United Airlines Reports Third-Quarter 2016 Performance

NM Not meaningful

(a)  

Includes losses from settled hedges that were designated for hedge accounting. UAL allocates 100 percent of hedge accounting gains (losses) to mainline fuel expense.

(b)  

Includes ineffectiveness losses on settled hedges and losses on settled hedges that were not designated for hedge accounting. Ineffectiveness gains (losses) and gains (losses) on hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting are recorded in Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net.

2016 - Special items

Labor agreement costs: The fleet service, passenger service, storekeeper and other employees represented by the Int'l Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) ratified seven new contracts with the company which extended the contracts through 2021. The company also reached a tentative agreement with the Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company recorded $61 million ($39 million net of taxes) and $171 million ($109 million net of taxes), respectively, of special charges primarily for payments to be made in conjunction with the IAM and IBT agreements described above. Also, as part of the recently ratified contract with the Association of Flight Attendants, the company amended two of its flight attendant postretirement medical plans. The amendments triggered curtailment accounting, resulting in the recognition of a one-time $47 million gain ($30 million net of taxes) for accelerated recognition of a prior service credit.

Severance and benefit costs: During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company recorded $13 million ($8 million net of taxes) and $27 million ($17 million net of taxes), respectively, of severance and benefit costs related to a voluntary early-out program for the company's flight attendants and other severance agreements. In 2014, more than 2,500 flight attendants elected to voluntarily separate from the company for a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through the end of 2016.

Impairment of intangible asset related to Newark slots: In April 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it will designate Newark as a Level 2 schedule-facilitated airport under the International Air Transport Association Worldwide Slot Guidelines effective October 30, 2016. The designation was associated with an updated demand and capacity analysis of Newark by the FAA. In the second quarter of 2016, the company determined that the FAA's action impaired the entire value of its Newark slots because the slots will no longer be the mechanism that governs take-off and landing rights. Accordingly, the company recorded a $412 million special charge ($264 million net of taxes) to write off the intangible asset. The Newark slots served as part of the collateral for the term loans under the company's Credit Agreement and under the Second Amended and Restated Co-Branded Card Marketing Services Agreement with Chase Bank USA, N.A. (the Chase Agreement). The Credit Agreement and the Chase Agreement have been amended to remove the Newark slots as collateral with no replacement collateral required.

Cleveland airport lease restructuring: During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the City of Cleveland agreed to amend the lease, which runs through 2029, associated with certain excess airport terminal space (principally Terminal D) and related facilities at Hopkins International Airport. The company recorded an accrual for remaining payments under the lease for facilities that the company no longer uses and will continue to incur costs under the lease without economic benefit to the company. This liability was measured and recorded at its fair value when the company ceased its right to use such facilities leased to it pursuant to the lease. The company recorded a net charge of $74 million ($47 million net of taxes) related to the amended lease.

(Gains) losses on sale of assets and other special charges: During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company recorded gains and losses on sale of assets and other special charges of $18 million ($12 million net of taxes) and $32 million ($20 million net of taxes), respectively.

Nonoperating losses on extinguishment of debt and other: During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company recorded $8 million ($5 million net of taxes) of losses due to exchange rate changes in Venezuela applicable to funds held in local currency and recorded a $9 million ($6 million net of taxes) gain on the sale of an affiliate.

MTM losses from fuel derivative contracts settling in future periods and prior period gains on fuel derivative contracts settled in the current period: The company uses certain combinations of derivative contracts that are economic hedges but do not qualify for hedge accounting under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Additionally, the company may enter into contracts at different times and later combine those contracts into structures designated for hedge accounting. As with derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting, the economic hedges and individual contracts are part of the company's program to mitigate the adverse financial impact of potential increases in the price of fuel. The company records changes in the fair value of these various contracts that are not designated for hedge accounting to Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net in the statements of consolidated operations. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company did not record any MTM gains or losses on fuel derivative contracts that will settle in future periods. For fuel derivative contracts that settled in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the company recorded MTM gains of $3 million and $2 million, respectively, in prior periods.

