UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
 
FORM 10-Q
 

    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021
 
OR

    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 For the transition period from                      to                      

Commission File Number 1-8957

ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
 
Delaware91-1292054
(State of Incorporation)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

19300 International Boulevard,Seattle,WA98188

Telephone:(206)392-5040

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTicker SymbolName of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par valueALKNew York Stock Exchange
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes   No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes No
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filerAccelerated filer  Non-accelerated filer   
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company  Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.): Yes  No
 
The registrant has 123,663,778124,481,793 common shares, par value $0.01, outstanding at OctoberApril 30, 2020.2021.

This document is also available on our website at http://investor.alaskaair.com.
1


ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020MARCH 31, 2021

 TABLE OF CONTENTS


As used in this Form 10-Q, the terms “Air Group,” the “Company,” “our,” “we” and "us" refer to Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Alaska Airlines, Inc. and Horizon Air Industries, Inc. are referred to as “Alaska” and “Horizon” and together as our “airlines.”
 
2


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are those that predict or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or the Company’s present expectations.

You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our forward-looking statements are based on the information currently available to us and speak only as of the date on which this report was filed with the SEC. We expressly disclaim any obligation to issue any updates or revisions to our forward-looking statements, even if subsequent events cause our expectations to change regarding the matters discussed in those statements. For a discussion of our risk factors, see Item 1A. "Risk Factors” of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of Part II of this Form 10-Q.2020. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of those risks as you read this report.

3


PART I 

ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)
(in millions)(in millions)September 30, 2020December 31, 2019(in millions)March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
ASSETSASSETS  ASSETS  
Current AssetsCurrent Assets  Current Assets  
Cash and cash equivalentsCash and cash equivalents$1,855 $221 Cash and cash equivalents$1,076 $1,370 
Marketable securitiesMarketable securities1,904 1,300 Marketable securities2,473 1,976 
Total cash and marketable securitiesTotal cash and marketable securities3,759 1,521 Total cash and marketable securities3,549 3,346 
Receivables - netReceivables - net321 323 Receivables - net517 480 
Inventories and supplies - netInventories and supplies - net57 72 Inventories and supplies - net57 57 
Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assetsPrepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assets328 121 Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assets161 123 
Total Current AssetsTotal Current Assets4,465 2,037 Total Current Assets4,284 4,006 
Property and EquipmentProperty and Equipment  Property and Equipment  
Aircraft and other flight equipmentAircraft and other flight equipment7,851 8,549 Aircraft and other flight equipment7,933 7,761 
Other property and equipmentOther property and equipment1,395 1,306 Other property and equipment1,407 1,398 
Deposits for future flight equipmentDeposits for future flight equipment595 533 Deposits for future flight equipment420 583 
9,841 10,388  9,760 9,742 
Less accumulated depreciation and amortizationLess accumulated depreciation and amortization3,460 3,486 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization3,616 3,531 
Total Property and Equipment - NetTotal Property and Equipment - Net6,381 6,902 Total Property and Equipment - Net6,144 6,211 
Operating lease assetsOperating lease assets1,516 1,711 Operating lease assets1,423 1,400 
GoodwillGoodwill1,943 1,943 Goodwill1,943 1,943 
Intangible assets - netIntangible assets - net107 122 Intangible assets - net105 107 
Other noncurrent assetsOther noncurrent assets337 278 Other noncurrent assets363 379 
Other AssetsOther Assets3,903 4,054 Other Assets3,834 3,829 
Total AssetsTotal Assets$14,749 $12,993 Total Assets$14,262 $14,046 


4


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)
(in millions, except share amounts)(in millions, except share amounts)September 30, 2020December 31, 2019(in millions, except share amounts)March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITYLIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  
Current LiabilitiesCurrent Liabilities  Current Liabilities  
Accounts payableAccounts payable$93 $146 Accounts payable$133 $108 
Accrued wages, vacation and payroll taxesAccrued wages, vacation and payroll taxes541 470 Accrued wages, vacation and payroll taxes456 527 
Air traffic liabilityAir traffic liability1,071 900 Air traffic liability1,297 1,073 
Other accrued liabilitiesOther accrued liabilities406 431 Other accrued liabilities541 424 
Deferred revenueDeferred revenue663 750 Deferred revenue818 733 
Current portion of operating lease liabilitiesCurrent portion of operating lease liabilities283 269 Current portion of operating lease liabilities271 290 
Current portion of long-term debtCurrent portion of long-term debt1,150 235 Current portion of long-term debt1,246 1,138 
Total Current LiabilitiesTotal Current Liabilities4,207 3,201 Total Current Liabilities4,762 4,293 
Long-Term Debt, Net of Current PortionLong-Term Debt, Net of Current Portion2,672 1,264 Long-Term Debt, Net of Current Portion2,325 2,357 
Noncurrent LiabilitiesNoncurrent Liabilities  Noncurrent Liabilities  
Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portionLong-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,320 1,439 Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,283 1,268 
Deferred income taxesDeferred income taxes499 715 Deferred income taxes365 407 
Deferred revenueDeferred revenue1,520 1,240 Deferred revenue1,507 1,544 
Obligation for pension and postretirement medical benefitsObligation for pension and postretirement medical benefits601 571 Obligation for pension and postretirement medical benefits663 665 
Other liabilitiesOther liabilities476 232 Other liabilities482 524 
4,416 4,197  4,300 4,408 
Commitments and ContingenciesCommitments and ContingenciesCommitments and Contingencies00
Shareholders' EquityShareholders' Equity  Shareholders' Equity  
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, NaN issued or outstandingPreferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, NaN issued or outstanding0 Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, NaN issued or outstanding0 
Common stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2020 - 133,011,377 shares; 2019 - 131,812,173 shares, Outstanding: 2020 - 123,661,433 shares; 2019 - 123,000,307 shares1 
Common stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2021 - 133,792,045 shares; 2020 - 133,567,534 shares, Outstanding: 2021 - 124,442,101 shares; 2020 - 124,217,590 sharesCommon stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2021 - 133,792,045 shares; 2020 - 133,567,534 shares, Outstanding: 2021 - 124,442,101 shares; 2020 - 124,217,590 shares1 
Capital in excess of par valueCapital in excess of par value366 305 Capital in excess of par value409 391 
Treasury stock (common), at cost: 2020 - 9,349,944 shares; 2019 - 8,811,866 shares(674)(643)
Treasury stock (common), at cost: 2021 - 9,349,944 shares; 2020 - 9,349,944 sharesTreasury stock (common), at cost: 2021 - 9,349,944 shares; 2020 - 9,349,944 shares(674)(674)
Accumulated other comprehensive lossAccumulated other comprehensive loss(450)(465)Accumulated other comprehensive loss(494)(494)
Retained earningsRetained earnings4,211 5,133 Retained earnings3,633 3,764 
3,454 4,331  2,875 2,988 
Total Liabilities and Shareholders' EquityTotal Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity$14,749 $12,993 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity$14,262 $14,046 

5


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions, except per share amounts)(in millions, except per share amounts)2020201920202019(in millions, except per share amounts)20212020
Operating RevenuesOperating Revenues    Operating Revenues  
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$572 $2,211 2,362 6,038 Passenger revenue$659 $1,481 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue84 118 266 346 Mileage Plan other revenue94 109 
Cargo and otherCargo and other45 60 130 169 Cargo and other44 46 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues701 2,389 2,758 6,553 Total Operating Revenues797 1,636 
Operating ExpensesOperating Expenses  Operating Expenses
Wages and benefitsWages and benefits495 608 1,579 1,732 Wages and benefits493 612 
Variable incentive payVariable incentive pay42 46 65 125 Variable incentive pay33 
Payroll support program grant wage offset(398)(760)
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(411)
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses125 486 568 1,408 Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses203 384 
Aircraft maintenanceAircraft maintenance84 106 244 341 Aircraft maintenance81 115 
Aircraft rentAircraft rent74 82 229 247 Aircraft rent62 81 
Landing fees and other rentalsLanding fees and other rentals109 143 323 388 Landing fees and other rentals129 131 
Contracted servicesContracted services36 72 138 214 Contracted services51 72 
Selling expensesSelling expenses24 77 83 236 Selling expenses33 55 
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization105 106 320 317 Depreciation and amortization97 108 
Food and beverage serviceFood and beverage service14 57 70 159 Food and beverage service23 49 
Third-party regional carrier expenseThird-party regional carrier expense29 42 92 125 Third-party regional carrier expense30 37 
OtherOther89 137 310 411 Other105 143 
Special items - merger-related costs1 5 39 
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other121 350 Special items - impairment charges and other18 160 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges322 322 Special items - restructuring charges11 
Special items - merger-related costsSpecial items - merger-related costs0 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses1,272 1,967 3,938 5,742 Total Operating Expenses958 1,957 
Operating Income (Loss)(571)422 (1,180)811 
Operating LossOperating Loss(161)(321)
Nonoperating Income (Expense)Nonoperating Income (Expense)  Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest incomeInterest income7 11 23 31 Interest income7 
Interest expenseInterest expense(34)(18)(64)(60)Interest expense(32)(13)
Interest capitalizedInterest capitalized4 8 11 Interest capitalized3 
Other—net5 (3)16 (20)
Other - netOther - net10 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(18)(6)(17)(38)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(12)
Income (Loss) Before Income Tax(589)416 (1,197)773 
Income tax (benefit) expense(158)94 (320)185 
Net Income (Loss)$(431)$322 $(877)$588 
Loss Before Income TaxLoss Before Income Tax(173)(317)
Income tax benefitIncome tax benefit(42)(85)
Net LossNet Loss$(131)$(232)
Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share:$(3.49)$2.61 $(7.12)$4.76 
Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share:$(3.49)$2.60 $(7.12)$4.74 
Basic Loss Per Share:Basic Loss Per Share:$(1.05)$(1.89)
Diluted Loss Per Share:Diluted Loss Per Share:$(1.05)$(1.89)
Shares used for computation:Shares used for computation: Shares used for computation:
BasicBasic123.647 123.280 123.255 123.330 Basic124.299 122.818 
DilutedDiluted123.647 124.067 123.255 124.051 Diluted124.299 122.818 

6


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS (unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)(in millions)2020201920202019(in millions)20212020
Net Income (Loss)$(431)$322 $(877)$588 
Net LossNet Loss$(131)$(232)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):
Related to marketable securities:Related to marketable securities:Related to marketable securities:
Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the periodUnrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period2 32 31 Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period(11)(1)
Reclassification of (gain) loss into Other - net nonoperating income (expense)Reclassification of (gain) loss into Other - net nonoperating income (expense)(2)(5)(11)(3)Reclassification of (gain) loss into Other - net nonoperating income (expense)(4)(3)
Income tax effectIncome tax effect0 (5)(7)Income tax effect3 
TotalTotal0 (1)16 21 Total(12)(3)
Related to employee benefit plans:Related to employee benefit plans:Related to employee benefit plans:
Reclassification of net pension expense into Wages and benefits and Other - net nonoperating income (expense)7 22 24 
Reclassification of net pension expense into Wages and benefits and Other - net nonoperating incomeReclassification of net pension expense into Wages and benefits and Other - net nonoperating income8 
Income tax effectIncome tax effect(1)(2)(5)(6)Income tax effect(2)(2)
TotalTotal6 17 18 Total6 
Related to interest rate derivative instruments:Related to interest rate derivative instruments:Related to interest rate derivative instruments:
Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the periodUnrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period2 (5)(25)(17)Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period8 (25)
Reclassification of loss into Aircraft rentReclassification of loss into Aircraft rent1 2 Reclassification of loss into Aircraft rent0 
Income tax effectIncome tax effect(1)5 Income tax effect(2)
TotalTotal2 (4)(18)(12)Total6 (19)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)8 15 27 Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)0 (17)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)$(423)$323 $(862)$615 
Comprehensive LossComprehensive Loss$(131)$(249)




7


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (unaudited)

(in millions)(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2019123.000$1 $305 $(643)$(465)$5,133 $4,331 
Balances at December 31, 2020Balances at December 31, 2020124.217 $1 $391 $(674)$(494)$3,764 $2,988 
Net lossNet loss— — — — — (232)(232)Net loss — — — — (131)(131)
Other comprehensive income (loss)Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — (17)— (17)Other comprehensive income (loss) — — — — 
Common stock repurchase(0.538)— (31)— — (31)
Stock-based compensation— — 9— — — 
Cash dividend declared
($0.375 per share)
— — — — — (45)(45)
Stock issued under stock plans0.123— — — — 
Balances at March 31, 2020122.585$1 $314 $(674)$(482)$4,856 $4,015 
Net loss— — — — — (214)(214)
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — 24 — 24 
Stock-based compensationStock-based compensation— — 2— — — Stock-based compensation — 12 — — — 12 
CARES Act warrant issuanceCARES Act warrant issuance— — 7— — — CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan1.000 — 27 — — — 27 
Stock issued under stock plansStock issued under stock plans0.054— — — — — Stock issued under stock plans0.225 — (2)— — — (2)
Balances at June 30, 2020123.639$1 $350 $(674)$(458)$4,642 $3,861 
Net loss— — — — — (431)(431)
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — 8— 
Stock-based compensation— — — 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued under stock plans0.022 — — — — — 
Balances at September 30, 2020123.661$1 $366 $(674)$(450)$4,211 $3,454 
Balances at March 31, 2021Balances at March 31, 2021124.442 $1 $409 $(674)$(494)$3,633 $2,875 

(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2019123.000 $1 $305 $(643)$(465)$5,133 $4,331 
Net loss— — — — — (232)(232)
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — (17)— (17)
Common stock repurchase(0.538)— — (31)— — (31)
Stock-based compensation— — — — — 
Cash dividend declared
($0.375 per share)
— — — — (45)(45)
Stock issued under stock plans0.123 — — — — — 
Balance at March 31, 2020122.585 $1 $314 $(674)$(482)$4,856 $4,015 

8


(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2018123.194 $1 $232 $(568)$(448)$4,534 $3,751 
Cumulative effect of accounting changes(a)
— — — — 
Net income— — — — — 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — 15 — 15 
Common stock repurchase(0.215)— (13)— — (13)
Stock-based compensation— — 12 — — — 12 
Cash dividend declared
($0.35 per share)
— — — — — (43)(43)
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan0.391 — 20 — — — 20 
Stock issued under stock plans0.134 — (3)— — — (3)
Balances at March 31, 2019123.504 $1 $261 $(581)$(433)$4,498 $3,746 
Net income— — — — — 262 262 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — 11 — 11 
Common stock repurchase(0.194)— — (12)— — (12)
Stock-based compensation— — — — — 
Cash dividend declared
($0.35 per share)
— — — — — (43)(43)
Stock issued under stock plans0.028 — — — — 
Balances at June 30, 2019123.338 $1 $270 $(593)$(422)$4,717 $3,973 
Net income— — — — — 322 322 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — — 
Common stock repurchase(0.465)— (28)— — (28)
Stock-based compensation— — — — — 
Cash dividend declared
($0.35 per share)
— — — — — (43)(43)
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan0.394 — 20 — — — 20 
Stock issued under stock plans0.011 — — — — 
Balances at September 30, 2019123.278 $1 $297 $(621)$(421)$4,996 $4,252 

(a)Represents the opening balance sheet adjustment recorded as a result of the adoption of the new lease accounting standard.
9


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)
Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)(in millions)20202019(in millions)20212020
Cash flows from operating activities:Cash flows from operating activities:  Cash flows from operating activities:  
Net income (Loss)$(877)$588 
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:  
Net LossNet Loss$(131)$(232)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:  
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization320 317 Depreciation and amortization97 108 
Stock-based compensation and otherStock-based compensation and other14 20 Stock-based compensation and other12 
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other350 Special items - impairment charges and other18 160 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges322 Special items - restructuring charges11 
Payroll support program grant wage offset(760)
Changes in certain assets and liabilities:Changes in certain assets and liabilities:Changes in certain assets and liabilities:
Payroll support program grant funding753 
Changes in deferred tax provisionChanges in deferred tax provision(220)187 Changes in deferred tax provision(39)(44)
Increase in air traffic liabilityIncrease in air traffic liability171 244 Increase in air traffic liability224 210 
Increase in deferred revenueIncrease in deferred revenue193 97 Increase in deferred revenue48 33 
Pension contribution(65)
Other - netOther - net(150)(7)Other - net(73)(211)
Net cash provided by operating activitiesNet cash provided by operating activities116 1,381 Net cash provided by operating activities167 33 
Cash flows used in investing activities:  
Cash flows from investing activities:Cash flows from investing activities:  
Property and equipment additions:Property and equipment additions:  Property and equipment additions:  
Aircraft and aircraft purchase depositsAircraft and aircraft purchase deposits(61)(286)Aircraft and aircraft purchase deposits(3)(57)
Other flight equipmentOther flight equipment(49)(125)Other flight equipment(11)(35)
Other property and equipmentOther property and equipment(94)(116)Other property and equipment(13)(27)
Total property and equipment additions, including capitalized interestTotal property and equipment additions, including capitalized interest(204)(527)Total property and equipment additions, including capitalized interest(27)(119)
Purchases of marketable securitiesPurchases of marketable securities(2,092)(1,446)Purchases of marketable securities(1,243)(527)
Sales and maturities of marketable securitiesSales and maturities of marketable securities1,520 1,228 Sales and maturities of marketable securities732 511 
Other investing activitiesOther investing activities9 37 Other investing activities(5)
Net cash used in investing activitiesNet cash used in investing activities(767)(708)Net cash used in investing activities(543)(127)
Cash flows from financing activities:Cash flows from financing activities:  Cash flows from financing activities:  
Proceeds from issuance of debtProceeds from issuance of debt2,581 356 Proceeds from issuance of debt189 825 
Common stock repurchasesCommon stock repurchases(31)(752)Common stock repurchases0 (31)
Dividends paidDividends paid(45)(53)Dividends paid0 (45)
Long-term debt paymentsLong-term debt payments(238)(129)Long-term debt payments(115)(60)
Other financing activitiesOther financing activities19 40 Other financing activities8 (5)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities2,286 (538)
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash1,635 135 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of year232 114 
Net cash provided by financing activitiesNet cash provided by financing activities82 684 
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cashNet increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(294)590 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of periodCash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period1,386 232 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the periodCash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,867 $249 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,092 $822 
Cash paid during the period for:Cash paid during the period for:Cash paid during the period for:
Interest (net of amount capitalized)Interest (net of amount capitalized)$38 $48 Interest (net of amount capitalized)$50 $
Income taxesIncome taxes0 Income taxes0 
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the periodReconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the periodReconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period
Cash and cash equivalentsCash and cash equivalents$1,855 $237 Cash and cash equivalents$1,076 $811 
Restricted cash included in Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale and other current assets12 12 
Restricted cash included in Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assetsRestricted cash included in Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assets16 11 
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the periodTotal cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,867 $249 Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,092 $822 

109


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

NOTE 1. GENERAL AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and Basis of Presentation
 
The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Air Group, or the Company, and its primary subsidiaries, Alaska and Horizon. The condensed consolidated financial statements also include McGee Air Services (McGee), a ground services subsidiary of Alaska. The Company conducts substantially all of its operations through these subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for interim financial information. Consistent with these requirements, this Form 10-Q does not include all the information required by GAAP for complete financial statements. It should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.2020. In the opinion of management, all adjustments have been made that are necessary to fairly present the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and the results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and 2019.2020. Such adjustments were of a normal recurring nature.

