UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

x

Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20162017

 

¨

Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Transition Period Fromto

Commission file number 1-8400

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware 75-1825172

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
4333 Amon Carter Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76155 (817) 963-1234

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Commission file number 1-2691

 

American Airlines, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware 13-1502798

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
4333 Amon Carter Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76155 (817) 963-1234

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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.

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

  

x

 Yes

 

¨

 No

American Airlines, Inc.

  

x

 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).

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

  

x

 Yes

 

¨

 No

American Airlines, Inc.

  

x

 Yes

 

¨

 No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer”“smaller reporting company,” and “smaller reporting“emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

  

x Large Accelerated Filer

  

¨ Accelerated Filer

  

¨ Non-accelerated Filer

  

¨ Smaller Reporting Company

 Emerging Growth
Company

American Airlines, Inc.

  

¨ Large Accelerated Filer

  

¨ Accelerated Filer

  

x Non-accelerated Filer

  

¨ 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.

American Airlines Group Inc.

☐                    

American Airlines, Inc.

☐                    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

  

¨

 Yes

 

x

 No

American Airlines, Inc.

  

¨

 Yes

  

x

 No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

  

x

 Yes

 

¨

 No

American Airlines, Inc.

  

x

 Yes

 

¨

 No

As of October 14, 2016,July 21, 2017, there were 518,125,156487,009,215 shares of American Airlines Group Inc. common stock outstanding.

As of October 14, 2016,July 21, 2017, there were 1,000 shares of American Airlines, Inc. common stock outstanding, all of which were held by American Airlines Group Inc.

 

 

 


American Airlines Group Inc.

American Airlines, Inc.

Form 10-Q

Quarterly Period Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20162017

Table of Contents

 

      Page 

PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1A.

  

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of American Airlines Group Inc.

5
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations5
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income   6 
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of OperationsBalance Sheets

6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

   7 
  

Condensed Consolidated Balance SheetsStatements of Cash Flows

   8 
  

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Cash Flows

   9 
Item 1B.  

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

10

Item 1B.

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of American Airlines, Inc.

18
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations18
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income19
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets   20 
  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of OperationsCash Flows

20

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

   21 
  

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Balance SheetsFinancial Statements

   22 
Item 2.  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

23

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

24

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   3430 

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

53
Item 4.Controls and Procedures54
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.Legal Proceedings55
Item 1A.Risk Factors   56 

Item 4.

2.
  

Controls and Procedures

56

PART II: OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

58

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

59

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

   7772 

Item 6.

  

Exhibits

   7772 

SIGNATURES

   7873 

2


This combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is filed by American Airlines Group Inc. (formerly named AMR Corporation) (AAG) and its wholly-owned subsidiary American Airlines, Inc. (American). References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “we,” “us,” “our”“our,” the “Company” and similar terms refer to AAG and its consolidated subsidiaries. On December 9, 2013, a subsidiary of AMR Corporation merged with and into US Airways Group, Inc. (US Airways Group), which survived as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAG (the Merger). On December 30, 2015, in order to simplify AAG’s internal corporate structure and as part of the integration efforts following the business combination of AAG and US Airways Group, AAG caused US Airways Group to be merged with and into AAG, with AAG as the surviving corporation, and, immediately thereafter, US Airways, Inc. (US Airways), a subsidiary of US Airways Group, merged with and into American, with American as the surviving corporation. For financial reporting purposes, this transaction constituted a transfer of assets between entities under common control and is reflected in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as though the transaction had occurred on December 9, 2013, the effective date of the Merger, which represents the earliest date that American and US Airways were under common control. Thus, information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q regarding American’s condensed consolidated results of operations is comprised of the results of US Airways and American for all periods presented. “AMR” or “AMR Corporation” refers to AAGthe Company during the period of time prior to its emergence from Chapter 11 and its acquisition of US Airways Group.Group, Inc. (US Airways Group) on December 9, 2013 (the Merger). References to “US Airways Group” and “US Airways”Airways,” a subsidiary of US Airways Group, represent the entities during the period of time prior to AAG’s internal corporate restructuring on December 30, 2015. References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “mainline” refer to the operations of American as applicable,only and exclude regional operations.

Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements contained in this report should be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “continue,” “seek,” “target,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “if current trends continue,” “optimistic,” “forecast” and other similar words. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the Merger, including future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, estimates and intentions,strategies for the future, and other statements that are not historical facts, such as, without limitation, statements that discuss the possible future effects of current known trends or uncertainties, or which indicate that the future effects of known trends or uncertainties cannot be predicted, guaranteed or assured.facts. These forward-looking statements are based on our current objectives, beliefs and expectations, and they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and financial position and timing of certain events to differ materially from the information in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described below under Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors and the following: significant operating losses in the future; downturns in economic conditions that adversely affect our business; the impact of continued periods of high volatility in fuel costs, increased fuel prices and significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel; competitive practices in the industry, including the impact of low-cost carriers, airline alliances and industry consolidation; the challenges and costs of integrating operations and realizing anticipated synergies and other benefits of the Merger; costs of ongoing data security compliance requirements and the impact of any significant data security breach; our substantial indebtedness and other obligations and the effect they could have on our business and liquidity; an inability to obtain sufficient financing or other capital to operate successfully and in accordance with our current business plan; increased costs of financing, a reduction in the availability of financing and fluctuations in interest rates; the effect our high level of fixed obligations may have on our ability to fund general corporate requirements, obtain additional financing and respond to competitive developments and adverse economic and industry conditions; our significant pension and other postretirement benefit funding obligations; the impact of any failure to comply with the covenants contained in financing arrangements; provisions in credit card processing and other commercial agreements that may materially reduce our liquidity; the impact of union disputes, employee strikes and other labor-related disruptions; any inability to maintain labor costs at competitive levels; interruptions or disruptions in service at one or more of our hub airports; any inability to obtain and maintain adequate facilities, infrastructure and slots to operate our flight schedule and expand or change our route network; our reliance on third-party regional operators or third-party service providers that have the ability to affect our revenue and the public’s perception about our services; any inability to effectively manage the costs, rights and functionality of third-party distribution channels on which we rely; extensive government regulation, which may result in increases in our costs, disruptions to our operations, limits on our operating flexibility, reductions in the demand for air travel, and competitive disadvantages; the impact of the heavy taxation on the airline industry; changes to our business model that may not successfully increase revenues and may cause operational difficulties or decreased demand; the loss of key personnel or inability to attract and retain additional qualified personnel; the impact of conflicts overseas, terrorist attacks and ongoing security concerns; the global scope of our business and any associated economic and political instability or adverse effects of events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control, including the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and limitations on the repatriation of cash held in foreign countries; the impact of environmental and noise regulation; the impact associated with climate change, including increased regulation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases; our reliance on technology and automated systems and the impact of any failure of these technologies or systems; challenges in integrating our computer, communications and other technology systems; losses and adverse publicity stemming from any accident involving any of our aircraft or the aircraft of our regional or codeshare operators; delays in scheduled aircraft deliveries, or other loss of anticipated fleet capacity, and failure of new aircraft to perform as expected; our dependence on a limited number of suppliers for aircraft, aircraft engines and parts; the impact of changing economic and other conditions beyond our control, including global events