2015 - Special items

Severance and benefit costs: During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the company recorded $28 million and $103 million, respectively, of severance and benefit costs primarily related to a voluntary early-out program for its flight attendants. In 2014, more than 2,500 flight attendants elected to voluntarily separate from the company for a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through the end of 2016.

(Gains) losses on sale of assets and other special charges: During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the company recorded $48 million and $92 million, respectively, for integration costs, impairment of assets and other special gains and losses.

Nonoperating loss on extinguishment of debt and other: During the third quarter of 2015, the company recorded $61 million of losses due to exchange rate changes in Venezuela applicable to funds held in local currency. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the company recorded a charge of $134 million due to the write-off of the unamortized non-cash debt discount related to the extinguishment of the 6% Notes due 2026 and 6% Notes due 2028. Both of the charges were recorded as part of Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net.

MTM losses from fuel derivative contracts settling in future periods and prior period losses on fuel derivative contracts settled in the current period: The company uses certain combinations of derivative contracts that are economic hedges but do not qualify for hedge accounting under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Additionally, the company may enter into contracts at different times and later combine those contracts into structures designated for hedge accounting. As with derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting, the economic hedges and individual contracts are part of the company's program to mitigate the adverse financial impact of potential increases in the price of fuel. The company records changes in the fair value of these various contracts that are not designated for hedge accounting to Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net in the statements of consolidated operations. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the company recorded $36 million and $28 million, respectively, in MTM losses on fuel derivative contracts that will settle in future periods. For fuel derivative contracts that settled in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the company recorded MTM losses of $69 million and $173 million, respectively, in prior periods.

(D)  

The company's effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was 36% which represented a blend of federal, state and foreign taxes and the impact of certain nondeductible items. During 2015, after considering all positive and negative evidence, the company concluded that its deferred income taxes would more likely than not be realized. The company released substantially all of its valuation allowance in the third quarter of 2015, which resulted in a $3.2 billion benefit in its provision for income taxes.

Note: See Part II, Item 6 Selected Financial Data of the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 for the definition of these statistics.         

UAL evaluates its financial performance utilizing various accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and Non-GAAP financial measures, including operating income (loss) excluding special items, income (loss) before income taxes excluding special items, net income (loss) excluding special items, net earnings (loss) per share excluding special items, and CASM, as adjusted, among others. CASM is a common metric used in the airline industry to measure an airline's cost structure and efficiency. UAL reports CASM excluding profit sharing, third-party business expenses, fuel, and special charges. Pursuant to SEC Regulation G, UAL has included the following reconciliation of reported Non-GAAP financial measures to comparable financial measures reported on a GAAP basis. UAL believes that adjusting for special charges is useful to investors because special charges are non-recurring charges not indicative of UAL's ongoing performance. In addition, the company believes that adjusting for MTM gains and losses from fuel derivative contracts settling in future periods and prior period gains and losses on fuel derivative contracts settled in the current period is useful because the adjustments allow investors to better understand the cash impact of settled fuel derivative contracts in a given period. UAL also believes that excluding third-party business expenses, such as maintenance, ground handling and catering services for third parties, fuel sales and non-air mileage redemptions, provides more meaningful disclosure because these expenses are not directly related to UAL's core business. UAL also believes that excluding fuel costs from certain measures is useful to investors because it provides an additional measure of management's performance excluding the effects of a significant cost item over which management has limited influence. UAL excludes profit sharing because this exclusion allows investors to better understand and analyze our recurring cost performance and provides a more meaningful comparison of our core operating costs to the airline industry. UAL also presented diluted earnings per share excluding special items for the third quarter of 2015 adjusted for the impact of tax expense using the effective tax rate from the third quarter of 2016 in order to make the financial measures more comparable. UAL had minimal income tax expense in the third quarter of 2015 that was offset by the release of its deferred tax asset valuation allowance in that period resulting in a net income tax benefit.