In preparing these statements, the Company is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, including impairment charges. Due to the impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company's business, these estimates and assumptions require more judgment than they would otherwise given the uncertainty of the future demand for air travel, among other considerations. Further, due to seasonal variations in the demand for air travel, the volatility of aircraft fuel prices, changes in global economic conditions, changes in the competitive environment and other factors, operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the entire year.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU 2016-13, "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments." The ASU requires the use of an "expected credit loss model" on certain financial instruments. The ASU also amends the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities, and requires the estimation of credit losses to be recorded as allowances instead of reductions to amortized cost. The ASU was effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2020, and was adopted prospectively, but it did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements and disclosures.

NOTE 2. COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The public health and economic crisescrisis resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19 beginning in the first quarter of 2020 has had an unprecedentedcontinues to have a significant impact on the Company. Travel restrictions, event cancellations and social distancing guidelines implemented throughout the country drove significant declines in demand beginning in February, and adversely impacted revenues beginning in March. Although the Company has experienced several monthsrelaxation of modest improvement inrestrictions by state and local governments and the rollout of vaccination programs have allowed for the return of some demand, traffic remains wellpassenger enplanements remain significantly below 2019pre-pandemic levels. It is uncertain when the impacts of the crisis may resolve and when demand may returnAs a result, we continue to normal levels.fly far less capacity than normal.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic,Beginning in 2020, the Company implemented a "Peace-of-Mind" waiver, which allows travelers to book ticketsvarious cost-saving initiatives, including permanently parking aircraft, restructuring the workforce through early-out and incentive leave programs, and obtaining funding available under programs offered by the U.S. Treasury. The impacts of these programs for travel for a specified period of time that can be changed or canceled without incurring change fees. In the third quarter, the waiver was extended to cover all ticketed travel purchased through Decemberthree months ended March 31, 2020, and beginning in 2021 all change fees will be eliminated for first class and main cabin fares. Cancellations and postponement of travel exceeded new bookings in March and April, and had a material impact on second and third quarter passenger revenues, air traffic liability, and cash position. Refer to Note 3 for further discussion.are described below.

Lease Return Costs

When 40 leased Aircraft were removed from operating service in 2020, we recorded an estimate of the expected future lease return costs for the aircraft. Lease return costs include the write off of associated maintenance deposits, as the Company no longer expects to perform maintenance events covered by those deposits. The Company has taken decisive actiontotal net charge recorded in 2020 for aircraft that were permanently parked amounted to reduce costs and preserve cash and liquidity.$209 million. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company implemented a company-wide hiring freeze, reduced salaries of senior management and hours for management employees, suspended annual pay increases and solicited voluntary leaves of absence. In addition to these payroll saving measures, the Company has actively negotiatedrecorded an additional $18 million in incremental costs associated with vendor partners to reduce contractual minimums and spending in line with the reduction in demand. In the third quarter, management made the difficult decision to reduce the Company's workforce through voluntary and involuntary leaves.

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With demand dramatically depressed, the Company has significantly reduced its planned flying capacity. As a result, manyleased aircraft that have been parked or removed from service. As of September 30, 2020, 64 mainline aircraft were temporarily grounded. The Company made the decision in the first quarter of 2020 to permanently remove 12 Airbus aircraft from the operating fleet. In the third quarter of 2020, an additional 8 Airbus aircraft were permanentlyretired and removed from the operating fleet. As of September 30, 2020, all operating regional aircraft were in service.

Valuation of long-lived assets

The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes indicate that the total carrying amount of an asset or asset group mayfleet but not be recoverable.

To determine if impairment exists, a recoverability test is performed comparing the sum of estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be directly generated by the assetsyet returned to the asset carrying value. Assets are grouped at the individual fleet level,lessor, which is the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are available. The Company developed estimates of future cash flows utilizing historical results, adjusted for the current operating environment, including the impact of parked aircraft.

Given the temporary and permanent parking of certain aircraft described above, the Company performed impairment tests on certain long-lived assets in each of the quarters of 2020. All individual fleets passed the recoverability test, except for the Q400 fleet and the permanently parked Airbus aircraft, which did not pass in the first and third quarters of 2020.

In the first quarter, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $83 million for the 12 permanently parked Airbus aircraft, which was comprised of operating lease right of use assets, estimable return costs, and related leasehold improvements. In the second quarter, the Company identified additional estimable return costs relating to those permanently parked aircraft, and recorded an additional $70 million charge.

Also in the first quarter, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $58 million reflecting the amount for which carrying value exceeded fair value of the Q400 fleet. The Company also recorded additionalclassified as Special items - impairment charges relating to 2 non-operating Q400 aircraft, which remain parked and held-for-sale, in the first quarter of 2020.

In the third quarter, the Company determined that ten owned Airbus A320 aircraft were impaired, as those aircraft have been specifically identified for retirement prior to the end of their expected useful lives. The Company decided to permanently park eight of these aircraft as of September 30, 2020. As such, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $121 million, representing the amount by which carrying value exceeded fair value for the aircraft and related capital improvements and spare parts inventory. The adjusted net book value of $219 million for the 8 aircraft that have been permanently parked and the 2 Q400 aircraft mentioned above has been transferred to held-for-sale assets in Other current assetsother on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

A summarystatement of operations. The lease return cost estimates are based on the Company's best estimate of costs to return aircraft as of the impairment charges recorded for aircraft and other flight equipment for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 is as follows (in millions):
Airbus AircraftQ400 AircraftTotal Impairment
Aircraft and other flight equipment, net$132 $58 $190 
Operating lease assets62 62 
Inventory and supplies - net
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Other accrued liabilities78 78 
Total impairment charges - Long-lived assets$274 $61 $335 
The Company will continue to evaluate the need for further impairmentdate of long-lived assets as expectations of future demand, market conditions and fleet decisions evolve.

Valuation of intangible assets and goodwill

The Company reviews definite- and indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter, or more frequently should events or circumstances indicate that an impairment may exist.

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Given the strain in the general economic environment and a significant decline in Alaska Air Group market capitalization, the Company performed impairment tests on all three asset types at the end of each quarter in 2020. As a result of these analyses, indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill were deemed recoverable, and no impairment charges were recorded. Of the company’s definite-lived intangibles, leased gates at Dallas-Love Field (DAL Gates) were deemed not recoverable and an impairment charge of $10 million was recorded in the first quarter. No additional impairment charges were identified for definite-lived intangibles as a result of the second and third quarter impairment tests.this filing.

Workforce restructuring

The Company expectscontinues to expect that demand will remain depressed intobelow pre-pandemic levels in 2021, and expects to rebuildbut will continue rebuilding toward 2019 capacity levels to approximately 80% by summer 2021. Accordingly,levels. In response, the Company reduced its workforce in the third quarter of 2020 to better align with the expected size of the business. To mitigate the need for involuntary furloughs, various early-out and voluntary leave programs were made available to all frontline work groups, in addition to incentive leave programs made available to Alaska pilots and mechanics. Through these programs over 600 employees took permanent early-outs, and over 3,300 employees took voluntary or incentive leaves. As of March 31, 2021, approximately 2,800 employees remain on a result of the participation in these mitigation programs, the involuntary furloughs that became effective October 1, 2020 were limited to approximately 400 employees. The Company recalled approximately 220 flight attendants on November 1, 2020. In addition to these furloughs, the Company permanently eliminated approximately 300 non-union management positions.voluntary leave program.

AsIn 2020, as a result of these programs, the Company recorded expense of $322$220 million to Special items - restructuring charges in the condensed consolidated statement of operations in the third quarter of 2020. The charge is primarily comprised of wageswage expense for those pilots and mechanics on incentive leaves, ongoing medical benefit coverage and lump-sum termination payments. In the first quarter of 2021, the
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Other considerations

The Company evaluated outstanding receivable balances for riskrefined capacity expectations and training schedules, and delayed certain recalls to a future period beyond what was anticipated in the accrual at December 31, 2020. As a result, an additional expense of non-payment. The Company identified a $5 million receivable from a vendor that filed for bankruptcy during the first quarter. The Company expects to file a bankruptcy claim but, as the note is unsecured, management determined that collectability is not probable. Therefore, the full $5$11 million was reserved and charged torecorded as Special items - impairmentrestructuring charges and other in the condensed consolidated statement of operations induring the first quarter.three months ended March 31, 2021.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company concluded that the use ofThe table below presents a year-to-date effective tax rate estimate was more appropriate than the annual effective tax rate method as estimatesroll forward of the Company's full-year tax loss are not reliable at this time given the uncertainty of the travel demand environment.outstanding voluntary leave liability (in millions):
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2021
Total voluntary leave liability balance at January 1$127 
Cash payments(47)
Charges and adjustments11 
Total voluntary leave liability balance at March 31$91

Although itThe outstanding accrual is not certain whenbased on the impactsCompany's best estimate of COVID-19capacity expectations and training schedules for 2021 as of the date of this filing. The Company will subsidemake the majority of the remaining cash payments associated with this liability in 2021. The balance is reflected in accrued wages, benefits and demand for air travel will return,payroll taxes on the Company has implemented meaningful plans to reduce expenses, build liquidity and preserve cash. At September 30, 2020, given thecondensed consolidated balance of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, as well as anticipated access to liquidity and cash flows from future operations, the Company expects it will meet all cash obligations, as well as remain in compliance with the financial debt covenants in its existing financing arrangements, for the next 12 months. Refer to Note 5. Long-Term Debt for further information regarding liquidity obtained in response to the COVID-19 crisis.sheet.

CARES Act Funding

During the secondfirst quarter of 2021, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee finalized agreements with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) through an extension of the payroll support programPayroll Support Program (PSP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.Act, made available under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (PSP 2). Under PSP 2 and the PSP and associatedsupporting agreements, Alaska and Horizon received $992total funds of approximately $539 million in the first quarter of 2021. Subsequent to March 31, 2021, Alaska and Horizon received notification of an additional $80 million in funds made available under PSP 2. Those additional funds were received on April 29, 2021.

On April 29, 2021, Alaska, Horizon and McGee finalized additional agreements with the Treasury under a third round of the PSP, made available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PSP 3). Under PSP 3 and the supporting agreements, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee expect to receive total funds of approximately $584 million in the second quarter. In the third quarter of 2020, Alaska2021.

Of the amounts received during the three months ended March 31, 2021, $136 million represented unsecured debt and Horizonwas recorded at par, and $8 million represented warrants recorded at fair value using a Black-Scholes model. Both were informed byrecorded on the Treasurycondensed consolidated balance sheet. The remaining $403 million was recorded as grant proceeds. These amounts are inclusive of $29additional funding of $8 million in additional fundsmade available to McGee under the PSP. Similarly, McGee entered intofirst installment of PSP program (PSP 1). The grant is recorded as an agreementoffset to receivewages, salaries and benefits as eligible expenses are incurred. During the three months ended March 31, 2021, the Company recognized $411 million of the PSP grant proceeds as a total of $30wage offset. Included within this $411 million which was receivedis approximately $8 million for employee retention credits as in three installmentsthe CARES Act. The Company expects to record any remaining wage offsets in the second and third quarters.quarter of 2021.

Total funds of approximately $1.1 billioncontracted from the Treasury under the three Payroll Support Programs are allocated as follows (in millions):
GrantsLoansWarrantsTotal Proceeds
PSP 1$757 $293 $$1,059 
PSP 2457 159 625 
PSP 3(a)
431 147 584 
Total$1,645 $599 $24 $2,268 
(a) - The Company has reached an agreement for total proceeds to be received under PSP 3, however, the allocation of those proceeds are subject to change based on the final Black-Scholes valuation at the funding date.

Funds are exclusively used exclusively towardfor continuing to pay employee salaries, wages and benefits. Upon receipt of the funds the Company is subject to variousissued under PSP 3, certain conditions including,and restrictions were extended. These conditions include, but are not limited to, refraining from conducting involuntary furloughs or reducing employee pay rates of pay through September 30, 20202021 and placing limits on executive compensation. Other conditionscompensation and severance through April 1, 2023. Alaska Air Group also prohibitagreed to continue the Company from repurchasing common stocksuspension of dividends and from paying dividendsshare repurchases until September 30, 2021, and required the Company to continue to maintain essential air service as directed by the U.S. Department of Transportation through September 30, 2020.

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The funds received took the form of debt, warrants and a grant. The unsecured debt portion of $290 million was recorded at par, and warrants of $8 million were recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet at fair value determined using the Black-Scholes model. The residual amount of $753 million was recorded as grant proceeds. The grant will be recognized into earnings as eligible wages, salaries and benefits are incurred. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized $398 million and $760 million of the PSP grant proceeds as a wage offset. Included within the third quarter total offset is approximately $17 million in credits for employer taxes, as stipulated in the CARES Act. The Company expects to record an additional $10 million in wage offset in the fourth quarter.

In the third quarter of 2020, the Company reached an agreement with the Treasury to participate in the CARES Act loan program. The loan agreement provides for a secured term loan facility, which allows Alaska to borrow up to $1.3 billion. In October 2020, the amount of the loan available was increased to $1.9 billion. In September the Company borrowed $135 million under the loan facility. Refer to Note 5. Long-Term Debt and Note 8. Shareholders' Equity for further details regarding terms of the CARES loan agreement.2022.

NOTE 3. REVENUE

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Ticket revenue is recorded as Passenger revenue, and represents the primary source of the Company's revenue. Also included in Passenger revenue are passenger ancillary revenues such as bag fees, on-board food and beverage, ticket change fees, and certain revenue from the frequent flyer program. In the third quarter of 2020, the Company announced beginning on January 1, 2021 it would no longer collecteliminated ticket change fees indefinitely from those guests traveling onits main cabin orand first class fares. Mileage Plan other revenue includes brand and marketing revenue from the Company'sour co-branded credit card and other partners and certain interline frequent flyer revenue, net of commissions. Cargo and other revenue includes freight and mail revenue, and to a lesser extent, other ancillary revenue products such as lounge membership and certain commissions.

The Company disaggregates revenue by segment in Note 9. The detailslevel of detail within the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations, segment disclosures, and in this footnote depict the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and how cash flows are affected by economic and other factors.

Passenger Ticket and Ancillary Services Revenue

Passenger revenue recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
202020192020201920212020
Passenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage and net of taxes and feesPassenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage and net of taxes and fees$459 $1,868 $1,894 $5,099 Passenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage and net of taxes and fees$525 $1,213 
Passenger ancillary revenuePassenger ancillary revenue49 157 196 428 Passenger ancillary revenue50 116 
Mileage Plan passenger revenueMileage Plan passenger revenue64 186 272 511 Mileage Plan passenger revenue84 152 
Total Passenger revenueTotal Passenger revenue$572 $2,211 $2,362 $6,038 Total Passenger revenue$659 $1,481 

Mileage Plan™ Loyalty Program

Mileage Plan™ revenue included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
202020192020201920212020
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$64 $186 $272 $511 Passenger revenue$84 $152 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue84 118 266 346 Mileage Plan other revenue94 109 
Total Mileage Plan revenueTotal Mileage Plan revenue$148 $304 $538 $857 Total Mileage Plan revenue$178 $261 

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Cargo and Other

Cargo and other revenue included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
202020192020201920212020
Cargo revenueCargo revenue$31 $36 $83 $104 Cargo revenue$27 $24 
Other revenueOther revenue14 24 47 65 Other revenue17 22 
Total Cargo and other revenueTotal Cargo and other revenue$45 $60 $130 $169 Total Cargo and other revenue$44 $46 

Air Traffic Liability and Deferred Revenue

Passenger ticket and ancillary services liabilities

The Company recognized Passenger revenue of $484136 million and $582$489 million from the prior year-end air traffic liability balance for the ninethree months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and 2019.2020.

Given the reduction in demand for air travel stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance bookings and associated cash receipts have been significantly depressed. The Company also experienced elevated cancellations beginning in March 2020 which led to cash refunds or the issuance of credits for future travel. SinceAt March the Company has issued cash refunds of approximately $475 million and credits for future travel of $850 million. At September 30, 2020,31, 2021, such credits, which are included in the air traffic liability balance, totaled $617$484 million, net of breakage. In April 2020,2021, the Company announced updated expiration terms for these credits, extending to July 2021. At this time,December 31, 2021 for possible travel through November 30, 2022. Given the Company is unable to estimate how and when the air traffic liability will be recognized in earnings given ongoing uncertainty aroundin the return inof demand for air travel.travel, assumptions about breakage of these credits could change in future periods.

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Mileage PlanTM assets and liabilities

The Company records a receivable for amounts due from the bank partner and from other partners as mileage credits are sold until the payments are collected. The Company had $45$52 million of such receivables as of September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 and $105$48 million as of December 31, 2019. Consistent with2020. Given the significant cancellation activity outlined above, the Company experienced incremental redeposits in the third quarter. Given theongoing uncertainty around the return in demand for air travel, the Company is unable to determine how and whentiming of recognition of mileage credits will be recognized in earnings.may differ from current assumptions.