that affect travel behavior such as an outbreak of a contagious disease, and volatility and fluctuations in our results of operations due to seasonality; the effect of a higher than normal number of pilot retirements, more stringent duty time regulations, increased flight hour requirements for commercial airline pilots and other factors that have caused a shortage of pilots; the impact of possible future increases in insurance costs or reductions in available insurance coverage; the effect on our financial position and liquidity of being party to or involved in litigation; an inability to use net operating losses (NOLs) carried over from prior taxable years (NOL Carryforwards); any impairment in the amount of our goodwill and an inability to realize the full value of our intangible or long-lived assets and any material impairment charges that would be recorded as a result; price volatility of our common stock; the effects of our capital deployment program and the limitation, suspension or discontinuation of our share repurchase programs or dividend payments thereunder; delay or prevention of stockholders’ ability to change the composition of our Board of Directors and the effect this may have on takeover attempts that some of our stockholders might consider beneficial; the effect of provisions of our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the Certificate of Incorporation) and Amended and Restated Bylaws (the Bylaws) that limit ownership and voting of our equity interests, including our common stock; the effect of limitations in our Certificate of Incorporation on acquisitions and dispositions of our common stock designed to protect our NOL Carryforwards and certain other tax attributes, which may limit the liquidity of our common stock; and other economic, business, competitive, and/or regulatory factors affecting our business, including those set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (especially in Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors and Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations)Operations, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC),Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors, and other risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in our filings with the SEC.Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).

All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed in Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere in this report. There may be other factors of which we are not currently aware that may affect matters discussed in the forward-looking statements and may also cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. We do not assume any obligation to publicly update or supplement any forward-looking statement to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such statements other than as required by law. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or as of the dates indicated in the statements.

3


PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION

This combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is filed by both AAG and American and includes the condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements of each company in Item 1A and Item 1B, respectively.

4


ITEM 1A.

ITEM 1A. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In millions, except shares and per share amounts)(Unaudited)

 

  Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,   Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 
  2016 2015 2016 2015   2017 2016 2017 2016 

Operating revenues:

      

Mainline passenger

  $7,419   $7,654   $21,192   $22,298    $7,747  $7,209  $14,353  $13,773 

Regional passenger

   1,731   1,699   5,040   4,910     1,835  1,786  3,384  3,309 

Cargo

   171   180   506   568     196  174  368  336 

Other

   1,273   1,173   3,653   3,584     1,327  1,194  2,624  2,380 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Total operating revenues

   10,594   10,706   30,391   31,360     11,105  10,363  20,729  19,798 

Operating expenses:

          

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   1,393   1,593   3,736   4,912     1,510  1,314  2,912  2,343 

Salaries, wages and benefits

   2,772   2,404   8,094   7,141     3,003  2,670  5,829  5,322 

Regional expenses

   1,538   1,518   4,488   4,536     1,620  1,518  3,194  2,950 

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   481   456   1,352   1,452     495  453  987  871 

Other rent and landing fees

   463   432   1,342   1,290     452  458  892  879 

Aircraft rent

   299   308   908   941     294  302  589  609 

Selling expenses

   347   366   990   1,051     376  334  694  642 

Depreciation and amortization

   399   336   1,128   1,013     418  374  822  729 

Special items, net

   289   163   450   610     202  62  320  161 

Other

   1,182   1,131   3,386   3,278     1,200  1,127  2,354  2,205 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Total operating expenses

   9,163   8,707   25,874   26,224     9,570  8,612  18,593  16,711 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Operating income

   1,431   1,999   4,517   5,136     1,535  1,751  2,136  3,087 

Nonoperating income (expense):

          

Interest income

   16   10   45   29     24  16  45  28 

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (250 (219 (738 (651

Interest expense, net

   (263 (249 (520 (488

Other, net

   (8 (81 (25 (143   (5 (25 (5 (17
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Total nonoperating expense, net

   (242 (290 (718 (765   (244 (258 (480 (477
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Income before income taxes

   1,189   1,709   3,799   4,371     1,291  1,493  1,656  2,610 

Income tax provision

   452   16   1,412   42     488  543  619  960 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Net income

  $737   $1,693   $2,387   $4,329    $803  $950  $1,037  $1,650 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Earnings per common share:

          

Basic

  $1.40   $2.56   $4.23   $6.34    $1.64  $1.69  $2.08  $2.82 

Diluted

  $1.40   $2.49   $4.20   $6.17    $1.63  $1.68  $2.07  $2.80 

Weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands):

          

Basic

   525,415   661,869   564,886   682,337     490,818  563,000  497,360  584,622 

Diluted

   528,510   680,739   568,679   701,760     492,965  566,040  500,381  588,764 

Cash dividends declared per common share

  $0.10   $0.10   $0.30   $0.30    $0.10  $0.10  $0.20  $0.20 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

5


AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In millions)(Unaudited)

 

   Three Months Ended September 30,  Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016  2015  2016  2015 

Net income

  $737   $1,693   $2,387   $4,329  

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

     

Pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits

   (17  (26  (52  (79

Derivative financial instruments:

     

Reclassification into earnings

   —      —      —      (9

Unrealized gain (loss) on investments:

     

Net change in value

   2    (4  6    (4
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive loss, net of tax

   (15  (30  (46  (92
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total comprehensive income

  $722   $1,663   $2,341   $4,237  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017 2016 2017 2016

Net income

   $803  $950  $1,037  $1,650

Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:

         

Pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits

    (15)   (16)   (29)   (35)

Investments

       2      4
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive loss, net of tax

    (15)   (14)   (29)   (31)
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total comprehensive income

   $788  $936  $1,008  $1,619
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

6


AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions, except shares and per share amounts)par value)

 

  September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015   June 30, 2017 December 31, 2016
  (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)  

ASSETS

     

Current assets

       

Cash

  $381   $390     $386 $322

Short-term investments

   6,374   5,864     6,500 6,037

Restricted cash and short-term investments

   635   695     554 638

Accounts receivable, net

   1,703   1,425     1,543 1,594

Aircraft fuel, spare parts and supplies, net

   1,100   863     1,206 1,094

Prepaid expenses and other

   855   748     827 639
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total current assets

   11,048   9,985     11,016 10,324

Operating property and equipment

       

Flight equipment

   36,259   33,185     39,329 37,028

Ground property and equipment

   6,915   6,402     7,580 7,116

Equipment purchase deposits

   1,149   1,067     1,212 1,209
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total property and equipment, at cost

   44,323   40,654     48,121 45,353

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

   (14,019 (13,144   (15,128) (14,194)
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total property and equipment, net

   30,304   27,510     32,993 31,159

Other assets

       

Goodwill

   4,091   4,091     4,091 4,091

Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $562 and $502, respectively

   2,189   2,249  

Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $602 and $578, respectively

   2,224 2,173

Deferred tax asset

   1,524   2,477     905 1,498

Other assets

   1,952   2,103     2,107 2,029
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total other assets

   9,756   10,920     9,327 9,791
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total assets

  $51,108   $48,415     $53,336 $51,274
   

 

  

 

 
  

 

  

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

       

Current liabilities

       

Current maturities of long-term debt and capital leases

  $1,798   $2,231     $2,334 $1,855

Accounts payable

   1,673   1,563     1,924 1,592

Accrued salaries and wages

   1,365   1,205     1,295 1,516

Air traffic liability

   4,513   3,747     5,222 3,912

Loyalty program liability

   2,950   2,525     3,014 2,789

Other accrued liabilities

   2,234   2,334     2,323 2,208
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total current liabilities

