited to, the redemption value of points awarded, discounted cash flows, brand value, volume discounts, published selling prices, number of points to be awarded and number of points expected to be redeemed.

Revenue from the travel component is deferred based on its relative selling price and is recognized into passenger revenue when the points are redeemed by cardholders and the underlying service is provided. Revenue from the marketing component is considered earned in the period in which points are sold and is therefore recognized into third party products revenue in the same period.

Allways Rewards® Loyalty Program

Allegiant’s Allways Rewards® Loyalty Program, which launched in 2021, enables program members to earn points for every dollar they spend on the Company’s website. In addition to opportunities to redeem points for flights, lodging, rental cars, and at Sunseeker Resort, the program leverages Allegiant's partnerships to offer additional rewards to members, including sports tickets and exclusive experiences. Members can also earn points by using their Allegiant co-brand credit card.

Under Allways Rewards®, members receive one point for every $1 spent at Allegiant.com, and two points per $1 for spending over $500 (excluding taxes and fees). Members also earn one point for every $1 spent at sunseekerresorts.com and one point per $1 spent during their stay at Sunseeker Resort, provided the purchases are charged to their room. The Company utilizes the deferred revenue method of accounting for points earned through the program based on the stand-alone selling price and revenue is recognized when points are redeemed and the underlying service has been provided. The stand-alone selling price of points is adjusted for an estimate of points that will not be redeemed (“breakage”) using a statistical model based on historical redemption patterns to develop an estimate of the likelihood of future redemption.
Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are charged to expense in the period incurred. Advertising expense was $32.0 million, $41.0 million and $40.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Preopening expenses

Preopening expenses represent personnel, advertising, and other costs incurred prior to the opening of Sunseeker Resort and were expensed as incurred. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred $26.5 million of preopening expenses related to the opening of the Resort, which is included in salaries and benefits expense, sales and marketing expense, and other expense in the consolidated statements of income.

Earnings per Share
 
Basic and diluted earnings per share are computed using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, the Company attributes net income to two classes, common stock and unvested restricted stock awards. Unvested restricted stock awards granted to employees under the Company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan are considered participating securities because they receive non-forfeitable rights to cash dividends at the same rate as common stock.

Diluted net income per share is calculated using the more dilutive of two methods. Under both methods, the exercise of employee stock options is assumed using the treasury stock method. The assumption of vesting of restricted stock, however, differs as described below:

1.Assume vesting of restricted stock using the treasury stock method.
2.Assume unvested restricted stock awards are not vested, and allocate earnings to common shares and unvested restricted stock awards using the two-class method.

For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the second method above was used in the computation because it was more dilutive than the first method. The following table sets forth the computation of net income per share on a basic and diluted basis for the periods indicated: 
 
 Year ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per share data)202420232022
Basic:  
Net income (loss)$(240,238)$117,596 $2,493 
Less income allocated to participating securities(618)(4,188)(32)
Net income (loss) attributable to common stock$(240,856)$113,408 $2,461 
Earnings (loss) per share, basic$(13.49)$6.32 $0.14 
Weighted-average shares outstanding17,852 17,945 17,959 
Diluted:  
Net income (loss)$(240,238)$117,596 $2,493 
Less income allocated to participating securities(618)(4,175)(32)
Net income (loss) attributable to common stock$(240,856)$113,421 $2,461 
Earnings (loss) per share, diluted$(13.49)$6.29 $0.14 
Weighted-average shares outstanding17,852 17,945 17,959 
Dilutive effect of stock options and restricted stock— 249 132 
Adjusted weighted-average shares outstanding under treasury stock method17,852 18,194 18,091 
Participating securities excluded under two-class method— (175)(57)
Adjusted weighted-average shares outstanding under two-class method17,852 18,019 18,034 

Stock awards outstanding of 452,560, 81,748, and 79,644 shares (not in thousands) as of December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively, were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share as they were antidilutive.
 
Share-Based Compensation
 
The Company accounts for share-based compensation in accordance with accounting standards which require the compensation cost related to share-based payment transactions be recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of
income. The share-based compensation cost is measured based on grant date fair value. The Company’s share-based employee compensation plan is more fully discussed in Note 12.

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes deferred income taxes based on the asset and liability method required by accounting standards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the timing differences between book basis for financial reporting purposes and tax basis of the assets and liabilities and measured using the enacted tax rates and provisions of the enacted tax law. A valuation allowance for deferred tax assets is recorded if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company determines the net non-current deferred tax assets or liabilities separately for federal, state, foreign and other local jurisdictions.
The Company’s income tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and other tax authorities in the jurisdictions where the Company operates. The Company assesses potentially unfavorable outcomes of such examinations based on the criteria set forth in uncertain tax position accounting standards. The accounting standards prescribe a minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements.
Accounting standards for income taxes utilize a two-step approach for evaluating tax positions. Recognition (Step I) occurs when the Company concludes that a tax position, based on its technical merits, is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. Measurement (Step II) is only addressed if the position is deemed to be more likely than not to be sustained. Under Step II, the tax benefit is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon settlement.
The tax positions failing to qualify for initial recognition are recognized in the first subsequent interim period they meet the “more likely than not” standard. If it is subsequently determined that a previously recognized tax position no longer meets the “more likely than not” standard, it is required that the tax position be derecognized. As applicable, the Company will recognize accrued penalties and interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in the provision for income taxes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Beginning with annual reporting for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures that was issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"). This new standard requires an enhanced disclosure of significant segment expenses on an annual and interim basis. Upon adoption, the guidance was applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. See Note 14 - Operating Segments for additional information.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 "Income Taxes (Topics 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures." This new standard requires expanded income tax disclosure of specific categories in the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid, disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for the Company's annual periods beginning January 1, 2025, with early adoption and retrospective application permitted. The Company will adopt this standard effective for 2025 and does not expect that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial statements.

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03 "Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income-Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses." This new standard requires public entities to disclose additional information about specific expense categories in the notes to the financial statements on an interim and annual basis. ASU 2024-03 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2024-03 and does not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its financial statements.