The table below presents a roll forward of the total frequent flyer liability (in millions):
Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
2020201920212020
Total Deferred Revenue balance at January 1Total Deferred Revenue balance at January 1$1,990 $1,874 Total Deferred Revenue balance at January 1$2,277 $1,990 
Travel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenueTravel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenue(272)(511)Travel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenue(84)(152)
Miles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenueMiles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenue(21)(84)Miles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenue(4)(22)
Increase in liability for mileage credits issuedIncrease in liability for mileage credits issued486 692 Increase in liability for mileage credits issued136 207 
Total Deferred Revenue balance at Sept 30$2,183 $1,971 
Total Deferred Revenue balance at March 31Total Deferred Revenue balance at March 31$2,325 $2,023 
NOTE 4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

In determining fair value, there is a three-level hierarchy based on the reliability of the inputs used. Level 1 refers to fair values based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 refers to fair values estimated using significant other observable inputs and Level 3 refers to fair values estimated using significant unobservable inputs.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments on a Recurring Basis

As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, total cost basis for all marketable securities was $1.9$2.5 billion. There were no significant differences between the cost basis and fair value of any individual class of marketable securities.
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Fair values of financial instruments on the condensed consolidated balance sheet (in millions):
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Level 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2Total
AssetsAssetsAssets
Marketable securitiesMarketable securitiesMarketable securities
U.S. government and agency securitiesU.S. government and agency securities$479 $0 $479 $330 $$330 U.S. government and agency securities$301 $0 $301 $407 $$407 
Equity mutual fundsEquity mutual funds6 0 6 Equity mutual funds7 0 7 
Foreign government bondsForeign government bonds0 20 20 31 31 Foreign government bonds0 19 19 20 20 
Asset-backed securitiesAsset-backed securities0 232 232 211 211 Asset-backed securities0 284 284 224 224 
Mortgage-backed securitiesMortgage-backed securities0 262 262 176 176 Mortgage-backed securities0 293 293 290 290 
Corporate notes and bondsCorporate notes and bonds0 859 859 523 523 Corporate notes and bonds0 1,515 1,515 978 978 
Municipal securitiesMunicipal securities0 46 46 23 23 Municipal securities0 54 54 50 50 
Total Marketable securitiesTotal Marketable securities485 1,419 1,904 336 964 1,300 Total Marketable securities308 2,165 2,473 414 1,562 1,976 
Derivative instrumentsDerivative instrumentsDerivative instruments
Fuel hedge—call options0 7 7 11 11 
Interest rate swap agreements0 0 0 
Fuel hedge - call optionsFuel hedge - call options0 41 41 15 15 
Total AssetsTotal Assets$485 $1,426 $1,911 $336 $978 $1,314 Total Assets$308 $2,206 $2,514 $414 $1,577 $1,991 
LiabilitiesLiabilitiesLiabilities
Derivative instrumentsDerivative instrumentsDerivative instruments
Interest rate swap agreementsInterest rate swap agreements0 (29)(29)(10)(10)Interest rate swap agreements0 (18)(18)(25)(25)
Total LiabilitiesTotal Liabilities$0 $(29)$(29)$$(10)$(10)Total Liabilities$0 $(18)$(18)$$(25)$(25)

The Company uses both the market and income approach to determine the fair value of marketable securities. U.S. government securities and equity mutual funds are Level 1 as the fair value is based on quoted prices in active markets. Foreign government bonds, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate notes and bonds, and municipal securities are Level 2 as
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the fair value is based on standard valuation models that are calculated based on observable inputs such as quoted interest rates, yield curves, credit ratings of the security and other observable market information.

The Company uses the market approach and the income approach to determine the fair value of derivative instruments. The fair value for fuel hedge call options is determined utilizing an option pricing model based on inputs that are readily available in active markets or can be derived from information available in active markets. In addition, the fair value considers the exposure to credit losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties. Interest rate swap agreements are Level 2 as the fair value of these contracts isare determined based on the difference between the fixed interest rate in the agreements and the observable LIBOR-based interest forward rates at period end multiplied by the total notional value.

Activity and Maturities for Marketable Securities

Unrealized losses from marketable securities are primarily attributable to changes in interest rates. Management does not believe any unrealized losses are the result of expected credit losses based on its evaluation of available information as of September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021.

Maturities for marketable securities (in millions):
September 30, 2020Cost BasisFair Value
March 31, 2021March 31, 2021Cost BasisFair Value
Due in one year or lessDue in one year or less$702 $704 Due in one year or less$1,158 $1,159 
Due after one year through five yearsDue after one year through five years1,108 1,139 Due after one year through five years1,231 1,246 
Due after five years through 10 yearsDue after five years through 10 years54 55 Due after five years through 10 years62 61 
TotalTotal$1,864 $1,898 Total$2,451 $2,466 

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Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

The Company uses the following methods and assumptions to determine the fair value of financial instruments that are not recognized at fair value as described below.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash: Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, such as money market funds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit. They are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

The Company's restricted cash balances are primarily used to guarantee various letters of credit, self-insurance programs or other contractual rights. Restricted cash consists of highly liquid securities with original maturities of three months or less. They are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

Debt: Debt assumed in the acquisition of Virgin America was subject to a non-recurring fair valuation adjustment as part of purchase price accounting. The adjustment is amortized over the life of the associated debt. All other fixed-rate debt is carried at cost. To estimate the fair value of all fixed-rate debt as of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, the Company uses the income approach by discounting cash flows or estimation using quoted market prices, utilizing borrowing rates for comparable debt over the remaining life of the outstanding debt. The estimated fair value of the fixed-rate Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificate debt is Level 2, except for $732as it is estimated using observable inputs, while the estimated fair value of $612 million whichof other fixed-rate debt, including PSP notes payable, is classified as Level 3, as certain inputs used are unobservable.it is not actively traded and is valued using discounted cash flows which is an unobservable input.

Fixed-rate debt on the condensed consolidated balance sheet and the estimated fair value of long-term fixed-rate debt is as follows (in millions):
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Fixed-rate debt at cost$1,889 $473 
Non-recurring purchase price accounting fair value adjustment2 
Total fixed-rate debtTotal fixed-rate debt$1,891 $475 Total fixed-rate debt$1,728 $1,662 
Estimated fair valueEstimated fair value$1,960 $483 Estimated fair value$1,839 $1,778 

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

Certain assets and liabilities are recognized or disclosed at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, including property, plant and equipment, operating lease assets, goodwill, and intangible assets. These assets are subject to fair valuation when there is evidence of impairment. Refer to Note 2 for discussion regarding impairment charges recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. No material impairment chargesimpairments were recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019.March 31, 2021.
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NOTE 5. LONG-TERM DEBT
 
Long-term debt obligations on the condensed consolidated balance sheet (in millions):
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019 March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029$427 $475 Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029$186 $198 
Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2030290 
Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2031Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2031426 290 
Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 2027Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 20271,174 Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 20271,116 1,174 
Variable-rate notes payable due through 2029Variable-rate notes payable due through 20291,966 1,032 Variable-rate notes payable due through 20291,876 1,866 
Less debt issuance costs and unamortized debt discountLess debt issuance costs and unamortized debt discount(35)(8)Less debt issuance costs and unamortized debt discount(33)(33)
Total debtTotal debt3,822 1,499 Total debt3,571 3,495 
Less current portionLess current portion1,150 235 Less current portion1,246 1,138 
Long-term debt, less current portionLong-term debt, less current portion$2,672 $1,264 Long-term debt, less current portion$2,325 $2,357 
Weighted-average fixed-interest rateWeighted-average fixed-interest rate4.3 %3.3 %Weighted-average fixed-interest rate4.0 %4.3 %
Weighted-average variable-interest rateWeighted-average variable-interest rate1.9 %2.9 %Weighted-average variable-interest rate1.7 %1.9 %

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Approximately $642$591 million of the Company's total variable-rate notes payable are effectively fixed via interest rate swaps at September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021, effective weighted-average interest rate for the full debt portfolio to 3.1%.

During the ninethree months ended September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, the Company obtained proceeds from issuanceissued $189 million of debt, comprising of $2.6 billion from multiple lenders and sources. New proceeds are comprised$136 million of $1.2 billion in Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates (EETC), $589 million from secured debt financing backed by a total of 32 aircraft, $290 million in an unsecured loanloans from the PSP and $135a $54 million from the CARES Act loan program. Also included in proceeds from issuance of debt is $400 million drawn on existing lines of credit. Details around these issuances are more fully described below. Issuances of debt aredebt. Debt proceeds were offset by $238$115 million in scheduled debt payments.

In the third quarter of 2020, the Company obtained $1.2 billion in private funding through the issuance of Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates (EETC). The EETC are collateralized by 42 Boeing 737 aircraft and 19 Embraer E175 aircraft. Principal and interest payments are due semiannually, beginning on February 15, 2021.

The $290$426 million PSP note is annotes are unsecured senior term loanloans with a 10-year term, bearing an interest rate of 1% in years 1 through 5, and an interest rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 2% in years 6 through 10. The loan isPSP notes are prepayable at par at any time. Alaska and Horizon PSP proceeds were deposited into an account which will be drawn down over time for payroll expenses. That account and the balance of the proceeds will serve as the only collateral for the loan.without penalty.

CARES Act Loan Program

In the third quarter of 2020, the Company finalized an agreement with the Treasury to obtain up to $1.3$1.9 billion via a secured term loan facility. In October 2020, the Company was informed by the Treasury that the total loan available would increase to $1.9 billion. Following the October upsize, obligations of the CompanyObligations under the loan agreement are secured by assets related to, and revenues generated by, Alaska's Mileage PlanTM frequent flyer program, as well as by 3430 aircraft and 15 spare engines.

As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, the Company has drawn $135 million available under the agreement, and may, at its option, borrow additional amounts in up to two subsequent borrowings until March 31, 2021, after a required initial draw of 10%.May 28, 2021. All proceeds drawn must be used for certain general corporate purposes and operating expenses in accordance with the terms and conditions of the loan agreement and the applicable provisions of the CARES Act.

In conjunction with the initial draw, the Company granted the Treasury 427,080 warrants to purchase ALK common stock at a strike price of $31.61. The value of the warrants was estimated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, and the relative fair value of the warrants of $6 million was recorded in stockholders' equity, with an offsetting debt discount to the CARES Act Loan issuance.

15


Debt Maturity

At September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 long-term debt principal payments for the next five years and thereafter are as follows (in millions):
Total Total
Remainder of 2020$73 
20211,201 
Remainder of 2021Remainder of 2021$659 
20222022393 2022796 
20232023357 2023334 
20242024265 2024240 
20252025396 
ThereafterThereafter1,568 Thereafter1,179 
TotalTotal$3,857 Total$3,604 

Bank Lines of Credit
 
The Company has 3 credit facilities with availabilitycapacity totaling $461 million as of September 30, 2020. All 3March 31, 2021. One of the credit facilities have variable interest rates based on LIBOR plus a specified margin. One credit facility for $250 million expires in June 2021 and is secured by aircraft. A second credit facility, which was renegotiated in September 2020, resulting in decreased capacity from $150 million to $120 million expires in March 2022 and is secured by certain accounts receivable, spare engines, spare parts and ground service equipment. The second credit facility for $250 million expires in June 2021 and is secured by aircraft. These two facilities have variable interest rates based on LIBOR plus a specified margin. A third credit facility for $91 million expires in June 2021 with a mechanism for annual renewal, and is secured by aircraft.aircraft..

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During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company drew $400 million on the first 2 existing facilities, of which a total of $37 million has since been repaid. The Company has an outstanding balance of $363 million fromon the first twoand second facilities, and the outstanding balancewhich is classified as short-term on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Subsequent to quarter-end, the Company issued notices to repay the entire outstanding balance. The Company also has secured letters of credit against the $91 millionthird facility. All 3 credit facilities have a requirement to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash and marketable securities balance of $500 million. The Company was in compliance with this covenant at September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021.

NOTE 6. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Net periodic benefit costs for qualified defined-benefit plans include the following (in millions): 
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
2020201920202019 20212020
Service costService cost$11 $11 $37 $32 Service cost$13 $13 
Pension expense included in Wages and benefitsPension expense included in Wages and benefits11 11 37 32 Pension expense included in Wages and benefits13 13 
Interest costInterest cost19 23 57 67 Interest cost14 19 
Expected return on assetsExpected return on assets(28)(24)(83)(71)Expected return on assets(31)(28)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)(1)(1)(1)(1)
Recognized actuarial lossRecognized actuarial loss9 26 27 Recognized actuarial loss9 
Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)$(1)$$(1)$22 Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)$(8)$0 

In the third quarter of 2020, the Company also recorded $16 million of pension expense within Special items - restructuring charges for those pilots accepting certain furlough mitigation programs, which is not reflected in the table above.
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NOTE 7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Future minimum payments for commitments as of September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 (in millions):
Aircraft Commitments(a)
Capacity Purchase Agreements (b)
Aircraft Maintenance Deposits
Aircraft Commitments(a)
Capacity Purchase Agreements (b)
Remainder of 2020$343 $36 $
2021549 166 35 
Remainder of 2021Remainder of 2021$111 $124 
20222022333 174 45 20221,325 173 
20232023192 179 24 2023681 178 
2024202421 184 2024183 183 
2025202515 188 
ThereafterThereafter25 880 Thereafter12 877 
TotalTotal$1,463 $1,619 $119 Total$2,327 $1,723 
(a)Includes non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines, aircraft maintenance and parts management.
(b)Includes all non-aircraft lease costs associated with capacity purchase agreements.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 the Company renegotiated scheduled payments with certain lessors and vendor partners, including the reduction of minimum obligations and rates. The impact of those negotiations on our leases was not material to the operating lease liability. The Company has also deferred the payment of remaining 2020 contractual aircraft commitments, including those related to the B737 MAX9, to periods beyond 2020.

Aircraft Commitments
 
Aircraft purchase commitments include non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines. As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, Alaska had commitments to purchase 32 B737 MAX951 B737-9 MAX aircraft, with contracted deliveries between 20202021 and 2023. As a result of the grounding order mandated by the FAA on March 13, 2019, the delivery schedule for these MAX aircraft is subject to change.2024. Future minimum contractual payments for these aircraft have been updated to reflect the possibleexpected delivery timing, but are also subject to change. Horizon also has commitments to purchase 3 E175 aircraft with deliveries in 2023. Alaska has cancelable purchase commitments for 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft with deliveries from 2024 through 2026.2027. In addition, Alaska has options to purchase 37 B73752 B737-9 MAX aircraft, and Horizon has options to purchase 30 E175 aircraft. Alaska also has the option to increase capacity flown by SkyWest with 8 additional E175 aircraft with deliveries in 2022.

The cancelable purchase commitments and option payments are not reflected in the table above. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is in discussion with aircraft manufacturers regarding these purchase commitments and delivery timelines.

Contingencies

The Company is a party to routine litigation matters incidental to its business and with respect to which no material liability is expected. Liabilities for litigation related contingencies are recorded when a loss is determined to be probable and estimable.

In 2015, three flight attendants filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Virgin America flight attendants for damages based on alleged violations of California and City of San Francisco wage and hour laws. The court certified a class of approximately 1,800 flight attendants in November 2016. The Company believes the claims in this case are without factual and legal merit.

In July 2018, the Court granted in part Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, finding Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines, as a successor-in-interest to Virgin America, responsible for various damages and penalties sought by the class members. On February 4, 2019, the Court entered final judgment against Virgin America and Alaska Airlines in the amount of approximately $78 million. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines. In February 2021, an appellate court reversed portions of the lower court decision and significantly reduced the judgment. The determination of total judgment has not been completed as of the date of this filing. Based on the facts and circumstances available, the Company believes the range of potential loss to be between $0 and $22 million, and holds an accrual for $22 million in Other accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines.

The Company is seeking an appellate court ruling that the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as applied to national airlines pursuant to the U.S. Constitution and federal law and for other employment law and improper class certification reasons. The Company remains confident that a higher court will respect the federal preemption principles that were enacted to shield inter-state common carriers from a patchwork of state and local wage and hour regulations such as those at issue in this case and agree with the Company's other bases for appeal. For these reasons, no loss has been accrued.
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In January 2019, a pilot filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Alaska and Horizon pilots for damages based on alleged violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Plaintiff received class certification in August 2020. The case is in discovery. The Company believes the claims in the case are without factual and legal merit and intends to defend the lawsuit.

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The Company is involved in other litigation around the application of state and local employment laws, like many air carriers. Our defenses are similar to those identified above, including that the state and local laws are preempted by federal law and are unconstitutional because they impede interstate commerce. None of these additional disputes are material.

This forward-looking statement is based on management's current understanding of the relevant laws and facts, and it is subject to various contingencies, including the potential costs and risks associated with litigation and the actions of judges and juries.

NOTE 8. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

Common Stock Repurchase

In August 2015, the Board of Directors authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program. As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, the Company has repurchased 7.6 million shares for $544 million under this program. In March 2020, the Company suspended the share repurchase program indefinitely.
CARES Act Warrant Issuance
As additional taxpayer protection required under the PSP 2, during the ninethree months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 the Company granted the Treasury a total of 915,930255,874 warrants to purchase Alaska Air Group (ALK) common stock at a strike price of $31.61,$52.25, based on the closing price on April 9,December 24, 2020. The warrants are non-voting, freely transferable, may be settled as net shares or in cash at Alaska's option, and have a five yearfive-year term.
Additionally, in connection with the executionTotal warrants outstanding are as follows as of the CARES Act loan agreement,March 31, 2021:
Number of shares of ALK common stockStrike Price
PSP 1928,127 $31.61 
CARES Act loan warrants427,080 31.61 
PSP 2255,874 52.25 
Total1,611,081 

Subsequent to March 31, 2021, Alaska and Horizon received additional funding under PSP 2. As additional taxpayer protection, the Company agreed to issue warrants to the Treasury to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,115,786 shares of ALK common stock (the Warrant Agreement). Under the Warrant Agreement, warrants will be granted to the Treasury in conjunction with each new borrowing under the Agreement. Warrants to purchase shares shall be equal to 10% of each borrowing, divided by $31.61, the closing price of Air Group common stock on April 9, 2020. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, on the closing date, Air Group granted the Treasury 427,08045,855 warrants to purchase ALK common stock at a strike price of $31.61. Upon upsize$52.25, based on the closing price on December 24, 2020. Also subsequent to March 31, 2021, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee received a portion of total funding made available under PSP 3. The Company granted 88,395 warrants to purchase ALK common stock at a strike price of $66.39, based on the loan agreementclosing price on March 10, 2021. The warrants are non-voting, freely transferable, may be settled as net shares or in October 2020, an additional 1,983,550 warrants were added to the aggregate.cash at Alaska's option, and have a five-year term.
Accumulated other comprehensive loss

Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax (in millions):
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Related to marketable securitiesRelated to marketable securities$25 $Related to marketable securities$11 $23 
Related to employee benefit plansRelated to employee benefit plans(453)(469)Related to employee benefit plans(492)(498)
Related to interest rate derivativesRelated to interest rate derivatives(22)(5)Related to interest rate derivatives(13)(19)
TotalTotal$(450)$(465)Total$(494)$(494)

Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Diluted EPS is calculated by dividing net income by the average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding assuming the exercise of in-the-money stock options and restricted stock units, using the treasury-stock method. For the three and nine months ended September 30,March 31, 2021 and 2020, and 2019, anti-dilutive shares excluded from the calculation of EPS were not material.

NOTE 9. OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

Alaska Air Group has two operating airlines—airlines – Alaska and Horizon. Each is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration. Alaska has CPAs for regional capacity with Horizon, as well as with SkyWest, under which Alaska receives all passenger revenues.