   14,533   13,605     16,112 13,872

Noncurrent liabilities

       

Long-term debt and capital leases, net of current maturities

   21,545   18,330     22,525 22,489

Pension and postretirement benefits

   7,387   7,450     7,500 7,842

Deferred gains and credits, net

   554   667  

Other liabilities

   2,698   2,728     3,484 3,286
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total noncurrent liabilities

   32,184   29,175     33,509 33,617

Commitments and contingencies

       

Stockholders’ equity

       

Common stock, $0.01 par value; 1,750,000,000 shares authorized, 519,161,253 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016; 624,622,381 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015

   5   6  

Common stock, $0.01 par value; 1,750,000,000 shares authorized, 487,661,923 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2017; 507,294,153 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2016

   5 5

Additional paid-in capital

   7,761   11,591     6,245 7,223

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

   (4,778 (4,732   (5,112) (5,083)

Retained earnings (deficit)

   1,403   (1,230

Retained earnings

   2,577 1,640
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

   4,391   5,635     3,715 3,785
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

  $51,108   $48,415     $53,336 $51,274
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

7


AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)(Unaudited)

 

  Nine Months Ended September 30,       Six Months Ended June 30,    
  2016 2015   2017 2016

Net cash provided by operating activities

  $5,897   $6,021     $3,938 $4,833

Cash flows from investing activities:

       

Capital expenditures and aircraft purchase deposits

   (4,271 (4,621   (3,194) (3,063)

Purchases of short-term investments

   (5,078 (7,717   (3,829) (3,605)

Sales of short-term investments

   4,587   6,167     3,373 2,810

Decrease in restricted cash and short-term investments

   60   64     84 55

Proceeds from sale of an investment

   —     52  

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

   58   23  

Other investing activities

   2    —    

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment and sale-leaseback transactions

   313 32
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

   (4,642 (6,032   (3,253) (3,771)

Cash flows from financing activities:

       

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

   1,625 4,522

Payments on long-term debt and capital leases

   (2,534 (1,821   (1,101) (2,163)

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

   5,392   4,463  

Deferred financing costs

   (39 (69   (39) (87)

Sale-leaseback transactions

   —     43  

Treasury stock repurchases

   (3,931 (2,411   (1,013) (3,236)

Dividend payments

   (172 (206   (102) (119)

Other financing activities

   20   34     9 77
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

   (1,264 33  

Net cash used in financing activities

   (621) (1,006)
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash

   (9 22  

Net increase in cash

   64 56

Cash at beginning of period

   390   994     322 390
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Cash at end of period

  $381   $1,016     $386 $446
  

 

  

 

    

 

  

 

 

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

       

Settlement of bankruptcy obligations

  $3   $60     $ $3

Capital lease obligations

   —     5  

Supplemental information:

       

Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized

   714   648  

Interest paid, net

   516 479

Income taxes paid

   10   22     9 7

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

8


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of American Airlines Group Inc. (we, us, our and similar terms, or AAG) should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.2016. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AAG and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. AAG’s principal subsidiary is American Airlines, Inc. (American). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

On December 9, 2013, (the Effective Date),a subsidiary of AMR Merger Sub, Inc.Corporation (AMR) merged with and into US Airways Group, Inc. (US Airways Group) (the Merger), with US Airways Group survivinga Delaware corporation, which survived as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAG, a Delaware corporation (formerly known asand AAG emerged from Chapter 11 (the Merger). Upon closing of the Merger and emergence from Chapter 11, AMR Corporation or AMR) following the Merger.

changed its name to American Airlines Group Inc. On December 30, 2015, in order to simplify ourAAG’s internal corporate structure, and as part of the integration efforts following the business combination of AAG and US Airways Group, AAG caused US Airways Group to be merged with and into AAG, with AAG as the surviving corporation, and, immediately thereafter, US Airways, Inc. (US Airways), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of US Airways Group, merged with and into American, with American as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger of US Airways and American, US Airways transferred all of its assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet commitments to American. For financial reporting purposes, this transaction constituted a transfer of assets between entities under common control and was accounted for at historical cost.

Management believes that all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of results, consisting of normally recurring items, have been included in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the interim periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant areas of judgment relate to passenger revenue recognition, impairment of goodwill, impairment of long-lived and intangible assets, the loyalty program, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, as well as pensions,pension and retiree medical and other postretirement benefits. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” ASU 2014-09 completes the joint effort by the FASB and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to improve financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Subsequently, the FASB has issued several additional ASUs to clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations, identifying performance obligations, assessing collectability, presentation of sales taxes and other similar taxes collected from customers, non-cash consideration, contract modifications and completed contracts at transition. These ASUs applyimplementation. The new revenue standard applies to all companies that enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services. These ASUs areservices and is effective for public entities for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, but not before interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.We will adopt the new revenue standard effective January 1, 2018. Entities have the choice to apply these ASUsthe new revenue standard either retrospectively to each reporting period presented or by recognizing the cumulative effect of applying these standardsthe new revenue standard at the date of initial application and not adjusting comparative information. We currently expect to adopt the new revenue standard using the full retrospective method.

We are currentlystill in the process of evaluating how the requirementsadoption of these standards and have not yet determined the new revenue standard will impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. We currently expect that the new revenue standard will materially impact our liability for outstanding mileage credits earned by AAdvantage loyalty program members when flying on American. We currently use the incremental cost method to account for this portion of our loyalty program liability, which values these mileage credits based on the estimated incremental cost of carrying one additional passenger. The new revenue standard will require us to change our policy and apply a relative selling price approach whereby a portion of each passenger ticket sale attributable to mileage credits earned will be deferred and recognized in passenger revenue upon future mileage redemption. The carrying value of the earned mileage credits recognized in loyalty program liability is expected to be materially greater under the relative selling price approach than the value attributed to these mileage credits under the incremental cost method. The new revenue standard will also require us to reclassify certain ancillary fees to passenger revenue, which are currently included within other operating revenue.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset on the balance sheet and aligns many of the underlying principles of the new lessor model with those in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. WeEntities are currently evaluatingrequired to adopt the requirementsnew lease standard using a modified retrospective approach for all leases existing at or commencing after the date of ASU 2016-02 and have not yet determined its impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvementsinitial application with an option to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” ASU 2016-09 simplifies the accounting for share-based payment award transactions including the financial statement presentation of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, accounting for forfeitures and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We early adopted this standard during the second quarter of 2016. The adoption of this standard resulted in the recognition of $418 million of previously unrecognized excess tax benefits in deferred tax assets and an increase to retained earnings on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of the beginning of the current year, and the recognition of $9 million of excess tax benefits to the income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.use certain practical expedients.

9


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

 

We are currently evaluating how the adoption of the new lease standard will impact our condensed consolidated financial statements. Interpretations are on-going and could have a material impact on our implementation. Currently, we expect that the adoption of the new lease standard will have a material impact on our condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities principally for certain leases currently accounted for as operating leases.