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Under U.S. GAAP, operating segments are defined as components of a business for which there is discrete financial information that is regularly assessed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) in making resource allocation decisions.
21


Financial performance for the operating airlines and CPAs is managed and reviewed by the Company's CODM as part of 3three reportable operating segments:
Mainline - includes scheduled air transportation on Alaska's Boeing or Airbus jet aircraft for passengers and cargo throughout the U.S., and in parts of Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Regional - includes Horizon's and other third-party carriers’ scheduled air transportation for passengers across a shorter distance network within the U.S. under a CPA. This segment includes the actual revenues and expenses associated with regional flying, as well as an allocation of corporate overhead incurred by Air Group on behalf of the regional operations.
Horizon - includes the capacity sold to Alaska under CPA. Expenses include those typically borne by regional airlines such as crew costs, ownership costs and maintenance costs.

The CODM makes resource allocation decisions for these reporting segments based on flight profitability data, aircraft type, route economics and other financial information.

The "Consolidating and Other" column reflects Air Group parent company activity, McGee Air Services, consolidating entries and other immaterial business units of the company. The “Air Group Adjusted” column represents a non-GAAP measure that is used by the Company's CODM to evaluate performance and allocate resources. Adjustments are further explained below in reconciling to consolidated GAAP results.

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Operating segment information is as follows (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30, 2020Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating Revenues   Operating Revenues   
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$401 $171 $$$572 $$572 Passenger revenues$506 $153 $$$659 $$659 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues95 (95)CPA revenues104 (104)
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue65 19 84 84 Mileage Plan other revenue80 14 94 94 
Cargo and otherCargo and other45 45 45 Cargo and other44 — 44 44 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues511 190 95 (95)701 701 Total Operating Revenues630 167 104 (104)797 797 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel872 248 78 (97)1,101 46 1,147 Operating expenses, excluding fuel893 265 88 (109)1,137 (382)755 
Economic fuelEconomic fuel90 38 128 (3)125 Economic fuel174 52 (1)225 (22)203 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses962 286 78 (97)1,229 43 1,272 Total Operating Expenses1,067 317 88 (110)1,362 (404)958 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)Nonoperating Income (Expense)Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest incomeInterest income(1)Interest income
Interest expenseInterest expense(28)(6)(34)(34)Interest expense(27)(5)(32)(32)
Interest capitalizedInterest capitalizedInterest capitalized
Other - netOther - netOther - net10 10 10 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(12)(6)(18)(18)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(7)(5)(12)(12)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$(463)$(96)$11 $$(546)$(43)$(589)Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$(444)$(150)$11 $$(577)$404 $(173)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2019Three Months Ended March 31, 2020
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating RevenuesOperating Revenues
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$1,850 $361 $$$2,211 $$2,211 Passenger revenues$1,234 $247 $$$1,481 $$1,481 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues112 (112)CPA revenues105 (105)
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue107 11 118 118 Mileage Plan other revenue98 11 109 109 
Cargo and otherCargo and other58 60 — 60 Cargo and other44 46 46 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues2,015 373 112 (111)2,389 2,389 Total Operating Revenues1,376 258 105 (103)1,636 1,636 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel1,226 275 94 (119)1,476 1,481 Operating expenses, excluding fuel1,159 269 92 (110)1,410 163 1,573 
Economic fuelEconomic fuel411 75 486 486 Economic fuel313 62 375 384 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses1,637 350 94 (119)1,962 1,967 Total Operating Expenses1,472 331 92 (110)1,785 172 1,957 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)Nonoperating Income (Expense)Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest incomeInterest income17 (6)11 11 Interest income14 (5)
Interest expenseInterest expense(18)(7)(18)(18)Interest expense(12)(5)(13)(13)
Interest capitalizedInterest capitalizedInterest capitalized
Other - netOther - net(3)(3)(3)Other - net(1)
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(7)(6)(6)Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)11 (5)(2)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$378 $23 $11 $$421 $(5)$416 Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$(85)$(73)$$$(145)$(172)$(317)


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Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating Revenues
Passenger revenues$1,860 $502 $$$2,362 $$2,362 
CPA revenues281 (281)
Mileage Plan other revenue219 47 266 266 
Cargo and other128 130 130 
Total Operating Revenues2,207 549 281 (279)2,758 2,758 
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuel2,777 727 238 (289)3,453 (83)3,370 
Economic fuel448 120 568 568 
Total Operating Expenses3,225 847 238 (289)4,021 (83)3,938 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income33 (10)23 23 
Interest expense(58)(16)10 (64)(64)
Interest capitalized
Other - net16 16 16 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(1)(16)(17)(17)
Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$(1,019)$(298)$27 $10 $(1,280)$83 $(1,197)
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating Revenues
Passenger revenues$5,039 $999 $$$6,038 $$6,038 
CPA revenues340 (340)
Mileage Plan other revenue312 34 346 346 
Cargo and other163 169 169 
Total Operating Revenues5,514 1035 341 (337)6,553 6,553 
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuel3,545 817 286 (353)4,295 39 4,334 
Economic fuel1,191 218 1,409 (1)1,408 
Total Operating Expenses4,736 1,035 286 (353)5,704 38 5,742 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income50 (19)31 31 
Interest expense(58)(22)20 (60)(60)
Interest capitalized11 11 11 
Other - net(20)(20)(20)
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(17)(22)(38)(38)
Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$761 $$33 $17 $811 $(38)$773 
(a)Includes consolidating entries, Air Group parent company, McGee Air Services, and other immaterial business units.
(b)The Air Group Adjusted column represents the financial information that is reviewed by management to assess performance of operations and determine capital allocationsallocation and excludes certain income and charges. See Note A in the accompanying pages for further information.
(c)Includes payroll support program grantPayroll Support Program wage offsets, special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments.


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Total assets were as follows (in millions):
September 30, 2020December 31, 2019March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
MainlineMainline$20,586 $19,207 Mainline$19,951 $19,754 
HorizonHorizon1,231 1,266 Horizon1,200 1,170 
Consolidating & OtherConsolidating & Other(7,068)(7,480)Consolidating & Other(6,889)(6,878)
ConsolidatedConsolidated$14,749 $12,993 Consolidated$14,262 $14,046 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
OVERVIEW
 
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is intended to help the reader understand our company, segment operations and the present business environment. MD&A is provided as a supplement to – and should be read in conjunction with – our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. All statements in the following discussion that are not statements of historical information or descriptions of current accounting policy are forward-looking statements. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of the risks referred to in this report’s introductory cautionary note and the risks mentioned in "Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and in Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of Part II of this Form 10-Q.2020. This overview summarizes the MD&A, which includes the following sections:
 
ThirdFirst Quarter Review—highlights from the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 outlining some of the major events that happened during the period and how they affected our financial performance.
 
Results of Operations—an in-depth analysis of our revenues by segment and our expenses from a consolidated perspective for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021. To the extent material to the understanding of segment profitability, we more fully describe the segment expenses per financial statement line item. Financial and statistical data is also included here. This section includes forward-looking statements regarding our view of the remainder of 2020.2021. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources—an overview of our financial position, analysis of cash flows, and relevant contractual obligations and commitments.

THIRDFIRST QUARTER REVIEW

COVID-19 ImpactsBusiness Recovery and ResponseFinancial Outlook

The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a material impact on our business have been unprecedented,business. However, in the first quarter of 2021 we began to see positive momentum toward recovery. Vaccine availability, coupled with the relaxation of restrictions imposed by state and have presented us with some of the greatest challenges in our 88-year history. The cancellation of large public events, suspension of business travel, closure of popular tourist destinations and implementation of stay-at-home orders throughout the country beginning in March 2020 has drivenlocal governments helped to stimulate demand for air travel to historic lows.the highest level since the onset of the pandemic. Positive revenue and forward booking trends, combined with the benefits from cost-saving measures enacted in 2020 and the PSP wage offset, drove positive operating cash flow of $167 million for the quarter.

AlthoughDuring the first quarter of 2021, we have seen slow improvements in demand throughalso completed key milestones which will be instrumental to our future success. On March 31, 2021, Alaska formally entered the secondoneworld® alliance as the 14th member airline. Entry into the alliance will move Alaska forward as a global airline and third quarters of 2020 as daily passenger counts have grown from a low of 5,000 per day to approximately 40,000 in September, we remain well below prior-year traffic levels. Some targeted promotions, including a "Buy the Row" sale, have provided meaningful cash bookingswill provide increased connectivity and positive reactions from guests, indicating that there is underlying demandbenefits for air travel when the time is right. Based on several recent studies performed on the safety of air travel during the pandemic, we strongly believe air travel is, and has been, safe and we stand ready as our guests return toand Mileage Plan members. This alliance, coupled with our West Coast International Alliance with American, uniquely positions us for recovery through increased corporate travel over the coming months.and international connectivity.

However, asAlso in the first quarter of 2021, we expect recoveryfinalized a previously announced deal with Boeing to be slowrestructure Alaska's aircraft purchase agreement and we faceincrease the reality that our airlines are, and will be, significantly smaller than we were a year ago, we had to makenumber of firm aircraft deliveries. Under the difficult decision to reduce our workforce at the endterms of the third quarter. We initiated various early-out and furlough mitigation programsagreement, Alaska will take delivery of 55 Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft with options for frontline work groups,an additional 52 planes. The deliveries secured under the Boeing agreement, as well as incentive leaves forthe 13 additional leased 737-9 MAX aircraft from Air Lease Corporation, provide Alaska pilotswith the ability to replace most of the outgoing leased Airbus fleet with more fuel efficient and cost-effective Boeing aircraft. The first four aircraft mechanics. These leavesavailable under this agreement were accepted by approximately 4,000 employees, including over 600 employees volunteering for early-out separation from the Company. In addition, we reduced our non-union management positions by approximately 300 positions. As a result of these actions, we were able to reduce the number of involuntary furloughs to approximately 400. Costs of $322 million associated with these programs were recordeddelivered in the third quarter. We expect these workforce reductions will resultfirst quarter, with two entering revenue service in permanent annual savings of approximately $130 million.

These and other structural cost reduction measures are critical to reaching our monthly cash preservation goals. We believe getting to a zero cash burn position will be a leading indicator of industry health and recovery, and we believe we will be the first airline to reach this goal. Our capacity and cash bookings planning assumptions do not represent guidance, and we will adjust our plans if demand trends do not support these assumptions.March.

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Looking forward,In 2021, guidance will be compared to 2019 as we believe it provides meaningful indication of the pace and quality of recovery to pre-pandemic levels. For the second quarter, we are planning for capacity in the fourth quarter to be approximately 40%20% below the same period in 2019. We expect to see continued increases in passenger counts fromduring the holidaysummer travel season and as Hawai'i reopens to tourism travel. However,more destinations relax restrictions and the vaccine rollout continues. As we do expecthave been measured in returning capacity and optimizing the aircraft gauge for flown routes, we anticipate second quarter load factors to be in the range of 45%between 70% to 55% given our decision to block middle seats on the majority of our mainline flights through January 6, 2021.

Currently, by the summer of 2021, our planning assumption is that capacity will be approximately 80% of the summer of 2019. Although, that is subject to change given the ever-changing dynamic of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for air travel. We will remain flexible as the situation changes and are committed to take advantage of opportunities that may arise as the industry begins to recover.

Maintaining a significant liquidity balance is also paramount to preserving our financial strength. In addition to the $1 billion in CARES Act funding obtained in the second quarter of 2020, we have also sourced $589 million in secured financing, drawn $400 million from our existing credit facilities, and issued $1.2 billion in EETCs. We also have available to us $1.9 billion in CARES Act loans, from which we have drawn $135 million to support general business operations. As of November 3, 2020, our cash and marketable securities balance was approximately $3.5 billion.

Guest and employee safety75%.

Our commitmentoutlook, and the guidance provided, is sensitive to health trends, the healthvaccine rollout, and safety of our guestsregulations and employees remains our top priority. In responserestrictions imposed by state, local and federal authorities. Our plans for 2021 will be responsive to emerging information and the crisis,guidance we have partneredprovided above is subject to greater uncertainty than we have historically experienced. Our people are focused on keeping our costs low, running a great operation, and welcoming guests back to travel with experts to build our Next-Level Care initiative. In doing so,to ensure they are safe and comfortable when they fly. These competitive advantages we have added layers of safety withcultivated over 100 safety measures through all stages of travel. Some examples of measuresmany years will continue to serve us well in 2021 and beyond, and we are confident that we are helping our guests build confidence include:prepared to meet the challenges ahead and that we will emerge from the pandemic a stronger and more resilient airline.

Making the pre-flight experience as contactless as possible, including the addition of a health agreement during check-in;Sustainability Updates

Requiring masksAs we move into a new phase of recovery, we have shifted attention back to our 2025 strategic plan, which was announced in 2019. Recently, we published updates on our 2025 goals, which include increased commitments towards diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as expanded sustainability efforts. We have highlighted our commitment and support for both guests aged 2 and older and employees, and empowering our crews to enforce the policyequity in education through a new 737-900ER livery designed in partnership with the abilityUnited Negro College Fund. Additionally, in April 2021, we announced strengthened commitments to issue a formal warningreduce our carbon footprint, including joining the Amazon Climate Pledge, which calls for reducing our carbon emissions to any guest who refusesnet-zero by 2040. In order to do so;achieve this, we have identified specific areas of focus, and have placed emphasis on goals which are achievable by 2025, including becoming the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline and reducing emissions from ground service equipment by 50%.

Using the latest air filtration technology and hospital grade filters to remove particulates and fully recycle air in the cabin every 2 to 3 minutes;

Exceeding CDC cleaning guidelines and using high grade disinfectants to reduce the risk of transmission on board, and;

Providing for adequate social distancing in our airports and on-board, including blocking middle seats on mainline aircraft through January 6, 2021.

oneworld Invitation

In July 2020, we received our formal invitation to join the oneworld alliance. Upon entrance to the alliance, Alaska guests will be able to access the full range of customer services and benefits, and Mileage Plan members will be able to earn and redeem rewards on all oneworld member airlines. The Company is working to accelerate its timeline for entrance into the alliance, withAs a focus on completion by the endreflection of the first quarterimportance of 2021.the commitments made, we have tied a portion of long-term executive compensation to achievement of diversity goals. Additionally, we have incorporated a carbon emission target into our company-wide performance-based pay program.

Financial Overview

Our consolidated pretaxpre-tax loss was $589 million duringfor the thirdfirst quarter of 2020,2021 was $173 million, compared to pretax profita pre-tax loss of $416$317 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. The shift to pretax loss was$144 million improvement is primarily driven primarily by a decrease in operating revenues of $1.7 billion stemmingthe $411 million wage offset from the sharp decline in demand, $322 million in restructuring costs,extension of the Payroll Support Program of the CARES Act, as well as lower wages and $121 million in special charges from asset impairment,benefits and aircraft fuel due to decreased flight activity. These benefits were offset by a decrease of $839 million in non-fuel operating expensesrevenue, primarily a result of $334 million, including wage offsets fromreduced demand for business and leisure travel during the payroll support program of the CARES Act of $398 million. Pretax loss was also offset by a decrease in fuel expense of $361 million.COVID-19 pandemic.

See “Results of Operations” below for further discussion of changes in revenues and operating expenses and our reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. A glossary of financial terms can be found at the end of this Item 2.


27


RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

ADJUSTED (NON-GAAP) RESULTS AND PER-SHARE AMOUNTS

We believe disclosure of earnings excluding the impact of the payroll support programPayroll Support Program grant wage offset, impairment and other charges, merger-related costs,special items, mark-to-market gains or losses or other individual special revenues or expenses is useful information to investors because:

By excluding fuel expense and certain special items (including the payroll support programPayroll Support Program grant wage offset, impairment and restructuring charges and merger-related costs) from our unit metrics, we believe that we have better visibility into the results of operations as we focus on cost-reduction initiatives emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our industry is highly competitive and is characterized by high fixed costs, so even a small reduction in non-fuel operating costs can lead to a significant improvement in operating results. In addition, we believe that all domestic carriers are similarly impacted by changes in jet fuel costs over the long run, so it is important for management (and thus investors) to understand the impact of (and trends in) company-specific cost drivers, such as labor rates and productivity, airport costs, maintenance costs, etc., which are more controllable by management.

22


Cost per ASM (CASM) excluding fuel and certain special items, such as the payroll support programPayroll Support Program grant wage offset, impairment and restructuring charges and merger-related costs, is one of the most important measures used by management and by the Air Group Board of Directors in assessing quarterly and annual cost performance.

Adjusted income before income tax and CASM excluding fuel (and other items as specified in our plan documents) areis an important metrics for the employee annual cash incentive plan, which covers the majority of employees within the Air Group organization.

CASM excluding fuel and certain special items is a measure commonly used by industry analysts and we believe it is an important metric by which they have historically compared our airline to others in the industry. The measure is also the subject of frequent questions from investors.

Disclosure of the individual impact of certain noted items provides investors the ability to measure and monitor performance both with and without these special items. We believe that disclosing the impact of these items as noted above is important because it provides information on significant items that are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Industry analysts and investors consistently measure our performance without these items for better comparability between periods and among other airlines.

Although we disclose our unit revenues, we do not (nor are we able to) evaluate unit revenues excluding the impact that changes in fuel costs have had on ticket prices. Fuel expense represents a large percentage of our total operating expenses. Fluctuations in fuel prices often drive changes in unit revenues in the mid-to-long term. Although we believe it is useful to evaluate non-fuel unit costs for the reasons noted above, we would caution readers of these financial statements not to place undue reliance on unit costs excluding fuel as a measure or predictor of future profitability because of the significant impact of fuel costs on our business.

Although we are presenting these non-GAAP amounts for the reasons above, investors and other readers should not necessarily conclude that these amounts are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature.
2823


OPERATING STATISTICS SUMMARY (unaudited)
Below are operating statistics we use to measure operating performance. We often refer to unit revenues and adjusted unit costs, which are non-GAAP measures.
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
20202019Change20202019Change20212020Change
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)3,59512,574(71.4)%14,01235,018(60.0)%Revenue passengers (000)4,6668,932(47.8)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"3,81715,026(74.6)%16,12742,113(61.7)%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"5,39310,656(49.4)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"7,87117,519(55.1)%27,48350,006(45.0)%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"10,39715,304(32.1)%
Load factorLoad factor48.5%85.8%(37.3) pts58.7%84.2%(25.5) ptsLoad factor51.9%69.6%(17.7) pts
YieldYield14.99¢14.71¢1.9%14.65¢14.34¢2.1%Yield12.22¢13.90¢(12.1)%
RASMRASM8.90¢13.64¢(34.8)%10.04¢13.10¢(23.4)%RASM7.67¢10.69¢(28.3)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
14.00¢8.43¢66.1%12.57¢8.59¢46.3%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
10.93¢9.22¢18.5%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.32$2.13(38.0)%$1.65$2.18(24.3)%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.79$1.93(7.3)%
Fuel gallons (000,000)Fuel gallons (000,000)97227(57.4)%344646(46.7)%Fuel gallons (000,000)126194(35.1)%
ASMs per fuel gallonASMs per fuel gallon81.377.25.3%79.977.43.2%ASMs per fuel gallon82.478.94.4%
Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)16,02722,247(28.0)%18,11222,000(17.7)%Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)17,14022,473(23.7)%
Mainline Operating Statistics:Mainline Operating Statistics:Mainline Operating Statistics:
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)2,1569,655(77.7)%9,73626,725(63.6)%Revenue passengers (000)3,1516,675(52.8)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"2,95813,538(78.2)%13,81637,917(63.6)%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"4,5899,582(52.1)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"6,28015,702(60.0)%23,33944,816(47.9)%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"8,85313,697(35.4)%
Load factorLoad factor47.1%86.2%(39.1) pts59.2%84.6%(25.4) ptsLoad factor51.8%70.0%(18.2) pts
YieldYield13.56¢13.66¢(0.7)%13.46¢13.29¢1.3%Yield11.02¢12.88¢(14.4)%
RASMRASM8.14¢12.83¢(36.6)%9.46¢12.30¢(23.1)%RASM7.11¢10.05¢(29.3)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
13.88¢7.81¢77.7%11.90¢7.91¢50.4%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
10.08¢8.46¢19.1%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.31$2.13(38.5)%$1.66$2.17(23.5)%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.77$1.92(7.8)%
Fuel gallons (000,000)Fuel gallons (000,000)69193(64.2)%270549(50.8)%Fuel gallons (000,000)98163(39.9)%
ASMs per fuel gallonASMs per fuel gallon91.081.411.8%86.481.65.9%ASMs per fuel gallon90.384.07.5%
Average FTEsAverage FTEs12,03216,789(28.3)%13,73016,599(17.3)%Average FTEs12,47316,818(25.8)%
Aircraft utilizationAircraft utilization7.311.3(35.4)%8.310.9(23.9)%Aircraft utilization8.510.1(15.8)%
Average aircraft stage lengthAverage aircraft stage length1,2441,281(2.9)%1,2631,298(2.7)%Average aircraft stage length1,3031,306(0.2)%
Operating fleet(d)
Operating fleet(d)
217238(21) a/c217238(21) a/c
Operating fleet(d)
201225(24) a/c
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)1,4392,919(50.7)%4,2768,293(48.4)%Revenue passengers (000)1,5152,257(32.9)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"8591,488(42.3)%2,3114,196(44.9)%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"8041,074(25.1)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"1,5921,817(12.4)%4,1435,190(20.2)%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"1,5441,607(3.9)%
Load factorLoad factor54.0%81.9%(27.9 pts)55.8%80.8%(25.0 pts)Load factor52.1%66.8%(14.7 pts)
YieldYield19.89¢24.23¢(17.9)%21.72¢23.81¢(8.8)%Yield19.04¢23.04¢(17.4)%
RASMRASM11.91¢20.51¢(41.9)%13.24¢19.93¢(33.6)%RASM10.84¢16.09¢(32.6)%
Operating fleetOperating fleet9494— a/c9494— a/cOperating fleet9494— a/c
(a)Except for FTEs, data includes information related to third-party regional capacity purchase flying arrangements.
(b)See reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to the most directly related GAAP measure in the accompanying pages.
(c)Data presented includes information related to flights operated by Horizon and third-party carriers.
(d)Excludes 20 Airbusall aircraft permanently parked in the first nine months of 2020.removed from operating service.




2924


Given the unusual nature of 2020, we believe that some analysis of specific financial and operational results compared to 2019 provides meaningful insight. The table below includes comparative results from 2021 to 2019.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OPERATING STATISTICS - 2019 RESULTS (unaudited)
Alaska Air Group, Inc.
Three Months Ended March 31,
20212019Change
Passenger revenue$659 $1,716 (62)%
Mileage plan other revenue94110 (15)%
Cargo and other4450 (12)%
Total operating revenues$797 $1,876 (58)%
Operating expense, excluding fuel and special items$1,137 $1,405 (19)%
Economic fuel203 420 (52)%
Special items(382)26NM
Total operating expenses$958 $1,851 (48)%
Total nonoperating expense(12)(19)(37)%
Income (loss) before income tax$(173)$NM
Consolidated Operating Statistics(a):
Revenue passengers (000)4,66610,417(55)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"5,39312,449(57)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"10,39715,508(33)%
Load Factor51.9%80.3%(28.4) pts
Yield12.22¢13.78¢(11)%
RASM7.67¢12.10¢(37)%
CASMex10.93¢9.06¢21 %
FTEs17,14021,832(21)%
(a)2019 comparative operating statistics have been recalculated using the information presented above, and as filed in our first quarter 2019 Form 10-Q



















25


COMPARISON OF THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020MARCH 31, 2021 TO THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2019MARCH 31, 2020

Our consolidated net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 was $431$131 million, or $3.49$1.05 per diluted share, compared to a net incomeloss of $322$232 million, or $2.60$1.89 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2019.March 31, 2020.

Excluding the impact of the payroll support programPayroll Support Program grant wage offset, special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments, our adjusted net loss for the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 was $399$436 million, or $3.23$3.51 per diluted share, compared to an adjusted net incomeloss of $326$102 million, or $2.63$0.83 per diluted share, in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. The following tables reconcile our adjusted net income and adjusted earningsloss per diluted share (EPS) to amounts as reported in accordance with GAAP:

Three Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended March 31,
20202019 20212020
(in millions, except per share amounts)(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS(in millions, except per share amounts)Dollars EPSDollars EPS
GAAP net income (loss) and diluted EPS$(431)$(3.49)$322 $2.60 
Payroll support program grant wage offset(398)(3.22)— — 
GAAP net loss per shareGAAP net loss per share$(131)$(1.05)$(232)$(1.89)
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(411)(3.31)— — 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(3)(0.02)— — Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(22)(0.18)0.07 
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other121 0.98 — — Special items - impairment charges and other18 0.14 160 1.30 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges11 0.09 — — 
Special items - merger-related costsSpecial items - merger-related costs1 0.01 0.04 Special items - merger-related costs  0.03 
Special items - restructuring charges322 2.60 — — 
Income tax effect of reconciling items aboveIncome tax effect of reconciling items above(11)(0.09)(1)(0.01)Income tax effect of reconciling items above99 0.80 (42)(0.34)
Non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) and diluted EPS$(399)$(3.23)$326 $2.63 
Non-GAAP adjusted net loss per shareNon-GAAP adjusted net loss per share$(436)$(3.51)$(102)$(0.83)

CASM reconciliation is summarized below:
Three Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended March 31,
(in cents)(in cents)20202019% Change(in cents)20212020% Change
Consolidated:Consolidated:Consolidated:
CASMCASM16.16 ¢11.23 ¢44 %CASM9.21 ¢12.79 ¢(28)%
Less the following components:Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Payroll support program grant wage offset(5.06)— NM
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(3.95)— NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.59 2.77 (43)%Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.95 2.51 (22)%
Special items - merger-related costs0.01 0.03 (67)%
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other1.53 — NMSpecial items - impairment charges and other0.17 1.04 (83.6)
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges4.09 — NMSpecial items - restructuring charges0.11 — NM
Special items - merger-related costsSpecial items - merger-related costs 0.02 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special itemsCASM excluding fuel and special items14.00 ¢8.43 ¢66 %CASM excluding fuel and special items10.93 ¢9.22 ¢19 %
Mainline:Mainline:Mainline:
CASMCASM16.80 ¢10.46 ¢61 %CASM8.07 ¢11.55 ¢(30)%
Less the following components:Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Payroll support program grant wage offset(5.56)— NM
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(4.06)— NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.43 2.62 (45)%Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.72 2.35 (27)%
Special items - merger-related costs0.02 0.03 (33)%
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other1.93 — NMSpecial items - impairment charges and other0.20 0.72 NM
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges5.10 — NMSpecial items - restructuring charges0.13 — NM
Special items - merger-related costsSpecial items - merger-related costs 0.02 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special itemsCASM excluding fuel and special items13.88 ¢7.81 ¢78 %CASM excluding fuel and special items10.08 ¢8.46 ¢19 %

3026


OPERATING REVENUES

Total operating revenues decreased $1.7 billion,$839 million, or 71%51%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019.2020. The changes are summarized in the following table:
Three Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)(in millions)20202019% Change(in millions)20212020% Change
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$572 $2,211 (74)%Passenger revenue$659 $1,481 (56)%
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue84 118 (29)%Mileage Plan other revenue94 109 (14)%
Cargo and otherCargo and other45 60 (25)%Cargo and other44 46 (4)%
Total operating revenuesTotal operating revenues$701 $2,389 (71)%Total operating revenues$797 $1,636 (51)%

Passenger Revenue

On a consolidated basis, Passenger revenue for the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 decreased by $1.6 billion,$822 million, or 74%56%, on a 75%49% decline in traffic. Decreased revenue year-over-year is driven by the significant ongoing reductionstraffic and a 12% decrease in yield. Although demand caused byremains depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Impacts to demand beganpandemic, which impacted revenues beginning in March 2020, we began to see increasing load factors in March 2021 stimulated by the relaxation of state and local restrictions and distribution of vaccinations. These improvements were offset by lower yields, stemming from promotional activities undertaken to stimulate demand and increase bookings during what is typically a low booking period.

We expect to see continued through the third quarter. Although third quarter results show sequentialrevenue improvement, from the prior quarter as more guests return to flying, capacity was reduced 55% of that flownprimarily driven by leisure travelers, in the third quarter of 2019, with a 37 point reduction in system-wide load factors.second quarter.

Mileage Plan other revenue

On a consolidated basis, Mileage Plan other revenue decreased $34$15 million, or 29%14%, as compared to the same prior-year period, primarily onlargely due to a reduction in miles purchasedawards by our affinity card partner, consistentAlaska Mileage Plan members redeemed on other airlines, coupled with an overalla reduction in consumer spending.

Cargo and Other Revenue

On a consolidated basis, Cargo and other revenue for the third quarter of 2020 decreased by $15 million, or 25%, as compared to the same prior-year period. The decrease is primarily due to reduced belly cargo activity driven by the schedule reductions for passenger aircraft, as well as continued capacity limitations incommissions from our freighters due to design issues that we are working to address with our third-party vendor.bank card partners.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Total operating expenses decreased $695$999 million, or 35%51%, compared to the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. We believe it is useful to summarize operating expenses as follows, which is consistent with the way expenses are reported internally and evaluated by management:
Three Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)(in millions)20202019% Change(in millions)20212020% Change
Fuel expenseFuel expense$125 $486 (74)%Fuel expense$203 $384 (47)%
Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special itemsNon-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items1,101 1,476 (25)%Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items1,137 1,410 (19)%
Payroll support program grant wage offset(398)— NM
Special items - merger-related costs1 (80)%
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(411)— NM
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other121 — NMSpecial items - impairment charges and other18 160 (89)%
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges322 — NMSpecial items - restructuring charges11 — NM
Special items - merger-related costsSpecial items - merger-related costs (3)(100)%
Total operating expensesTotal operating expenses$1,272 $1,967 (35)%Total operating expenses$958 $1,957 (51)%

31


Fuel Expense

Aircraft fuel expense includes raw fuel expense (as defined below) plus the effect of mark-to-market adjustments to our fuel hedge portfolio as the value of that portfolio increases and decreases. Our aircraft fuel expense can be volatile because it includes these gains or losses in the value of the underlying instrument as crude oil prices and refining margins increase or decrease. Raw fuel expense is defined as the price that we generally pay at the airport, or the “into-plane” price, including taxes and fees. Raw fuel prices are impacted by world oil prices and refining costs, which can vary by region in the U.S.  Raw fuel expense approximates cash paid to suppliers and does not reflect the effect of our fuel hedges.

27


Aircraft fuel expense decreased $361$181 million, or 74%47%, compared to the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. The elements of the change are illustrated in the following table: 
Three Months Ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31,
2020201920212020
(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal
Raw or "into-plane" fuel costRaw or "into-plane" fuel cost$123 $1.27 $481 $2.11 Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost$222 $1.77 $370 $1.91 
Losses on settled hedgesLosses on settled hedges5 0.05 0.02 Losses on settled hedges3 0.02 0.02 
Consolidated economic fuel expenseConsolidated economic fuel expense128 1.32 $486 $2.13 Consolidated economic fuel expense225 1.79 $375 $1.93 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(3)(0.03)— — Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(22)(0.18)0.05 
GAAP fuel expenseGAAP fuel expense$125 $1.29 $486 $2.13 GAAP fuel expense$203 $1.61 $384 $1.98 
Fuel gallonsFuel gallons97 227 Fuel gallons126 194 

Raw fuel expense per gallon for the three months ended September 30, 2020March 31, 2021 decreased by approximately 40%7% due to lower West Coast jet fuel prices. West Coast jet fuel prices are impacted by both the price of crude oil and refining margins associated with the conversion of crude oil to jet fuel. The decrease in raw fuel price per gallon during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 was primarily driven by a 27%37% decrease in refining margins, offset by a 24% increase in crude oil prices and a 79% decrease in refining margins, when compared to the prior year. Crude oil prices have been dramatically impacted byAdjustments to inventory held in the COVID-19 pandemic andfirst quarter of 2020, which were not required in the relatedfirst quarter of 2021, also contributed to the year-over-year reduction, in demand. The decrease is also due tocoupled with a year-over-year decline in consumption of 13068 million gallons, or 57%35%, primarily on a significant reduction in scheduled departures.

We also evaluate economic fuel expense, which we define as raw fuel expense adjusted for the cash we receive from, or pay to, hedge counterparties for hedges that settle during the period, and for the premium expense that we paid for those contracts. A key difference between aircraft fuel expense and economic fuel expense is the timing of gain or loss recognition on our hedge portfolio. When we refer to economic fuel expense, we include gains and losses only when they are realized for those contracts that were settled during the period based on their original contract terms. We believe this is the best measure of the effect that fuel prices are currently having on our business as it most closely approximates the net cash outflow associated with purchasing fuel for our operations. Accordingly, many industry analysts evaluate our results using this measure, and it is the basis for most internal management reporting and incentive pay plans.

Losses recognized for hedges that settled during the thirdfirst quarter were $5$3 million in 2020,2021, compared to losses of $5 million in the same period in 2019.2020. These amounts represent cash received from hedges at settlement, offset by cash paid for premium expense.

Non-fuel Expenses

The table below provides the reconciliation of the operating expense line items, excluding fuel, the payroll support programPayroll Support Program grant wage offset and special items. Significant operating expense variances from 20192020 are more fully described below.
 Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)20212020% Change
Wages and benefits$493 $612 (19)%
Variable incentive pay33 371 %
Aircraft maintenance81 115 (30)%
Aircraft rent62 81 (23)%
Landing fees and other rentals129 131 (2)%
Contracted services51 72 (29)%
Selling expenses33 55 (40)%
Depreciation and amortization97 108 (10)%
Food and beverage service23 49 (53)%
Third-party regional carrier expense30 37 (19)%
Other105 143 (27)%
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$1,137 $1,410 (19)%

32
28


 Three Months Ended September 30,
(in millions)20202019% Change
Wages and benefits$495 $608 (19)%
Variable incentive pay42 46 (9)%
Aircraft maintenance84 106 (21)%
Aircraft rent74 82 (10)%
Landing fees and other rentals109 143 (24)%
Contracted services36 72 (50)%
Selling expenses24 77 (69)%
Depreciation and amortization105 106 (1)%
Food and beverage service14 57 (75)%
Third-party regional carrier expense29 42 (31)%
Other89 137 (35)%
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$1,101 $1,476 (25)%

Wages and Benefits

Wages and benefits decreased during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 by $113$119 million, or 19%, compared to 2019.2020. The primary components of Wages and benefits are shown in the following table:
Three Months Ended September 30, Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)(in millions)20202019% Change(in millions)20212020% Change
WagesWages$356 $460 (23)%Wages$357 $453 (21)%
Pension - Defined benefit plans service costPension - Defined benefit plans service cost11 10 10 %Pension - Defined benefit plans service cost13 13 — %
Defined contribution plansDefined contribution plans28 34 (18)%Defined contribution plans32 38 (16)%
Medical and other benefitsMedical and other benefits75 71 %Medical and other benefits65 76 (14)%
Payroll taxesPayroll taxes25 33 (24)%Payroll taxes26 32 (19)%
Total wages and benefitsTotal wages and benefits$495 $608 (19)%Total wages and benefits$493 $612 (19)%

Wages decreased $104$96 million, or 23%21%, on a 28%24% reduction in FTEs. The decrease isDecreased wages as compared to the prior period are primarily due tothe result of voluntary early-outs, as well as leaves of absence with an average of 4,600 employees on leave throughout the quarter, as well asand incentive lines accepted in 2020 which have carried into 2021. The reductions in executive payto defined-contribution plan expense, medical and hours for management employees, and reducing represented employees work hours to minimums. Reduced employee wages directly correlate with the reduction in retirement contributionsother benefits, and payroll taxes.taxes are a direct result of the decline in wages.

Variable Incentive Pay

Variable incentive pay expense decreased $4increased $26 million, or 9%371%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019, due to the2020 on increased expectation thatof achievement of key financial metrics will not be achieved under the performance based pay program. The decrease was offset by the recognition of nine months of expense for a supplemental incentive pay plan, which was approved in July 2020, and increased operational bonuses as compared to the prior year.metrics.

Aircraft Maintenance

Aircraft maintenance expense decreased by $22$34 million, or 21%30%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease2020. This is primarily due to fewera significant reduction in engine events and heavy checks, as comparedcoupled with lower spend on components and materials, on reduced utilization of our aircraft. Further contributing to the prior year, as well as lower power-by-the-hour expense on reduced third quarter utilization of covered aircraft. These decreases were offset by penalties accrued for failure to meet minimum obligations under certain contracts and costs incurredyear-over-year decline is a reduction in the temporary grounding of certain aircraft, although we are currentlyproject spend, which was largely halted in negotiations with these service providers with respect to these penalties.March 2020.

33We expect increased aircraft maintenance expense in the second quarter as we return capacity and increase utilization of our aircraft.


Landing fees and other rentals

Landing fees and other rentals decreased by $34$2 million, or 24%2%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 20192020 on a 45%30% decrease in departures. Decreased departure-related costs were largely offset by rate increases at many of our hub airports.