Statement of Cash Flows

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash.” ASU 2016-18 requires that the change in total cash, cash at beginning of period and cash at end of period on the statement of cash flows include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. ASU 2016-18 also requires companies who report cash and restricted cash separately on the balance sheet to reconcile those amounts to the statement of cash flows. This standard is to be applied retrospectively to each period presented and is effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. This standard is not expected to have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Retirement Benefits

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.” ASU 2017-07 requires an entity to present the service cost component of net benefit cost in the income statement line items where it reports compensation cost. Entities will present all other components of net benefit cost outside of operating income, if this subtotal is presented. This standard is to be applied retrospectively to each period presented and is effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We will adopt this standard on January 1, 2018. The new standard will require all components of our net periodic benefit cost (income), with the exception of service cost, currently reported within operating expenses as salaries, wages and benefits, to be reclassified and reported within nonoperating income (expense). The adoption of this new standard will have no impact on pre-tax income or net income reported. See Note 8 for our current components of net periodic benefit cost (income).

2. Special Items, Net

Special items, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations are as followsconsisted of the following (in millions):

 

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
           2016                   2015                   2016                   2015         

Mainline operating special items, net(1)

  $289    $163    $450    $610  
   Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017  2016 2017  2016

Merger integration expenses(1)

   $68    $97  $130   $201

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

    48    15   111    41

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

    38    (56)   20    (61) 

Labor contract expenses(3)

    45        45    

Other operating charges (credits), net

    3    6   14    (20)
   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mainline operating special items, net

    202    62   320    161

Regional operating special items, net(4)

    1    3   4    8

Nonoperating special items, net(5)

    2    36   7    36

 

(1)

The 2016 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $289 million, which principally included $225 million of merger integration expenses and a $39 million net charge for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. The 2016 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $450 million, which principally included $467 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $22 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. For the 2016 third quarter and nine month periods, mergerMerger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and uniforms, information technology,training. Additionally, the 2016 periods also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, fleet restructuring, professional fees,re-branded uniforms, relocation and training, as well as severance.

The 2015 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $163 million, which principally included $198 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. The 2015 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $610 million, which principally included $741 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $75 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations and a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. For the 2015 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, fleet restructuring, alignment of labor union contracts, professional fees, severance, relocation and training, re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, as well as share-based compensation.

The following additional amounts are also included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as follows (in millions):

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016   2015   2016   2015 

Regional operating special items, net

  $5    $2    $13    $20  

Nonoperating special items, net(1)

   —       21     36     2  

Income tax special items, net

   —       6     —       22  
(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

 

(1)(3)

Labor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a result of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the second quarter of 2017.

(4)In connection

Regional operating special items, net principally related to Merger integration expenses.

(5)

Nonoperating special items, net primarily consisted of debt issuance and extinguishment costs associated with term loan refinancings. Additionally, the 2016 periods included costs associated with a bond refinancing, we recorded a $36 million nonoperating special charge in the 2016 nine month period related to non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.refinancing.

The 2015 third quarter nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $21 million, which was primarily due to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The 2015 nine month period nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $2 million, which principally included $40 million in charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with refinancing American’s secured term loan facilities, prepayments of certain aircraft financings and the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. These charges were offset in part by a $22 million gain associated with the sale of an investment and a $17 million early debt extinguishment gain associated with the repayment of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank.

10


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

 

3. Earnings Per Common Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share (EPS) (in millions, except share and per share amounts):

 

  Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30,   Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,
  2016   2015   2016   2015   2017  2016  2017  2016

Basic EPS:

                    

Net income

  $737    $1,693    $2,387    $4,329     $803    $950    $1,037    $1,650 

Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in thousands)

   525,415     661,869     564,886     682,337  

Weighted average common shares outstanding (in thousands)

   490,818    563,000    497,360    584,622 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Basic EPS

  $1.40    $2.56    $4.23    $6.34     $1.64    $1.69    $2.08    $2.82 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Diluted EPS:

                    

Net income for purposes of computing diluted EPS

  $737    $1,693    $2,387    $4,329     $803    $950    $1,037    $1,650 

Share computation for diluted EPS (in thousands):

                    

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

   525,415     661,869     564,886     682,337     490,818    563,000    497,360    584,622 

Dilutive effect of stock awards

   3,095     18,870     3,793     19,423     2,147    3,040    3,021    4,142 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

   528,510     680,739     568,679     701,760     492,965    566,040    500,381    588,764 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Diluted EPS

  $1.40    $2.49    $4.20    $6.17     $1.63    $1.68    $2.07    $2.80 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

The following were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS (in thousands):

        

Stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock unit awards because inclusion would be antidilutive

   1,623     1,094     1,771     667  

Restricted stock unit awards excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS because inclusion would be antidilutive (in thousands)

   837    2,601    616    1,845 

4. Share Repurchase Programs and Dividends

Since July 2014, our Board of Directors has approved severalsix share repurchase programs aggregating $9.0$11.0 billion of authorityauthority. As of which, as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016, $555 million2017, $1.0 billion remained unused under a repurchase programsprogram that expireexpires on December 31, 2017.2018. Share repurchases under our share repurchase programs may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades or accelerated share repurchase transactions. Any such repurchases will be made from time to time subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. Our share repurchase programs do not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares and may be suspended at any time at our discretion.

During the three months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we repurchased 18.210.0 million shares of AAG common stock for $616$450 million at a weighted average cost per share of $33.87.$45.01. During the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we repurchased 107.721.7 million shares of AAG common stock for $3.9$962 million at a weighted average cost per share of $44.36. Since the inception of our share repurchase programs in July 2014, we have repurchased 250.0 million shares of AAG common stock for $10.0 billion at a weighted average cost per share of $35.87. Since the inception of the share repurchase programs in July 2014, we have repurchased 216.2 million shares of AAG common stock for $8.4 billion at a weighted average cost per share of $39.06.$39.84.

Our Board of Directors declared the following cash dividends during the first ninesix months of 2016:2017:

 

Period

  Per share   For stockholders
of record as of
   Payable on   Cash paid
(millions)
   Per share  For stockholders
of record as of
  Payable on  Total
(millions)

First Quarter

  $0.10     February 10, 2016     February 24, 2016    $61     $0.10   February 13, 2017   February 27, 2017   $51

Second Quarter

  $0.10     May 4, 2016     May 18, 2016     58     $0.10   May 16, 2017   May 30, 2017   50

Third Quarter

  $0.10     August 5, 2016     August 19, 2016     53  
        

 

             

 

 

Total

        $172              $101
        

 

             

 

 

Any future dividends that may be declared and paid from time to time will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. We are not obligated to continue a dividend for any fixed period, and payment of dividends may be suspended at any time at our discretion.