We expect landing fees and other rentals to increase in the second quarter as we increase capacity and departures on increased rates at many of our hub airports, and due to a renegotiated lease at our largest airport hub, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Contracted Services

Contracted services decreased by $36$21 million, or 50%29%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 20192020 driven primarily by decreased departures and passengers as compared to the prior-year period as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selling Expense

Selling expense decreased by $53$22 million, or 69%40%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019,2020, primarily driven by a significant reduction in distribution costs and credit card commissions. Reduced marketing spend and sponsorship costs also contributed to the year-over-year decline given the renegotiation of certain contracts.

We anticipate increased selling expense in the second quarter consistent with increased bookings as demand for air travel grows.
29



Food and Beverage Service

Food and beverage service decreased by $43$26 million, or 75%53%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019.2020. This decrease is consistent with the overall reduction in revenue passengers as compared to the prior-year period, as well as the temporary closure of the majority of our airport lounges and temporary elimination of buy-on-board service.

We expect food and beverage service to increase in the second quarter as we increase service offerings onboard our aircraft.

Third-party Regional Carrier Expense

Third-party regional carrier expense, which represents payments made to SkyWest under our CPA, decreased by $13$7 million, or 31%19%, during the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 compared to the same period in 2019.2020. The reduction in expense is primarily due to a 11% reductionpass through of CARES Act PSP funding received in departures flown bythe first quarter to offset SkyWest as compared to the prior-year period, a reduction in departure-related contractual rates,pilot and the elimination of PenAir flying.
flight attendant wages and benefits.
Special Items - Impairment and other charges

We recorded impairment and other charges of $121$18 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2020,2021, consisting of costs associated with leased aircraft that have been retired and removed from the impairment for ten owned Airbus aircraft which are expected to be retired prioroperating fleet but not yet returned to the end of their originally anticipated useful life, eight of which have been permanently parked.lessor.

Special Items - Restructuring charges

We recorded restructuring charges of $322$11 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2020 relating to the right-sizing of our workforce2021 for pilots on incentive lines as a result of decreased demanddelayed recalls beyond what was anticipated at December 31, 2020 due to training limitations and capacity stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Charges are primarily comprised of wages for those pilots and mechanics on incentive leaves, ongoing medical benefit coverage, and lump-sum termination payouts.other factors.

ADDITIONAL SEGMENT INFORMATION

Refer to Note 9 of the condensed consolidated financial statements for a detailed description of each segment. Below is a summary of each segment's profitability.

Mainline

Mainline recorded a pretaxpre-tax loss of $463$444 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2020,2021, compared to a pretax profitpre-tax loss of $378$85 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. The $841$359 million shift to pretaxincremental loss recorded was primarily driven by a $1.4 billion$728 million decrease in Passenger revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, offset by a $354$266 million decrease in non-fuel operating costs and a $321$139 million decrease in economic fuel cost.

The decrease in Mainline passenger revenue for the thirdfirst quarter of 20202021 was primarily driven by a 78%52% decline in traffic on a 60%35% decrease in capacity. The overall decreases in both traffic and capacity were driven by the significant reduction in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

34


Non-fuel operating expenses decreased significantly on cost savings driven by reduced variable costs on reduced capacity, as well as decreased wages and benefits expense from voluntary leaves of absence and reduced aircraft rent charges as a reductionresult of impairment recorded in hours for management employees.2020. Lower raw fuel prices, combined with a 64%40% decrease in gallons consumed, drove the decline in Mainline fuel expense.

Regional

Regional operations generated a pretax loss of $96$150 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2020,2021, compared to a pretax profitloss of $23$73 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. The increase in the pretax loss was attributable to a $183$91 million decline in operating revenues, partially offset by a $37$10 million decrease in fuel costs and an $27a $4 million decrease in non-fuel operating expenses.

30


Regional passenger revenue decreased 53%38% compared to the thirdfirst quarter of 2019,2020, primarily driven by a 42%25% decline in traffic on a 12%4% decrease in capacity. The overall decrease in both traffic and capacity are driven by the significant reduction in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decrease in non-fuel operating expenses is primarily due to the 12% decline in capacity, as well as a discontinuationpass through of our partnership with PenAir for contract flyingCARES Act PSP funding received in the state of Alaska.
first quarter to offset SkyWest pilot and flight attendant wages and benefits.
Horizon

Horizon achieved a pretax profit of $11 million in both the thirdfirst quarter of 2020 and2021 compared to $8 million in the thirdfirst quarter of 2019.2020. Profit recorded by Horizon in the thirdfirst quarter is primarily the result of incremental flying as a proportion of overall Air Group capacity as compared to the prior year. Horizon revenues are recorded based upon purchased capacity, and are not impacted by changes to ticket prices and customer demand. Horizon profit is also the result of continued significant cost reduction efforts implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COMPARISON OF NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 TO NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Our consolidated net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $877 million, or $7.12 per diluted share, compared to net income of $588 million, or $4.74 per diluted share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

Our adjusted net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was $940 million, or $7.63 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $617 million, or $4.97 per diluted share, in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The following tables reconcile our adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS to amounts as reported in accordance with GAAP:
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20202019
(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS
Reported GAAP net income (loss) and diluted EPS$(877)$(7.12)$588 $4.74 
Payroll support program grant wage offset(760)(6.16)— — 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments  (1)(0.01)
Special items - merger-related costs5 0.04 39 0.31 
Special items - impairment charges and other350 2.84 — — 
Special items - restructuring charges322 2.61 — — 
Income tax effect of reconciling items above20 0.16 (9)(0.07)
Non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) and diluted EPS$(940)$(7.63)$617 $4.97 

35


Our operating costs per ASM are summarized below:
 Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in cents)20202019% Change
Consolidated:
CASM14.33 ¢11.48 ¢25 %
Less the following components:
Payroll support program grant wage offset(2.77)— NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses2.07 2.82 (27)%
Special items - merger-related costs0.02 0.08 (75)%
Special items - impairment charges and other1.27 — NM
Special items - restructuring charges1.17 — NM
CASM excluding fuel and special items12.57 ¢8.59 ¢46 %
Mainline:
CASM13.56 ¢10.65 ¢27 %
Less the following components:
Payroll support program grant wage offset(2.89)— NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.92 2.65 (28)%
Special items - merger-related costs0.02 0.09 (78)%
Special items - impairment charges and other1.24 — NM
Special items - restructuring charges1.37 — NM
CASM excluding fuel and special items11.90 ¢7.91 ¢50 %


OPERATING REVENUES

Total operating revenues decreased $3.8 billion, or 58%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The changes are summarized in the following table:
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in millions)20202019% Change
Passenger revenue$2,362 $6,038 (61)%
Mileage Plan other revenue266 346 (23)%
Cargo and other130 169 (23)%
Total operating revenues$2,758 $6,553 (58)%

Passenger Revenue

On a consolidated basis, Passenger revenue for the first nine months of 2020 decreased by $3.7 billion, or 61%, on a 45% decrease in capacity, and a 26 point decrease in load factor. Decreased revenue year-over-year is primarily due to the near complete loss of demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Load factors and unit revenues in the first two months of 2020 were in-line with our original expectations. In March 2020, demand deteriorated at an unprecedented level, and in response we reduced April 2020 and May 2020 capacity to approximately 80% below prior year levels. Moderate recovery began in June 2020, however, resurgence of cases throughout the United States slowed that recovery in July 2020. Targeted promotions, coupled with continued growth of guest confidence in air travel, led to sequential revenue improvement in the third quarter. We expect that fourth quarter revenue will continue to show improvement, given the holiday travel season and reopening of Hawaii, however, revenues will remain well below 2019 levels.

Mileage Plan other revenue

On a consolidated basis, Mileage Plan other revenue decreased $80 million, or 23%, in the first nine months of 2020 compared to the first nine months of 2019, due largely to a reduction in purchased miles and decreased commissions received from our affinity card partner, consistent with fewer new affinity card holders in 2020 and an overall reduction in consumer spending.

36


Cargo and other

On a consolidated basis, Cargo and other revenue decreased $39 million, or 23%, in the first nine months of 2020 compared to the first nine months of 2019. The decrease is primarily due to reduced belly cargo activity driven by the schedule reductions for passenger aircraft, as well as continued capacity limitations in our freighters. We expect that our cargo revenues will continue to be negatively impacted in the fourth quarter due to ongoing capacity reductions.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Total operating expenses decreased $1.8 billion, or 31%, compared to the first nine months of 2019. We believe it is useful to summarize operating expenses as follows, which is consistent with the way expenses are reported internally and evaluated by management:
 Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in millions)20202019% Change
Fuel expense$568 $1,408 (60)%
Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items3,453 4,295 (20)%
Payroll support program grant wage offset(760)— NM
Special items - merger-related costs5 39 (87)%
Special items - impairment charges and other350 — NM
Special items - restructuring charges322 — NM
Total operating expenses$3,938 $5,742 (31)%

Fuel Expense

Aircraft fuel expense decreased $840 million, or 60%, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The elements of the change are illustrated in the following table: 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
20202019
(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal
Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost$553 $1.61 $1,397 $2.16 
Losses on settled hedges15 0.04 12 0.02 
Consolidated economic fuel expense568 1.65 $1,409 $2.18 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments  (1)— 
GAAP fuel expense$568 $1.65 $1,408 $2.18 
Fuel gallons344 646 

The raw fuel price per gallon decreased 25% due to lower West Coast jet fuel prices. West Coast jet fuel prices are impacted by both the price of crude oil, as well as refining margins associated with the conversion of crude oil to jet fuel. The decrease in raw fuel price per gallon during the first nine months of 2020 was driven by a 26% decrease in crude oil prices and a 56% decrease in refining margins.

Losses recognized for hedges that settled in the first nine months of 2020 were $15 million, compared to losses of $12 million in the same period in 2019. These amounts represent cash received from settled hedges, offset by cash paid for premium expense.

We expect our economic fuel cost per gallon in the fourth quarter to range between $1.20 and $1.25 per gallon on current market West Coast jet fuel prices and trends.
37


Non-fuel Expense and Non- special items
 Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in millions)20202019% Change
Wages and benefits$1,579 $1,732 (9)%
Variable incentive pay65 125 (48)%
Aircraft maintenance244 341 (28)%
Aircraft rent229 247 (7)%
Landing fees and other rentals323 388 (17)%
Contracted services138 214 (36)%
Selling expenses83 236 (65)%
Depreciation and amortization320 317 %
Food and beverage service70 159 (56)%
Third-party regional carrier expense92 125 (26)%
Other310 411 (25)%
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$3,453 $4,295 (20)%

Wages and Benefits

Wages and benefits decreased during the first nine months of 2020 by $153 million, or 9%. The primary components of wages and benefits are shown in the following table:
 Nine Months Ended September 30,
(in millions)20202019% Change
Wages$1,159 $1,305 (11)%
Pension—Defined benefit plans service cost37 31 19 %
Defined contribution plans96 100 (4)%
Medical and other benefits205 203 %
Payroll taxes82 93 (12)%
Total wages and benefits$1,579 $1,732 (9)%

Wages decreased $146 million, or 11%, on an 18% decrease in FTEs. The decrease is primarily due to voluntary leaves of absence accepted by nearly 7,000 employees in the second and third quarters, as well as reduction in executive pay and hours for management employees. These decreases were offset by increased wage rates following the mid-2019 ratification of new contracts for employees represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association and the International Association of Machinists.

For the full year, we expect wages and benefits will decline compared to the prior year as we reduce scheduled flying and executive salaries, and realize savings generated from our reduction in workforce necessary to align with our expectation of demand.

Variable Incentive Pay

Variable incentive pay expense decreased $60 million, or 48%, during the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease is primarily due to the expectation that key financial metrics will not be achieved under the performance based pay program, offset by the recognition of nine months of expense for a supplemental incentive pay plan, which was approved in July 2020, and increased operational bonuses as compared to the prior year.

Aircraft Maintenance

Aircraft maintenance expense decreased by $97 million, or 28%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease is primarily due to a significant reduction in engine events and heavy checks, as well as reduced power-by-the-hour expense on reduced utilization in covered aircraft, offset by penalties recorded for failure to meet contractual minimum obligations.

38


We expect full year aircraft maintenance expense to be lower than 2019 on reduced aircraft utilization and parking of certain aircraft.

Landing fees and other rentals

Landing fees and other rentals decreased by $65 million, or 17%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, primarily due to a 39% decrease in departures, offset by increased rates at certain of our airports.

For the full year, we expect landing fees and other rentals to decrease as compared to 2019, however, not at the same rate as decreased departures. We expect to see continued rate increases at many of our airports, as well as negative net settlements to cover airport operating costs.

Contracted Services

Contracted services decreased by $76 million, or 36%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This decrease is primarily a result of reduced vendor spend directly correlating to reduced year-over-year departures and passengers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the full year, we expect contracted services expense to be significantly lower than in 2019, given our ongoing cost reduction efforts and significant reduction in departures.

Selling Expense

Selling expense decreased by $153 million, or 65%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, primarily driven by a significant reduction in distribution costs and credit card commissions. Reduced marketing spend and sponsorship costs given the continued delay in professional sports also contributed to the year-over-year decline.

We expect full year selling expense will decrease in-line with the reduction to revenue as a result of reduced distribution costs on lower bookings, as well as reduced sponsorship and marketing costs.

Food and beverage service

Food and beverage service decreased by $89 million, or 56%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This decrease is primarily due to the 62% decrease in revenue passengers as compared to the prior-year period, as well as the temporary closure of the majority of our airport lounges in the second quarter of 2020 and the temporary elimination of buy-on-board service.

We expect food and beverage service to decrease as compared to 2019, consistent with our expectation of reduced passengers throughout 2020.

Third-party Regional Carrier Expense

Third-party regional carrier expense, which represents payments made to SkyWest under our CPA, decreased $33 million, or 26%, during the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease is primarily due to a 14% decrease in SkyWest departures as compared to the prior year.

For the full year, we expect third-party regional carrier expense to be lower than 2019 due to decreased flying and reduced contractual rates.

Special Items—Merger-Related Costs

We recorded special items of $5 million in the first nine months of 2020 for merger-related costs associated with our acquisition of Virgin America, compared to $39 million in the first nine months of 2019. Costs incurred in the first nine months of 2020 are primarily comprised of certain technology integration costs. We expect 2020 will be the final year in which we incur integration related charges.




39


Special Items - Impairment and other charges

We recorded impairment and other charges of $350 million in the first nine months of 2020, driven by our current expectation of decreased future cash flows stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Impairment and other charges primarily consist of the write down to fair value for ten owned Airbus A320 aircraft identified for sale, the full write-down of the operating lease assets and related spare inventory and parts, as well as estimated lease return costs for certain leased Airbus aircraft which were permanently parked, the write-down of our owned Q400 fleet to fair value, and the full write-off of gate assets at Dallas Love Field.

Additional impairment charges may be recorded as we finalize our long-term fleet strategy.

Special Items - Restructuring charges

We recorded restructuring charges of $322 million in the first nine months of 2020 relating to the right-sizing of our workforce as a result of decreased demand and capacity stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Charges are primarily comprised of wages for those pilots and mechanics on incentive leaves, ongoing medical benefit coverage, and lump-sum termination payouts.

ADDITIONAL SEGMENT INFORMATION

Refer to Note 9 of the condensed consolidated financial statements for a detailed description of each segment. Below is a summary of each segment's profitability.

Mainline

Mainline adjusted pretax loss was $1 billion in the first nine months of 2020, compared to pretax profit of $761 million in the same period in 2019. The $1.8 billion shift to pretax loss was driven by a $3.3 billion decrease in Mainline operating revenues, offset by a $768 million decrease in Mainline non-fuel operating expense and a $743 million decrease in Mainline fuel expense.

As compared to the prior year, lower Mainline revenues are primarily attributable to a 64% decrease in traffic and a 48 point decrease in capacity, driven by the significant reduction in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Non-fuel operating expenses decreased significantly on cost savings driven by reduced variable costs on reduced capacity, as well as decreased wages and benefits expense from voluntary leaves of absence and a reduction in hours for management employees. Lower raw fuel prices, combined with decreased consumption from the reduction in flying, drove the decrease in Mainline fuel expense.

Regional

Regional operations generated a pretax loss of $298 million in the first nine months of 2020, compared to break-even in the first nine months of 2019. The shift to a pretax loss was attributable to a $486 million decrease in operating revenues, partially offset by a $98 million decrease in fuel costs and a $90 million decrease in non-fuel operating expenses. The decrease in regional revenues is primarily due to the 20% decrease in capacity, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Horizon

Horizon achieved a pretax profit of $27 million in the first nine months of 2020, compared to pretax profit of $33 million in the same period in 2019, primarily due to significant cost reduction efforts implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


4031


LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken, and will continue to take action to reduce costs, increasemanage liquidity and help to preserve the relative strength of our balance sheet. From the onset of the pandemic,In 2020, we have taken the following keytook significant actions to enhance and preserve our liquidity:liquidity, withstand depressed demand, and prepare for the recovery ahead. In 2021 we have achieved the following, which we believe positions us well for recovery:

ObtainedGenerated positive operating cash flow of $167 million, bolstered by improved advance bookings for increased demand for air travel and inclusive of approximately $1.1 billion in CARES Act funding to use towards payment$400 million of wages and benefits;PSP grant funding;

Executed an agreement with the U.S. Department of the TreasuryDecreased adjusted net debt to obtain up to $1.9$1.6 billion through the CARES Act Loan program, secured by certain Mileage Plan assets and cash flow streams, 34 aircraft and 15 spare engines;at March 31, 2021 from $1.7 billion at December 31, 2020;

Obtained $1.2 billionReceived a combined $546 million of grants and loans from the U.S. Treasury under an extension of the PSP, and anticipate a supplemental payment of $80 million in financing through the issuance of EETC, collateralized by 42 Boeing 737 aircraft and 19 Embraer E175 aircraft;late April under PSP 2;

Raised $589Received notification from the U.S. Treasury that Alaska, Horizon and McGee are eligible to obtain an additional $584 million in secured financing collateralized by 32 aircraft;incremental payroll support funding under a third round of the PSP;

Drew $400Finalized a previously announced amendment to the existing aircraft purchase agreement with Boeing, which significantly reduced our 2021 capital commitments and provides slide rights to defer as much as $350 million of our commitments from existing credit facilities;

Suspended our share repurchase program and quarterly dividend indefinitely,2022 to later years, and;

Reduced plannedMaintained low capital expenditures, by nearly $550which are expected to range between $150 million for 2020,to $200 million during 2021, including suspensionrenegotiated timing of pre-delivery payments and deferral of non-essential capital projects.

Although we have no plans to access equity markets at this time, we believe our equity would be of high interest to investors. The liquidity raised from these financings, coupled withAlaska also has access to $1.8 billion in additional funding made available under the availability of additional liquidityCARES Act loan program, although there currently is no expectation that we will draw on those funds.

As the business continues to recover and our meaningful cost reductions have provided the Company with confidence in our abilityeventually returns to withstand the depressed demand and prepare for the recovery ahead. Despite the significant amount of debt raised, our adjusted net debt is flat as compared to the end of 2019. We will also continue to execute additional cost restructuring initiatives in an effort to transition from a cash-burn focus towardsprofitability, reducing outstanding debt and repairingstrengthening our balance sheet will be a high priority. Based on our expectations about the recovery ahead, we expect to generate cash flow from operations of $450 million to $550 million in the second quarter including funds received as part of the CARES Act PSP.

.
We believe that our current cash and marketable securities balance, combined with available sources of liquidity, will be sufficient to fund our operations and meet our debt payment obligations, and to remain in compliance with the financial debt covenants in existing financing arrangements for the foreseeable future.

The table below presents the major indicators of financial condition and liquidity:
(in millions)(in millions)September 30, 2020December 31, 2019Change(in millions)March 31, 2021December 31, 2020Change
Cash and marketable securitiesCash and marketable securities$3,759 $1,521 147 %Cash and marketable securities$3,549 $3,346 6 %
Cash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenueCash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenue75 %22 %53 ptsCash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenue130 %94 %36 pts
Total debtTotal debt3,822 1,499 155 %Total debt3,571 3,495 2 %
Shareholders’ equityShareholders’ equity$3,454 $4,331 (20)%Shareholders’ equity$2,875 $2,988 (4)%

Debt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leases
(in millions)September 30, 2020December 31, 2019Change
Long-term debt, net of current portion$2,672 $1,264 111%
Capitalized operating leases1,603 1,708 (6)%
COVID-19 related borrowings(a)
769 — NM
Adjusted debt, net of current portion of long-term debt$5,044 $2,972 70%
Shareholders' equity3,454 4,331 (20)%
Total invested capital$8,498 $7,303 16%
Debt-to-capitalization, including operating leases59 %41 %18 pts
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Debt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leases
(in millions)March 31, 2021December 31, 2020Change
Long-term debt, net of current portion$2,325 $2,357 (1)%
Capitalized operating leases1,554 1,558 —%
COVID-19 related borrowings(a)
788 734 7%
Adjusted debt, net of current portion of long-term debt$4,667 $4,649 —%
Shareholders' equity2,875 2,988 (4)%
Total invested capital$7,542 $7,637 (1)%
Debt-to-capitalization, including operating leases62 %61 %1 pt
(a)To best reflect our leverage, at September 30, 2020, we included the short-term borrowings stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in the above calculation, although these borrowings are classified as current in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
41



Adjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rentAdjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rentAdjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent
(in millions)(in millions)September 30, 2020December 31, 2019(in millions)March 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Current portion of long-term debtCurrent portion of long-term debt$1,150 $235 Current portion of long-term debt$1,246 $1,138 
Current portion of operating lease liabilitiesCurrent portion of operating lease liabilities283 269 Current portion of operating lease liabilities271 290 
Long-term debt, net of current portionLong-term debt, net of current portion2,672 1,264 Long-term debt, net of current portion2,325 2,357 
Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portionLong-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,320 1,439 Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,283 1,268 
Total adjusted debtTotal adjusted debt5,425 3,207 Total adjusted debt5,125 5,053 
Less: Cash and marketable securitiesLess: Cash and marketable securities(3,759)(1,521)Less: Cash and marketable securities(3,549)(3,346)
Adjusted net debtAdjusted net debt$1,666 $1,686 Adjusted net debt$1,576 $1,707 
(in millions)(in millions)Last Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2020Last Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2019(in millions)Twelve Months Ended March 31, 2021Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020
GAAP Operating Income(a)
$(928)$1,063 
GAAP Operating Loss(a)
GAAP Operating Loss(a)
$(1,615)$(1,775)
Adjusted for:Adjusted for:Adjusted for:
Special items(78)44 
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset and special itemsPayroll Support Program grant wage offset and special items(474)71 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(5)(6)Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(39)(8)
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization426 423 Depreciation and amortization409 420 
Aircraft rentAircraft rent313 331 Aircraft rent280 299 
EBITDAREBITDAR$(272)$1,855 EBITDAR$(1,439)$(993)
Adjusted net debt to EBITDARAdjusted net debt to EBITDAR(6.1x)0.9xAdjusted net debt to EBITDAR(1.1x)(1.7x)
(a)Operating incomeloss can be reconciled using the trailing twelve month operating income as filed quarterly with the SEC.

The following discussion summarizes the primary drivers of the increase in our cash and marketable securities balance and our expectation of future cash requirements.

33


ANALYSIS OF OUR CASH FLOWS
 
Cash Used inProvided by Operating Activities
 
For the first ninethree months of 2020,2021, net cash provided by operating activities was $116$167 million, compared to $1.4 billion$33 million during the same period in 2019.2020. The $1.3 billion decrease$134 million increase in our operating cash flows is primarily attributable to a $793$101 million declineimprovement to net loss, aided by the receipt and recognition of $403 million in net income, net of non-cash special items for impairment and workforce reduction. The decreasePSP grant funding made available by the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, improvement in our operating cash flows is also due to increased advanced bookings and significant cashreduction in refund activity and a decline in advance bookings aswhen compared to the same period in the prior year, all as a resultfirst quarter of the COVID-19 pandemic.2020.

Cash Used in Investing Activities
 
Cash used in investing activities was $767$543 million during the first ninethree months of 2020,2021, compared to $708$127 million during the same period of 2019.2020. The increase to cash used in investing activities is primarily due to an increase in net purchases of marketable securities, which were $572$511 million in the first ninethree months of 2020,2021, compared to $218$16 million in the ninethree months ended September 30, 2019.March 31, 2020. Increased net purchases is primarily driven by additional cash on hand from borrowings and the PSP program, which allowed the Company to invest additional funds. These increases were offset by the postponement ofreduced capital expenditures in 20202021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
42


postponing non-critical capital expenditures beginning in March 2020.

Cash Used inProvided by Financing Activities
 
Cash from financing activities was $2.3 billion$82 million during the first ninethree months of 20202021 compared to cash used forprovided by financing activities of $538$684 million during the same period in 2019.2020. During the first ninethree months of 2020,2021, we had proceeds from debt issuances of $2.6 billion, including funding from the EETC,$189 million, primarily a result of the loan portion of the proceeds from the PSP and $135 million drawn on the CARES Act secured term loan.PSP, compared to $825 million issued in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These proceeds were partially offset by debt payments of $238 million, dividend payments totaling $45 million, and $31 million in common stock repurchases.$115 million.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS
 
Aircraft Commitments
 
As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, we have firm orders to purchase 3554 aircraft, and firm commitments to lease 13 aircraft. Alaska also has cancelablecancellable purchase commitments for 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft with deliveries from 2024 through 2026. We could incur a loss2027. At this time, we do not expect to take delivery of pre-delivery payments and credits as a cancellation fee.these 30 Airbus aircraft. Alaska also has options to acquire 37 B73752 B737-9 MAX aircraft with deliveries from 20212023 through 2024,2026, and Horizon has options to acquire 30 E175 aircraft with deliveries from 2022 through 2024. In addition to the 32 E175 aircraft currently operated by SkyWest in our regional fleet, Alaska has options in future periods to add regional capacity by having SkyWest operate up to eight more E175 aircraft. Options will be exercised only if we believe return on invested capital targets can be met over the long term.

Given the drastically reduced demand for air travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently evaluating
34


The following table summarizes our overall fleet strategy and long-term plan. We are also in the process of negotiating with aircraft manufacturers and lessors to optimize timing of fleet activity. It is probable that the current outlook as stated below will change significantly. This table represents anticipated fleet activitycount by year, as of September 30, 2020:March 31, 2021:
Actual FleetAnticipated Fleet ActivityActual Fleet
Anticipated Fleet Activity(a)
AircraftAircraftSeptember 30, 20202020 Additions2020 RemovalsDecember 31, 20202021 ChangesDecember 31, 2021AircraftMarch 31, 20212021 Additions2021 RemovalsDec 31, 20212022 ChangesDec 31, 20222023 ChangesDec 31, 2023
B737 FreightersB737 Freighters— — — B737 Freighters— — — — 
B737-700B737-70011 — — 11 — 11 B737-70011 — — 11 — 11 — 11 
B737-800B737-80061 — — 61 — 61 B737-80061 — — 61 — 61 — 61 
B737-900B737-90012 — — 12 — 12 B737-90012 — — 12 — 12 — 12 
B737-900ERB737-900ER79 — — 79 — 79 B737-900ER79 — — 79 — 79 — 79 
B737 MAX9(a)
— — 15 18 
B737-9 MAXB737-9 MAX— 12 31 43 13 56 
A320(b)
A320(b)
41 — — 41 (7)34 
A320(b)
21 — — 21 (8)13 (13)— 
A321neoA321neo10 — — 10 — 10 A321neo10 — — 10 — 10 — 10 
Total Mainline FleetTotal Mainline Fleet217 3  220 8 228 Total Mainline Fleet201 8  209 23 232  232 
Q400 operated by Horizon(c)Q400 operated by Horizon(c)32 — — 32 — 32 Q400 operated by Horizon(c)32 — — 32 — 32 — 32 
E175 operated by Horizon(c)E175 operated by Horizon(c)30 — — 30 — 30 E175 operated by Horizon(c)30 — — 30 — 30 33 
E175 operated by third party(c)E175 operated by third party(c)32 — — 32 — 32 E175 operated by third party(c)32 — — 32 — 32 — 32 
Total Regional FleetTotal Regional Fleet94   94  94 Total Regional Fleet94   94  94 3 97 
TotalTotal311 3  314 8 322 Total295 8  303 23 326 3 329 
(a)The three B737 MAX9 aircraft previously reflected in 2020 were originally contracted for delivery in 2019Anticipated fleet activity reflects intended early retirement and delayed due to the MAX grounding, andextensions or replacement of certain leases, not all of which have been shifted to 2020, but are not expected to enter revenue service until 2021. Seven B737 MAX9 deliveries originally contracted for 2020 have been shifted to 2021 based on our current estimate of expected delivery dates. The Company continues to discuss delivery timelines with Boeing.yet.
(b)Actual fleet at September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, excluding 20 Airbus aircraft permanently parked in response to COVID-19 capacity reductions.
(c)Aircraft are either owned or leased by Horizon or operated under capacity purchase agreement with a third party.

For future firm orders and option exercises, we may finance the aircraft through cash flow from operations, long-term debt, or lease arrangements.

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Fuel Hedge Positions

All of our future oil positions are call options, which are designed to effectively cap the cost of the crude oil component of our jet fuel purchases. With call options, we are hedged against volatile crude oil price increases. During a period of decline in crude oil prices, we only forfeit cash previously paid for hedge premiums. We typically hedge up to 50% of our expected consumption. However, given the sharp decline in demand and our capacity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently overhedged relative to our target of 50% of consumption through the remainder of 2020. Our crude oil positions are as follows:
Approximate Gallons Hedged (in millions)Weighted-Average Crude Oil Price per BarrelAverage Premium Cost per Barrel Approximate Gallons Hedged (in millions)Weighted-Average Crude Oil Price per BarrelAverage Premium Cost per Barrel
Fourth Quarter 202090$64$2
Full Year 202090$64$2
First Quarter 202160$62$2
Second Quarter 2021Second Quarter 202165$60$2Second Quarter 202180$59$2
Third Quarter 2021Third Quarter 202155$56$2Third Quarter 2021100$60$2
Fourth Quarter 2021Fourth Quarter 202135$50$3Fourth Quarter 202170$59$3
Full Year 2021215$58$2
Remainder of 2021Remainder of 2021250$59$2
First Quarter 2022First Quarter 202215$51$3First Quarter 202240$59$3
Second Quarter 2022Second Quarter 202235$61$3
Third Quarter 2022Third Quarter 202215$67$4
Full Year 2022Full Year 202215$51$3Full Year 202290$61$3

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Contractual Obligations
 
The following table provides a summary of our contractual obligations as of September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021. For agreements with variable terms, amounts included reflect our minimum obligations.
(in millions)(in millions)Remainder of 20202021202220232024Beyond 2024Total(in millions)Remainder of 20212022202320242025Beyond 2025Total
Current and long-term debt obligationsCurrent and long-term debt obligations$73 $1,201 $393 $357 $265 $1,568 $3,857 Current and long-term debt obligations$659 $796 $334 $240 $396 $1,179 $3,604 
Aircraft lease commitments(a)Aircraft lease commitments(a)88 310 276 219 166 679 1,738 Aircraft lease commitments(a)246 280 219 167 159 633 1,704 
Facility lease commitmentsFacility lease commitments84 118 Facility lease commitments10 87 128 
Aircraft maintenance deposits35 45 24 119 
Aircraft purchase commitments (a)
343 549 333 192 21 25 1,463 
Interest obligations (b)
16 118 88 75 63 153 513 
Other obligations (c)
39 181 185 190 197 910 1,702 
Aircraft-related commitments(b)
Aircraft-related commitments(b)
111 1,325 681 183 15 12 2,327 
Interest obligations (c)
Interest obligations (c)
67 86 71 61 55 151 491 
Other obligations (d)
Other obligations (d)
135 184 189 196 197 898 1,799 
TotalTotal$569 $2,403 $1,328 $1,064 $725 $3,421 $9,510 Total$1,226 $2,681 $1,503 $855 $828 $2,960 $10,053 
(a)Although the Company has contractual obligationsFuture minimum lease payments for purchaseaircraft includes commitments in 2020, informal agreementsfor aircraft which have been reached with aircraft manufacturers to defer payments beyond 2020.removed from operating service, as we have remaining obligation under existing terms.
(b)Includes non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines, buyer furnished equipment, and contractual aircraft maintenance obligations.
(c)For variable-rate debt, future obligations are shown above using forecasted interest rates forecast as of September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021.
(c)(d)Primarily comprised of non-aircraft lease costs associated with capacity purchase agreements.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company renegotiated scheduled payments with certain lessors and vendor partners, including the reduction of minimum obligations. The Company has also deferred 2020 aircraft payments, including those related to the B737 MAX9, to periods beyond 2020. Discussions remain ongoing with aircraft manufacturers and lessors to optimize the timing of aircraft deliveries and lease returns.

Credit Card Agreements
 
We have agreements with a number of credit card companies to process the sale of tickets and other services. Under these agreements, there are material adverse change clauses that, if triggered, could result in the credit card companies holding back a reserve from our credit card receivables. Under one such agreement, we could be required to maintain a reserve if our credit rating is downgraded to or below a rating specified by the agreement or our cash and marketable securities balance fell below $500 million. Under another such agreement, we could be required to maintain a reserve if our cash and marketable securities balance fell below $500 million. We are not currently required to maintain any reserve under these agreements, but if we were, our financial position and liquidity could be materially harmed.
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Deferred Income Taxes

For federal income tax purposes, the majority of our assets are fully depreciated over a seven-year life using an accelerated depreciation method or bonus depreciation, if available. For financial reporting purposes, the majority of our assets are depreciated over 15 to 25 years to an estimated salvage value using the straight-line basis. This difference has created a significant deferred tax liability. At some point in the future the depreciation basis difference will reverse, including via asset impairment, potentially resulting in an increase in income taxes paid.

While it is possible that we could have material cash obligations for this deferred liability at some point in the future, we cannot estimate the timing of long-term cash flows with reasonable accuracy. Taxable income or loss and cash taxes payable and refundable in the short-term are impacted by many items, including the amount of book income generated (which can be volatile depending on revenue, demand for air travel and fuel prices), usage of net operating losses, whether "bonus depreciation" provisions are available, any future tax reform efforts at the federal level, as well as other legislative changes that are beyond our control. Given our current expectation of operating losses for the remainder of the year, we expect to file for a cash refund for the 2020 tax year.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting estimates during the three months ended September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021. For information on our critical accounting estimates, see Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Note 2, "COVID-19," for discussion about the estimates used in the Company's impairment analyses.2020.

GLOSSARY OF AIRLINE TERMS

Adjusted net debt - long-term debt, including current portion, plus capitalized operating leases, less cash and marketable securities

36


Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR - represents adjusted net debt divided by EBITDAR (trailing twelve months earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent)

Aircraft Utilization - block hours per day; this represents the average number of hours per day our aircraft are in transit

Aircraft Stage Length - represents the average miles flown per aircraft departure

ASMs - available seat miles, or “capacity”; represents total seats available across the fleet multiplied by the number of miles flown

CASM - operating costs per ASM, or "unit cost"; represents all operating expenses including fuel and special items

CASMex - operating costs excluding fuel and special items per ASM; this metric is used to help track progress toward reduction of non-fuel operating costs since fuel is largely out of our control

Debt-to-capitalization ratio - represents adjusted debt (long-term debt plus capitalized operating leases) divided by total equity plus adjusted debt

Diluted Earnings per Share - represents earnings per share (EPS) using fully diluted shares outstanding

Diluted Shares - represents the total number of shares that would be outstanding if all possible sources of conversion, such as stock options, were exercised

Economic Fuel - best estimate of the cash cost of fuel, net of the impact of settled fuel-hedging contracts in the period

Load Factor - RPMs as a percentage of ASMs; represents the number of available seats that were filled with paying passengers

Mainline - represents flying Boeing 737, Airbus 320 family and Airbus 321neo jets and all associated revenues and costs

45


Productivity - number of revenue passengers per full-time equivalent employee

RASM - operating revenue per ASMs, or "unit revenue"; operating revenue includes all passenger revenue, freight & mail, Mileage Plan™ and other ancillary revenue; represents the average total revenue for flying one seat one mile

Regional - represents capacity purchased by Alaska from Horizon SkyWest and PenAir.SkyWest. In this segment, Regional records actual on-board passenger revenue, less costs such as fuel, distribution costs, and payments made to Horizon SkyWest and PenAirSkyWest under the respective capacity purchased arrangement (CPA). Additionally, Regional includes an allocation of corporate overhead such as IT, finance, and other administrative costs incurred by Alaska and on behalf of Horizon.

RPMs - revenue passenger miles, or "traffic"; represents the number of seats that were filled with paying passengers; one passenger traveling one mile is one RPM

Yield - passenger revenue per RPM; represents the average revenue for flying one passenger one mile

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ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK
 
There have been no material changes in market risk from the information provided in Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.2020.
 