11


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

 

5. Debt

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations included in the condensed consolidated balance sheets consisted of (in millions):

 

  September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015   June 30, 2017  December 31, 2016

Secured

          

2013 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.25%, installments through 2020

  $1,843    $1,867  

2014 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.25%, installments through 2021

   743     743  

2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.50%, installments through 2023

   1,000     —    

2013 Citicorp Credit Facility tranche B-1, variable interest rate of 3.50%, installments through 2019

   970     980  

2013 Citicorp Credit Facility tranche B-2

   —       588  

Aircraft enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs), fixed interest rates ranging from 3.20% to 9.75%, maturing from 2017 to 2028

   10,358     8,693  

Equipment loans and other notes payable, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 1.92% to 8.48%, maturing from 2016 to 2028

   5,136     4,183  

2013 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.22%, installments through 2020

   $1,825   $1,843

2014 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.12%, installments through 2021

   735   735

April 2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.72%, installments through 2023

   990   1,000

December 2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.66%, installments through 2023

   1,250   1,250

Aircraft enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs), fixed interest rates ranging from 3.00% to 9.75%, maturing from 2018 to 2029

   11,328   10,912

Equipment loans and other notes payable, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 2.34% to 8.80%, maturing from 2017 to 2029

   5,525   5,343

Special facility revenue bonds, fixed interest rates ranging from 5.00% to 8.00%, maturing from 2017 to 2035

   891     1,080     891   891

Other secured obligations, fixed interest rates ranging from 3.60% to 12.24%, maturing from 2016 to 2028

   865     923  

Other secured obligations, fixed interest rates ranging from 3.60% to 12.24%, maturing from 2017 to 2028

   804   849
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 
   21,806     19,057     23,348   22,823
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 

Unsecured

          

5.50% senior notes, interest only payments until due in 2019

   750     750     750   750

6.125% senior notes, interest only payments until due in 2018

   500     500     500   500

4.625% senior notes, interest only payments until due in 2020

   500     500     500   500
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 
   1,750     1,750     1,750   1,750
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total long-term debt and capital lease obligations

   23,556     20,807     25,098   24,573

Less: Total unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs

   213     246  

Less: Total unamortized debt discount, premium and issuance costs

   239   229

Less: Current maturities

   1,798     2,231     2,334   1,855
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities

  $21,545    $18,330     $22,525   $22,489
  

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

 

The table below shows availability under revolving credit facilities, all of which were undrawn, as of SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 (in millions):

 

2013 Revolving Facility

  $ 1,400 

2014 Revolving Facility

   1,025 
  

 

 

 

Total

  $2,425 
  

 

 

 

The April 2016 and December 2016 Credit Facilities each provide for a revolving credit facility that may be established in the future.

20162017 Aircraft Financing Activities

2016-12017-1 EETCs

In January 2016,2017, American created three pass-through trusts which issued approximately $1.1 billion$983 million aggregate faceprincipal amount of Series 2016-12017-1 Class AA, Class A and Class B EETCs (the 2016-12017-1 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 2224 aircraft owned bydelivered to American through May 2017 (the 2016-1 EETC2017-1 Aircraft).

AllAs of June 30, 2017, all of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-12017-1 EETCs have been used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in three series: Series AA equipment notes inconnection with the principal amountfinancing of $584 million bearing interest at 3.575% per annum, Series A equipment notes innew aircraft on or following the principal amount of $262 million bearing interest at 4.10% per annum and Series B equipment notes in the principal amount of $228 million bearing interest at 5.25% per annum.delivery thereof. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes arewill be payable semi-annually in JanuaryFebruary and JulyAugust of each year, with interest payments beginning in July 2016.August 2017 and principal payments beginning in February 2018. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in January 2028 and the final payment on the Series B equipment notes is due in January 2024. These equipment notes are secured by liens on the 2016-1 EETC2017-1 Aircraft.

2016-2 EETCs

In May and July 2016, American created three pass-through trusts which issued approximately $1.1 billion aggregate face amount of Series 2016-2 Class AA, Class A and Class B EETCs (the 2016-2 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 22 aircraft owned by American (the 2016-2 EETC Aircraft).12

All of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-2 EETCs have been used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in three series: Series AA equipment notes in the principal amount of $567 million bearing interest at 3.20% per annum, Series A


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

 

Certain information regarding the 2017-1 EETC equipment notes, as of June 30, 2017, is set forth in the principaltable below.

   2017-1 EETCs
   Series AA Series A Series B

Aggregate principal issued

  $537 million $248 million $198 million

Fixed interest rate per annum

  3.65% 4.00% 4.95%

Maturity date

  February 2029 February 2029 February 2025

2016-3 EETCs

During the first quarter of 2017, all remaining proceeds of the Series 2016-3 Class AA and Class A (the 2016-3 EETCs), in the amount of $261$109 million, bearing interest at 3.65% per annum and Series Bwere used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in connection with the principal amountfinancing of $227 million bearing interest at 4.375% per annum.new aircraft on or following the delivery thereof. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes are payable semi-annually in JuneApril and DecemberOctober of each year, with interest payments beginningthat began in December 2016April 2017 and principal payments beginning in JuneOctober 2017. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in June 2028 and the final payments on the Series B equipment notes are due in June 2024. These equipment notes are secured by liens on the 2016-2aircraft financed with the proceeds of the 2016-3 EETCs.

Certain information regarding the 2016-3 EETC Aircraft.equipment notes, as of June 30, 2017, is set forth in the table below.

   2016-3 EETCs
   Series AA Series A

Aggregate principal issued

  $558 million $256 million

Fixed interest rate per annum

  3.00% 3.25%

Maturity date

  October 2028 October 2028

Equipment Loans and Other Aircraft Financing TransactionsNotes Payable Issued in 2017

In the first ninesix months of 2016,2017, American entered into loan agreements to borrow $1.4 billionunder which it borrowed $533 million in connection with the financing of certain aircraft. Debt incurred under these loan agreements matures in 20262021 through 2028 and bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus an applicable margin.2029.

20162017 Other Financing Activities

20162013 Credit Facilities

On April 29, 2016,In March 2017, American and AAG entered into athe Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, (the 2016amending the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement)and Guaranty Agreement dated May 21, 2015 (which amended and restated the Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated June 27, 2013), among American, as previously amended by the borrower, AAG as parentFirst Amendment to Amended and guarantor, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agentRestated Credit and collateral agent and certain lenders. The 2016 CreditGuaranty Agreement provides for a $1.0dated October 26, 2015, pursuant to which we refinanced the $1.8 billion term loan facility due June 2020 established thereunder (the 20162013 Term Loan Facility) with a maturity date of April 28, 2023 and a revolving credit facility that may be established in the future (the 2016 Revolving Credit Facility and, together with the 2016$1.4 billion revolving credit facility established under such agreement, the 2013 Credit Facilities) to reduce the LIBOR margin from 2.50% to 2.00% and the base rate margin from 1.50% to 1.00%. The $1.4 billion revolving credit facility under the 2013 Credit Facilities (the 2013 Revolving Facility) remains unchanged. As of June 30, 2017, approximately $1.8 billion of principal was outstanding under the 2013 Term Loan Facility the 2016 Credit Facilities). Asand there were no borrowings or letters of September 30, 2016, the aggregate outstanding principal amount under the 2016 Term Loan Facility was $1.0 billion.

The proceeds from the 2016 Term Loan Facility were used to repay approximately $588 million in remaining principal plus accrued and unpaid interest of the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility Tranche B-2 with the remainder of the proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes.

The 2016 Term Loan Facility is repayable in annual installments in an amount equal to 1.00% of the original principal balance with any unpaid balance due on the maturity date of the 2016 Term Loan Facility. Voluntary prepayments may be made by American at any time, with a premium of 1.0% applicable to certain prepayments made prior to the date that is six months following April 29, 2016.

Loans under the 2016 Term Loan Facility bear interest at a base rate plus an applicable base rate margin or, at American’s option, LIBOR (subject to a floor of 0.75%) plus an applicable LIBOR margin. The applicable base rate margin is 1.75% and the applicable LIBOR margin is 2.75% for loans under the 2016 Term Loan Facility.