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ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer (collectively, our “certifying officers”), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. These disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in our periodic reports filed with or submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC's rules and forms, and includes, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our certifying officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our certifying officers concluded, based on their evaluation, that disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2020.March 31, 2021.
 
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
 
In the quarter ended September 30, 2020, the Company implemented a new revenue accounting system, and updated the relevant control structure. Other than this implementation, thereThere have been no changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2020,March 31, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

Our internal control over financial reporting is based on the 2013 framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO Framework).
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PART II


ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
We areThe Company is a party to routine litigation matters incidental to our business. Management believes the ultimate disposition of these mattersits business and with respect to which no material liability is not likelyexpected. Liabilities for litigation related contingencies are recorded when a loss is determined to materially affect our financial position or results of operations. This forward-looking statement is based on management’s current understanding of the relevant lawbe probable and facts, and it is subject to various contingencies, including the potential costs and risks associated with litigation and the actions of judges and juries.estimable.

In 2015, three flight attendants filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Virgin America flight attendants for damages based on alleged violations of California and City of San Francisco wage and hour laws. The court certified a class of approximately 1,800 flight attendants in November 2016. The Company believes the claims in this case are without factual and legal merit.

In July 2018, the Court granted in part Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, finding Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines, as a successor-in-interest to Virgin America, responsible for various damages and penalties sought by the class members. OnIn February 4, 2019, the Court entered final judgment against Virgin America and Alaska Airlines in the amount of approximately $78 million. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines. In February 2021, an appellate court reversed portions of the lower court decision and significantly reduced the judgment. The determination of total judgment has not been completed as of the date of this filing. Based on the facts and circumstances available, the Company believes the range of potential loss to be between $0 and $22 million, and has recorded $22 million on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines.

The Company is seeking an appellate court ruling that the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as applied to national airlines pursuant to the U.S. Constitution and federal law and for other employment law and improper class certification reasons. The Company remains confident that a higher court will respect the federal preemption principles that were enacted to shield inter-state common carriers from a patchwork of state and local wage and hour regulations such as those at issue in this case and agree with the Company's other bases for appeal. For these reasons, no loss has been accrued.

In January 2019, a pilot filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Alaska and Horizon pilots for damages based on alleged violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Plaintiff received class certification in August 2020. The case is in discovery. The Company believes the claims in the case are without factual and legal merit and intends to defend the lawsuit.

The Company is involved in other litigation around the application of state and local employment laws, like many air carriers. Our defenses are similar to those identified above, including that the state and local laws are preempted by federal law and are unconstitutional because they impede interstate commerce. None of these additional disputes are material.


ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Except for the additional risk factors below, thereThere have been no material changes to the risk factors affecting our business, financial condition or future results from those set forth in Item 1A."Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19, and related measures implemented to combat its spread has had, and is expected to continue to have, a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations, financial position and liquidity.

In late 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus and its resulting disease (COVID-19) was detected in Wuhan, China. Since that time, COVID-19 has spread rapidly throughout the globe, including within the United States, where over one million cases have been positively diagnosed to date. In March 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency in response to the rapid spread, and all markets we serve have implemented some measure of travel restriction or stay-at-home order. These orders, combined with a wariness among the public of travel by aircraft due to perceived risk of infection, have resulted in an unprecedented decline in business and leisure travel. Cancellations of conventions and conferences, sporting events, concerts and other similar events, as well as the closure of popular tourist destinations, have contributed to this decline. This reduction in demand has materially negatively impacted our revenues and results of operations. As there is no indication of when these restrictions may be lifted or when demand may return, we expect to continue to see negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. Our operations could be negatively affected further if our employees are quarantined or sickened as a result of exposure to COVID-19, or if they are subject to additional governmental COVID-19 curfews or “shelter
49


in place” health orders or similar restrictions. Measures restricting the ability of our airport or inflight employees to come to work may cause a further deterioration in our service or operations, all of which could negatively affect our business.

In response to the pandemic, we have implemented and continue to implement a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the impacts on our business. This strategy may itself have negative impacts on our business and operations. One such action is the waiver of change fees and the ability to rebook travel for an extended period beyond standard rebooking terms. The loss of change fee revenue, combined with ongoing significant ticket cancellation activity, has adversely impacted our revenues and liquidity, and we expect such impacts to continue if governmental authorities extend existing travel restriction or stay-at-home orders or impose new orders or other restrictions intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, if businesses continue to restrict nonessential travel for their employees, or if the perceived risk of infection persists.

We have also implemented significant cash preservation and cost reduction strategies in response to the impacts of COVID-19. These strategies include, but are not limited to, capital expenditure reductions, hiring freezes, solicitation of voluntary leaves of absence and renegotiation of contractual terms and conditions. These measures, while helpful in slowing the rate at which we utilize our cash, are not expected to fully recover the loss of cash as a result of decreased ticket sales.

The Company may also experience significant supply chain disruptions as the COVID-19 pandemic may also adversely impact our suppliers. See “Item 1A., Risk Factors – We are dependent on a limited number of suppliers for aircraft and parts” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion of risks related to the Company’s dependence on a limited number of suppliers. Should COVID-19 cause our limited vendors to have performance problems, reduced or ceased operations, or bankruptcies, or other events causing them to be unable to fulfill their commitments to us, our operations and business could be materially adversely affected.

At this time, we are unable to predict what impact the pandemic will have on future customer behavior. Future business travel may be impacted by widespread use of videoconferencing or the reduction of business travel budgets. Travelers may also become more reluctant in general to travel. In addition, the Company has incurred, and will continue to incur COVID-19 related costs for enhanced aircraft cleaning and additional procedures to limit transmission among employees and guests. Although these procedures are elective, the industry may in the future be subject to further cleaning and safety measures, which may be costly and take a significant amount of time to implement. These contingencies, individually and combined, could have a material adverse impact on our business. See “Item 1A., Risk Factors – Economic uncertainty, or another recession, would likely impact demand for our product and could harm our financial condition and results of operations.” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion of the Company’s vulnerability to a general economic downturn or recession.

We have a significant amount of debt and fixed obligations and have incurred substantial incremental debt in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These obligations could lead to liquidity restraints and have a material adverse effect on our financial position.

We carry, and will continue to carry for the foreseeable future, a substantial amount of debt related to aircraft lease and financing commitments, as well as non-cancelable commitments for airport and facility leases, maintenance and other obligations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have incurred and continue to seek new financing sources to fund our operations while demand remains at an unprecedented low level and for the unknown duration of any economic recovery period. Further, as we incur incremental obligations, issuers may require future debt agreements to contain more restrictive covenants or require additional collateral beyond historical market terms which may further restrict our ability to successfully access capital.

Although we have historically been able to generate sufficient cash flow from our operations to pay our debt and other fixed obligations when they become due, the impacts of COVID-19, or from other risks as described in “Item 1A., Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, may prohibit us from doing so in the future and may adversely affect our overall liquidity.

We have accepted certain conditions by accepting funding under the payroll support program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020, providing U.S. airlines and related businesses the ability to access liquidity in the form of grants, loans, loan guarantees and other investments by the U.S. government.

In the second quarter of 2020, the Company, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and McGee entered agreements with the United States Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to secure approximately $1 billion of funding under the CARES Act payroll support program (PSP), of which $290 million is in the form of an unsecured senior term loan payable over ten years. PSP proceeds must be used exclusively for employee payroll and benefits expenses in accordance with the terms and conditions of the PSP agreements and the applicable provisions of the CARES Act.
50



In the third quarter of 2020, the Company and its airline subsidiaries entered agreements with the Treasury to obtain access to term loans of approximately $1.3 billion under the CARES Act loan program. Funds drawn under the loan program must be secured with assets owned by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air. In October of 2020, Treasury informed the Company it would amend these agreements to increase the total amount of available secured loan funds to $1.9 billion.

To date, the Company has drawn $135 million from the loan facility, and may, at its option, borrow additional amounts in up to two subsequent borrowings until March 31, 2021. All proceeds must be used for general corporate purposes and operating expenses in accordance with the terms and conditions of the loan agreements and the applicable provisions of the CARES Act. All borrowings are pre-payable in whole or in part and are ultimately due and payable on September 26, 2025 (or March 28, 2025 with respect to the portion of the loan, if any, secured with certain loyalty program assets).

In addition to repayment commitments, we are subject to the following conditions under our CARES Act PSP and loan agreements:

Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and McGee had to refrain from conducting involuntary furloughs or reducing employee rates of pay or benefits for non-officer employees through September 30, 2020;

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air had to maintain DOT-prescribed levels of air service to markets they served as of March 1, 2020, through September 30, 2020 (subject to extension through March 1, 2022);

The Company may not repurchase its common stock or pay dividends on its common stock until the later of September 30, 2021, or one year after secured loan funds are repaid;

The Company must meet minimum liquidity and collateral coverage ratio requirements until the secured loan funds are repaid;

Compensation and severance payments for officers and employees who earned more than $425,000 in total compensation in 2019 will be subject to maximum limitations through the later of March 24, 2022, or one year after secured loan funds are repaid; and

The Company must maintain certain internal controls and records, and provide any additional reporting required by the U.S. government, relating to PSP and loan funding.

These conditions may adversely affect the Company’s profitability, our ability to negotiate favorable terms with loyalty partners, our attractiveness to investors, and our ability to compensate at market-competitive levels and retain key personnel.2020.


ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Historically, the Company purchased shares pursuant to a $1 billion repurchase plan authorized by the Board of Directors in August 2015. In March 2020, the Company suspended the share repurchase program indefinitely. When the repurchase program is restarted, the plan has remaining authorization to purchase an additional $456 million in shares.

On September 30, 2020,February 19, 2021, the Company issued the New PSP Warrant (as defined in Item 5. “Other Information” below)12,197 warrants to the United States Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) in connection with the payroll support programPayroll Support Program (PSP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, resulting in warrants to purchase a total of 915,929928,127 shares of the Company’s common stock that have been issued to Treasury in connection with the payroll support program. Each warrant is exercisable at a strike price of $31.61 per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of the warrant. Such warrants were issued to Treasury in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
40


In addition,On various dates between January 15, 2021 and April 29, 2021, the Company issued an aggregate of 305,499 warrants to the Treasury in connection with increases on September 28, 2020 and October 30, 2020 inan extension of the aggregate principal amount that may be borrowed from Treasury pursuant to the loan programPSP under the CARES Act, the Company may issue the Additional Loan Program Warrants (as defined in Item 5. “Other Information” below) to Treasury pursuant to the loan program, resulting in a maximum of 6,099,336 shares of the Company’s common stock subject to warrants that may be issuable in connection with the loan program. A warrant to purchase 427,080 shares of the Company’s common stock was issued on September 28, 2020. Additional warrants will be issued to Treasury in conjunction with each new borrowingmade available under the A&R Loan Agreement (as defined in Item 5. “Other Information” below).Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Each warrant is exercisable at a strike price of $31.61$52.25 per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of the warrant. Such warrants were or, when issued will be, issued to Treasury in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.


51


ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.




ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.


ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
 
On September 30, 2020, the Company and Treasury agreed to an increase of $28.7 million in the payroll support available to Alaska Airlines and Horizon under the payroll support program (PSP) under the CARES Act, which resulted in an increase in the unsecured term loan borrowed from Treasury by approximately $8.6 million, bringing the total amount in unsecured funds borrowed from Treasury under the payroll support program for Alaska Airlines and Horizon to approximately $280.8 million (the “New Maximum Alaska Airlines Loan Amount”). As a result of this increase, on September 30, 2020, the Company issued additional warrants to Treasury to purchase 27,258 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “New PSP Warrant”).None.

In addition, on September 28, 2020, the Company, Alaska Airlines and Treasury agreed to an increase of $173 million in the aggregate principal amount that may be borrowed from Treasury pursuant to the loan program under the CARES Act, resulting in an initial aggregate lender commitment of $1,301 million. On October 30, 2020, the Company, Alaska Airlines and Treasury agreed to a further increase of $627 million in the aggregate principal amount that may be borrowed from Treasury pursuant to the loan program under the CARES Act, resulting in a new aggregate initial lender commitment of $1,928 million under such program. In connection with the new aggregate initial lender commitment, Alaska Airlines, as Borrower, the Company, as Parent, the guarantors party thereto from time to time, the Treasury, as the initial lender, and Bank of New York Mellon, as administrative agent and collateral agent, entered into a Restatement Agreement (the “Restatement Agreement”) to amend and restate the Loan and Guarantee Agreement (the “A&R Loan Agreement”), and Alaska Airlines, Horizon and, in each case, the guarantors party thereto each entered into an amended and restated Pledge and Security Agreement (together, the “A&R Pledge and Security Agreements”) relating to the collateral that secure the new aggregate initial lender commitment pursuant to the A&R Loan Agreement. As a result of the increases in the aggregate initial lender commitment, additional warrants to purchase 2,530,845 shares of the Common Stock are issuable by the Company to Treasury from time to time in connection with borrowings made pursuant to the A&R Loan Agreement (the “Additional Loan Program Warrants”), resulting in a maximum of 6,099,336 shares of the Company’s common stock subject to warrants that may be issuable in connection with the loan program.

On November 4, 2020, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted resolutions (the “Resolutions”) pursuant to Section 204 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which Resolutions ratify, confirm and approve the additional corporate actions taken on September 28, 2020, September 30, 2020 and October 30, 2020 as described above. Specifically, the Resolutions ratify, confirm and approve: (i) the New Maximum Alaska Airlines Loan Amount, the issuance to Treasury of the New PSP Warrant and the issuance of shares of the Company’s common stock upon exercise of the New PSP Warrant; and (ii) the New Initial Lender Commitment, including the execution, delivery and performance of the Restatement Agreement, the A&R Loan Agreement, the A&R Pledge and Security Agreements and all additional loan documents required to be executed or otherwise related to such agreements, as well as the transactions contemplated by such loan documents, the issuance to Treasury of the Additional Loan Program Warrants and the issuance of shares of the Company’s common stock upon exercise of the Additional Loan Program Warrants. Pursuant to the Resolutions, the Board ratified the foregoing corporate actions because it determined that such actions may not have been approved by the Board. Any claim that the defective corporate acts or putative stock ratified by the Board are void or voidable due to the failure of authorization specified in the Resolutions, or that the Delaware Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that the ratification thereof not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions, must be brought within 120 days from the later of the validation effective time (which is November 4, 2020), and the giving of this notice (which is deemed given on the date that this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission).
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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
 
The following documents are filed as part of this report:

1.Exhibits: See Exhibit Index.

SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
/s/ CHRISTOPHER M. BERRY
Christopher M. Berry
Vice President Finance and Controller
November 5, 2020May 6, 2021
 
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit
Description
FormDate of First FilingExhibit Number
3.110-QAugust 3, 20173.1
4.18-KJuly 6, 20204.1
4.28-KJuly 6, 20204.2
4.38-KJuly 6, 20204.3
4.48-KJuly 6, 20204.4
4.58-KJuly 6, 20204.5
4.68-KJuly 6, 20204.6
4.78-KJuly 6, 20204.7
4.88-KJuly 6, 20204.8
4.98-KJuly 6, 20204.9
4.108-KJuly 6, 20204.10
4.118-KJuly 6, 20204.11
4.128-KJuly 6, 20204.12
4.138-KJuly 6, 20204.13
4.148-KJuly 6, 20204.14
4.158-KJuly 6, 20204.15
4.168-KJuly 6, 20204.16
4.178-KJuly 6, 20204.17
54


4.18
Form of Series 2020-1 Equipment Notes issued by Alaska Airlines (included in Exhibits 4.13 and 4.15).
8-KJuly 6, 20204.18
4.19
Form of Series 2020-1 Equipment Notes issued by Horizon (included in Exhibit 4.17).
8-KJuly 6, 20204.19
4.20†10-Q
4.21†10-Q
4.22†10-Q
4.23†10-Q
4.24†10-Q
10.1†10-Q
10.2†10-Q
10.3†10-Q
31.1†10-Q
31.2†10-Q
32.1†10-Q
32.2†10-Q
99.18-KJuly 6, 202099.1
99.28-KJuly 6, 202099.2
99.38-KJuly 6, 202099.3
101.INS†XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.
101.SCH†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
*Certain confidential information contained in this exhibit, marked by [***], has been omitted because it (i) is not material and it (ii) would likely cause competitive harm to the Company if it were to be publicly disclosed.
**Pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, Exhibit 99.1 filed herewith contains a list of documents applicable to the Boeing 737-890 Aircraft (other than the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N568AS) that relate to the offering of the Alaska Air Pass Through Certificates, Series 2020-1, which documents are substantially identical to those which are filed herewith as Exhibits 4.12 and 4.13, except for the information identifying the Aircraft in question and various information relating to the principal amounts of the Equipment Notes relating to such Boeing 737-890 Aircraft. Exhibit 99.1 sets forth the details by which such documents differ from the corresponding representative sample of documents filed herewith as Exhibits 4.12 and 4.13 with respect to the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N568AS.
***Pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, Exhibit 99.2 filed herewith contains a list of documents applicable to the Boeing 737-990ER Aircraft (other than the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N494AS) that relate to the offering of the Alaska Air Pass Through Certificates, Series 2020-1, which documents are substantially identical to those which are filed herewith as Exhibits 4.14 and 4.15, except for the information identifying the Aircraft in question and various information relating to the principal amounts of the Equipment Notes relating to such Boeing 737-990ER Aircraft. Exhibit 99.2 sets forth the details by which such documents differ from the corresponding representative sample of documents filed herewith as Exhibits 4.14 and 4.15 with respect to the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N494AS.
55


****Pursuant to Instruction 2 to Item 601 of Regulation S-K, Exhibit 99.3 filed herewith contains a list of documents applicable to the Embraer E175 LR Aircraft (other than the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N626QX) that relate to the offering of the Alaska Air Pass Through Certificates, Series 2020-1, which documents are substantially identical to those which are filed herewith as Exhibits 4.16 and 4.17, except for the information identifying the Aircraft in question and various information relating to the principal amounts of the Equipment Notes relating to such Embraer E175 LR Aircraft. Exhibit 99.3 sets forth the details by which such documents differ from the corresponding representative sample of documents filed herewith as Exhibits 4.16 and 4.17 with respect to the Aircraft bearing U.S. Registration No. N626QX.
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit
Description
FormDate of First FilingExhibit Number
3.110-QAugust 3, 20173.1
10.1†*10-Q
31.1†10-Q
31.2†10-Q
32.1†10-Q
32.2†10-Q
101.INS†XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.
101.SCH†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
*Certain confidential information contained in this exhibit, marked by [***], has been omitted because it (i) is not material and it (ii) would likely cause competitive harm to the Company if it were to be publicly disclosed.

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