The obligations of American under the 2016 Credit Agreement are secured by liens on substantially all aircraft spare parts owned by American. American has the ability to add or release certain types of collateral, subject to certain conditions, at its discretion. The obligations of American under the 2016 Credit Facilities are guaranteed by AAG. American is required to maintain a certain minimum ratio of appraised value of the collateral to the outstanding loans under the 2016 Credit Facilities.

The 2016 Credit Facilities contain events of default customary for similar financings, including cross default to other material indebtedness. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the outstanding obligations under the 2016 Credit Facilities may be accelerated and become due and payable immediately. In addition, if a “change of control” (as defined in the 2016 Credit Agreement) occurs with respect to AAG, American will (absent an amendment or waiver) be required to repay at par the loanscredit outstanding under the 2016 Credit Facilities and terminate the 20162013 Revolving Facility. The 2016 Credit Facilities also include covenants that, among other things, require AAG to maintain a minimum aggregate liquidity (as defined in the 2016 Credit Facilities) of not less than $2.0 billion, and limit the ability of AAG and its restricted subsidiaries to pay dividends and make certain other payments, make certain investments, incur liens on the collateral, dispose of the collateral, enter into certain affiliate transactions and engage in certain business activities, in each case subject to certain exceptions.

Obligations Associated with Special Facility Revenue Bonds

In June 2016, the New York Transportation Development Corporation (NYTDC) issued approximately $844 million of special facility revenue refunding bonds (the 2016 JFK Bonds) on behalf of American. The net proceeds from the 2016 JFK Bonds generally were used to provide a portion of the funds to refinance $1.0 billion of special facility revenue bonds (Prior JFK Bonds), the net proceeds of which partially financed the construction of a terminal used by American at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (the Terminal).

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

American is required to pay debt service on the 2016 JFK Bonds through payments under a loan agreement with NYTDC, and American and AAG guarantee the 2016 JFK Bonds. American’s and AAG’s obligations under these guarantees are secured by a mortgage on American’s lease of the Terminal and related property from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The 2016 JFK Bonds, in aggregate, were priced at approximately 107% of par value. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the 2016 JFK Bonds were approximately $907 million. Of this amount, approximately $895 million was used to partially fund the redemption of the Prior JFK Bonds. The 2016 JFK Bonds bear interest at 5.0% per annum and are comprised of $212 million of serial bonds, portions of which mature annually from August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2021, and $632 million of term bonds, $278 million of which matures on August 1, 2026 and $354 million of which matures on August 1, 2031. In connection with the refinancing of the Prior JFK Bonds, American recorded a special nonoperating charge of $36 million consisting of non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.

2014 Credit Facilities

On September 22, 2016,In June 2017, American and AAG amendedentered into the Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, amending the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated April 20, 2015 (which amended and restated the Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated October 10, 2014), as previously amended by the First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated October 26, 2015 and the Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated September 22, 2016, pursuant to which itwe refinanced the $750$735 million term loan facility due October 2021 established thereunder (the 2014 Term Loan Facility and, together with the $1.025 billion revolving credit facility established under such agreement, the 2014 Credit Facilities) to reduce the LIBOR margin from 2.75%2.50% to 2.50%2.00% and the base rate margin from 1.75%1.50% to 1.50%1.00%. The $1.025 billion revolving credit facility under the 2014 Credit Facilities (the 2014 Revolving Facility) remains unchanged. As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016, $7432017, approximately $735 million of principal was outstanding under the 2014 Term Loan Facility and there were no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under the 2014 Revolving Facility.

13


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

6. Income Taxes

At December 31, 2015,2016, we had approximately $8.0$10.5 billion of gross net operating losses (NOLs) carried over from prior taxable years (NOL Carryforwards) to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2016.2017. The federal NOL Carryforwards will expire beginning in 2022 if unused. We also had approximately $4.0$3.7 billion of NOL Carryforwards to reduce future state taxable income at December 31, 2015,2016, which will expire in years 20162017 through 20342036 if unused.

At December 31, 2015,2016, we had an Alternative Minimum Taxalternative minimum tax credit carryforward of approximately $341$339 million available for federal income tax purposes, which is available for an indefinite period.

In connection withDuring the preparation of our financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2015, we determined that it was more likely than not that substantially all of our deferred tax assets, which include our NOLs, would be realized. Accordingly, we reversed $3.0 billion of the valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015.

In the first ninethree and six months of 2016,ended June 30, 2017, we recorded an income tax expense with an effective rateprovision of approximately 38%,$488 million and $619 million, respectively, which iswas substantially non-cash as we utilizeddue to the utilization of the NOLs described above. For purposes of taxation, substantiallySubstantially all of our income before income taxes is attributable to the United States.

Following the filing of our 2015 annual tax return in the third quarter of 2016, federal NOLs, substantially all of which are expected to be available to reduce future federal taxable income in 2016 and future years, increased by $2.5 billion. The increase in the federal NOLs is attributable to the election to take bonus depreciation on eligible assets (primarily aircraft) in the 2015 federal income tax return.

7. Fair Value Measurements

Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

We utilize the market approach to measure fair value for our financial assets. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets. Our short-term investments classified as Level 2 primarily utilize broker quotes in a non-active market for valuation of these securities. No changes in valuation techniques or inputs occurred during the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

2017.

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below (in millions):

 

  Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2016   Fair Value Measurements as of June 30, 2017
  Total   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3

Short-term investments(1), (2):

        

Short-term investments(1) (2):

            

Money market funds

  $378    $378    $—      $—       $348   $348   $   $

Corporate obligations

   2,694     —       2,694     —       3,007       3,007    

Bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits

   3,052     —       3,052     —       3,095       3,095    

Repurchase agreements

   250     —       250     —       50       50    
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 
   6,374     378     5,996     —       6,500   348   6,152    

Restricted cash and short-term investments (1)

   635     635     —       —       554   106   448    
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total

  $7,009    $1,013    $5,996    $—       $7,054   $   454   $6,600   $      —
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

 

(1) 

Unrealized gains or losses on short-term investments and restricted cash and short-term investments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss at each measurement date.

(2) 

All short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale and stated at fair value. Our short-term investments mature in one year or less except for $100 million$1.7 billion of bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits and $230$441 million of corporate obligations.

There were no Level 1 to Level 2 transfers during the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Fair Value of Debt

The fair value of our long-term debt was estimated using quoted market prices or discounted cash flow analyses, based on our current estimated incremental borrowing rates for similar types of borrowing arrangements. If our long-term debt was measured at fair value, it would have been classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

The carrying value and estimated fair value of our long-term debt, including current maturities, were as follows (in millions):

 

   September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015 
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
 

Long-term debt, including current maturities

  $23,343    $24,486    $20,561    $21,111  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   June 30, 2017  December 31, 2016
   Carrying
Value
  Fair
Value
  Carrying
Value
  Fair
Value

Long-term debt, including current maturities

   $24,859   $25,440   $24,344   $24,983
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash and Short-term Investments

Generally, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, cannot be predicted by us and can significantly affect the value of our cash and short-term investments located outside the United States. These conditions, as well as any further delays, devaluations or imposition of more stringent repatriation restrictions, may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“We operate a global business with international operations that are subject to economic and political instability and have been, and in the future may continue to be, adversely affected by numerous events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control”for additional discussion of this and other currency risks.14


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

8. Retirement BenefitsEmployee Benefit Plans

The following tables provide the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) (in millions):

 

   Pension Benefits  Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Three Months Ended September 30,

  2016  2015  2016  2015 

Service cost

  $1   $1   $1   $1  

Interest cost

   187    184    12    13  

Expected return on assets

   (188  (213  (5  (5

Settlements

   —      —      —      —    

Amortization of:

     

Prior service cost (benefit) (1)

   7    7    (60  (60

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

   32    28    (4  (2
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

  $39   $7   $(56 $(53
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

Each of the 2016 and 2015 third quarters’ prior service cost does not include amortization of $1 million related to other postretirement benefits.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

   Pension Benefits  Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

  2016  2015  2016  2015 

Service cost

  $2   $2   $2   $3  

Interest cost

   562    552    36    38  

Expected return on assets

   (562  (639  (15  (15

Settlements

   —      1    —      —    

Amortization of:

     

Prior service cost (benefit) (1)

   21    21    (180  (182

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

   95    84    (12  (5
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

  $118   $21   $(169 $(161
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

The 2016 and 2015 nine months’ prior service cost does not include amortization of $1 million and $2 million, respectively, related to other postretirement benefits.

   Pension Benefits    

Retiree Medical and Other

Postretirement Benefits

  

Three Months Ended June 30,

        2017                2016          2017    2016

Service cost

   $1     $1     $     $  

Interest cost

    180      188      10       12   

Expected return on assets

    (197)     (187)     (5)      (5)  

Amortization of:

                

Prior service cost (benefit)

    7      7      (59)      (60)  

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

    36      31      (6)      (4)  
   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

  

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

   $    27     $40     $(59)     $(56)  
   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

  
   Pension Benefits    

Retiree Medical and Other

Postretirement Benefits

  

Six Months Ended June 30,

        2017                2016                2017          2016

Service cost

   $1    $1    $     $  

Interest cost

    361     375     19       24   

Expected return on assets

    (394)     (375)     (10)      (10)  

Amortization of:

                

Prior service cost (benefit)

    14     14     (119)      (120)  

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

    72     63     (11)      (8)  
   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

  

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

   $54    $78    $(119)     $(112)  
   

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

 

  

Effective November 1, 2012, substantially all of our defined benefit pension plans were frozen.

In the second quarter of 2017, we contributed $279 million to our defined benefit pension plans, including a supplemental contribution of $254 million in addition to a $25 million minimum required cash contribution.

9. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Loss

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) are as follows (in millions):

 

   Pension, Retiree
Medical and
Other
Postretirement

Benefits
  Unrealized
Gain (Loss) on

Investments
  Income Tax
Benefit

(Provision)
  Total 

Balance at December 31, 2015

  $(3,842 $(10 $(880)(1)  $(4,732

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

   (7  9    —      2  

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

   (75  —      27(2)   (48
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)

   (82  9    27    (46
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2016

  $(3,924 $(1 $(853 $(4,778
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   Pension, Retiree
Medical and
Other
Postretirement

Benefits
  Income Tax
Benefit

(Provision) (1)
  Total

Balance at December 31, 2016

   $(4,406)       $(677)      $(5,083) 

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

    (44)        15 (2)       (29) 
   

 

 

       

 

 

      

 

 

 

Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)

    (44)        15       (29) 
   

 

 

       

 

 

      

 

 

 

Balance at June 30, 2017

   $    (4,450)       $      (662)      $    (5,112) 

 

(1) 

Relates principally to pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits obligations that will not be recognized in net income until the obligations are fully extinguished.

(2)

Relates to pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits obligations and is recognized within the income tax provision on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Reclassifications out of AOCI for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are as follows (in millions):

15

  Amounts reclassified from AOCI   

AOCI Components

 Three Months Ended September 30,  Nine Months Ended September 30,  Affected line items on condensed
consolidated statement of operations
 2016  2015  2016  2015  

Amortization of pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits:

     

Prior service cost (benefit)

 $(33 $(52 $(100 $(159 Salaries, wages and benefits

Actuarial loss

  17    26    52    80   Salaries, wages and benefits

Derivative financial instruments:

     

Cash flow hedges

  —      —      —      (9 Aircraft fuel and related taxes

Net unrealized change on investments:

     

Net change in value

  —      —      —      1   Other nonoperating, net
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax

 $(16 $(26 $(48 $(87 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

 

Reclassifications out of AOCI for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (in millions):

  Amounts reclassified from AOCI   

Affected line items on the
condensed consolidated

statements of operations

AOCI Components

 Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,   
 2017  2016  2017  2016   
Amortization of pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits:      

Prior service cost (benefit)

  $     (33)       $     (33)       $     (67)       $     (67)       Salaries, wages and benefits

Actuarial loss

          18                17                38                35        Salaries, wages and benefits

Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax

  $     (15)       $     (16)       $     (29)       $     (32)       

10. Regional Expenses

Expenses associated with our wholly-owned regional airlines and third-party regional carriers operating under the brand name American Eagle are classified as regional expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Regional expenses consist of the following (in millions):

 

  Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30,   Three Months Ended June 30,   Six Months Ended June 30, 
  2016   2015   2016   2015           2017                   2016                   2017                   2016         

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $303    $310    $801    $970     $     329      $     279      $     648      $     498   

Salaries, wages and benefits

   337     296     990     881     360      330      705      656   

Capacity purchases from third-party regional carriers

   378     419     1,164     1,237     413      392      806      786   

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   82     84     264     254     65      88      135      183   

Other rent and landing fees

   143     133     413     376     156      142      307      270   

Aircraft rent

   9     8     26     25     9      9      17      18   

Selling expenses

   90     87     256     252     94      88      174      166   

Depreciation and amortization

   78     64     218     187     78      72      157      140   

Special items, net

   5     2     13     20     1      3      4      8   

Other

   113     115     343     334            115             115             241             225   
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

Total regional expenses

  $1,538    $1,518    $4,488    $4,536     $  1,620      $  1,518      $  3,194      $  2,950   
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

11. Legal Proceedings

Chapter 11 Cases.Cases. On November 29, 2011, AMR, American, and certain of AMR’s other direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries (the Debtors) filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the Bankruptcy Court). On October 21, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order approving and confirming the Debtors’ fourth amended joint plan of reorganization (as amended, the Plan). On the Effective Date, December 9, 2013, the Debtors consummated their reorganization pursuant to the Plan and completed the Merger.

Pursuant to rulings of the Bankruptcy Court, the Plan established the Disputed Claims Reserve to hold shares of AAG common stock reserved for issuance to disputed claimholders at the Effective Date that ultimately become holders of allowed “Single-Dip” unsecured claims. As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, there were approximately 25.2 million shares of AAG common stock remaining in the Disputed Claims Reserve. As disputed claims are resolved, the claimants will receive distributions of shares from the Disputed Claims Reserve on the same basis as if such distributions had been made on or about the Effective Date. However, we are not required to distribute additional shares above the limits contemplated by the Plan, even if the shares remaining for distribution are not sufficient to fully pay any additional allowed unsecured claims. To the extent that any of the reserved shares remain undistributed upon resolution of all remaining disputed claims, such shares will not be returned to us but rather will be distributed to former AMR stockholders as of the Effective Date.stockholders.

There is also pending in the Bankruptcy Court an adversary proceeding relating to an action brought by American to seek a determination that certain non-pension, postemployment benefits are not vested benefits and thus may be modified or terminated without liability to American. On April 18, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court granted American’s motion for summary judgment with respect to certain non-union employees, concluding that their benefits were not vested and could be terminated. The summary judgment motion was denied with respect to all other retirees. The Bankruptcy Court has not yet scheduled a trial on the merits concerning whether those retirees’ benefits are vested, and American cannot predict whether it will receive relief from obligations to provide benefits to any of those retirees. Our financial statements presently reflect these retirement programs without giving effect to any modification or termination of benefits that may ultimately be implemented based upon the outcome of this proceeding.

DOJ Antitrust Civil Investigative Demand.Demand. In June 2015, we received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of an investigation into whether there have been illegal agreements or coordination of air passenger capacity. The CID seeks documents and other information from us, and other airlines have announced that they have received similar requests. We are cooperating fully with the DOJ investigation. In addition, subsequent to announcement of the delivery of CIDs by the DOJ, we, along with Delta Air Lines, Inc., Southwest Airlines Co., United Airlines, Inc. and, in the case of litigation filed in Canada, Air Canada, have been named as defendants in approximately 100 putative class action lawsuits alleging unlawful agreements with respect to air passenger capacity. The U.S. lawsuits were the subject of multiple motions to consolidate them in a single forum, and they have now been consolidated in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. TheOn October 28, 2016, the

16


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

Court denied a motion by the airline defendants have moved to dismiss all claims in the class actions. Both the DOJ investigation and these lawsuits are in their veryrelatively early stages and we intend to defend the lawsuitsthese matters vigorously.

Private Party Antitrust Action. On July 2, 2013, a lawsuit captioned Carolyn Fjord, et al., v. US Airways Group, Inc., et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint named as defendants US Airways Group and US Airways, and alleged that the effect of the Merger may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.

(Unaudited)

violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act. TheAct, and sought injunctive relief sought in the complaint included an injunction against the Merger, and/or divestiture. On August 6, 2013, the plaintiffs re-filed their complaint in the Bankruptcy Court, adding AMR and American as defendants, and on October 2, 2013, dismissed the initial California action.defendants. On November 27, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court denied plaintiffs’ motion to preliminarily enjoin the Merger. On August 19, 2015, after three previous largely unsuccessful attempts to amend their complaint,May 12, 2017, defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. On June 23, 2017, plaintiffs filed a fourthan opposition to defendants’ motion and cross-motion for leave to file an amended and supplemental complaint to add a claim for damages and demand for jury trial, as well as claims similar to those in the putative class action lawsuits regarding air passenger capacity. Thereafter, plaintiffs filed a request with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate the Fjord matter with the putative class action lawsuits. The JPML denied that request on October 15, 2015 and plaintiffs’ request for further relief from the JPML was denied on February 4, 2016. Accordingly, the parties will continue to litigate the matter in Bankruptcy Court; a jointly proposed schedule for the remainder of the case was submitted on September 7, 2016, which has not yet been accepted by the court.summary judgment. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend against the allegations.

DOJ Investigation Related to the United States Postal Service. In April 2015, the DOJ informed us of an inquiry regarding American’s 2009 and 2011 contracts with the United States Postal Service for the international transportation of mail by air. In October 2015, we received a CID from the DOJ seeking certain information relating to these contracts and the DOJ has also sought information concerning certain of the airlines that transport mail on a codeshare basis. The DOJ has indicated it is investigating potential violations of the False Claims Act or other statutes. We are cooperating fully with the DOJ with regard to its investigation.

General. In addition to the specifically identified legal proceedings, we and our subsidiaries are also engaged in other legal proceedings from time to time. Legal proceedings can be complex and take many months, or even years, to reach resolution, with the final outcome depending on a number of variables, some of which are not within our control. Therefore, although we will vigorously defend ourselves in each of the actions described above and such other legal proceedings, their ultimate resolution and potential financial and other impacts on us are uncertain but could be material. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “We may be a party to litigation in the normal course of business or otherwise, which could affect our financial position and liquidity” for additional discussion.

12. Subsequent EventsEvent

2016-3 EETCsDividend Declaration

In October 2016, American created two pass-through trusts which issued approximately $814 million aggregate face amount of 2016-3 Class AA and Class A EETCs (the 2016-3 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 25 aircraft owned by American or scheduled to be delivered to American between October 2016 and January 2017. A portion of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-3 EETCs has been used to acquire Series AA and A equipment notes issued by American to the pass-through trusts and the balance of such proceeds is being held in escrow for the benefit of the holders of the 2016-3 EETCs until such time as American issues additional Series AA and A equipment notes to the pass-through trusts, which will purchase the notes with escrowed funds. These escrowed funds are not guaranteed by American and are not reported as debt on our condensed consolidated balance sheet because the proceeds held by the depository are not American’s assets.

Series AA equipment notes bear interest at 3.00% per annum and Series A equipment notes bear interest at 3.25% per annum. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes will be payable semi-annually in April and October of each year, with interest payments beginning in AprilJuly 2017, and principal payments beginning in October 2017. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in October 2028.

Dividend Declaration

In October 2016, we announced that our Board of Directors had declared a $0.10 per share dividend for stockholders of record on November 7, 2016,August 14, 2017, and payable on November 21, 2016.August 28, 2017. Any future dividends that may be declared and paid from time to time will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. We are not obligated to continue a dividend for any fixed period, and payment of dividends may be suspended at any time at our discretion.

17


ITEM 1B.

ITEM 1B. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In millions)(Unaudited)

 

  Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,   Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,
  2016 2015 2016 2015   2017  2016  2017  2016

Operating revenues:

            

Mainline passenger

  $7,419   $7,654   $21,192   $22,298     $7,747     $7,209     $14,353     $13,773  

Regional passenger

   1,731   1,699   5,040   4,910     1,835     1,786     3,384     3,309  

Cargo

   171   180   506   568     196     174     368     336  

Other

   1,368   1,200   3,897   3,647     1,324     1,191     2,617     2,369  
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total operating revenues

   10,689   10,733   30,635   31,423     11,102     10,360     20,722     19,787  

Operating expenses:

                 

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   1,393   1,593   3,736   4,912     1,510     1,314     2,912     2,343  

Salaries, wages and benefits

   2,770   2,402   8,087   7,134     2,999     2,668     5,823     5,318  

Regional expenses

   1,632   1,541   4,738   4,614     1,629     1,510     3,199     2,947  

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   481   456   1,352   1,452     495     453     987     871  

Other rent and landing fees

   463   432   1,342   1,290     452     458     892     879  

Aircraft rent

   299   308   908   941     294     302     589     609  

Selling expenses

   347   366   990   1,051     376     334     694     642  

Depreciation and amortization

   399   336   1,128   1,013     418     374     822     729  

Special items, net

   289   163   450   610     202     62     320     161  

Other

   1,184   1,133   3,391   3,281     1,200     1,128     2,354     2,208  
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total operating expenses

   9,257   8,730   26,122   26,298     9,575     8,603     18,592     16,707  
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Operating income

   1,432   2,003   4,513   5,125     1,527     1,757     2,130     3,080  

Nonoperating income (expense):

                 

Interest income

   28   13   74   36     53     25     102     46  

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (229 (197 (674 (587

Interest expense, net

   (246)    (228)    (488)    (445) 

Other, net

   (8 (81 (27 (166   (5)    (26)    (5)    (18) 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total nonoperating expense, net

   (209 (265 (627 (717   (198)    (229)    (391)    (417) 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Income before income taxes

   1,223   1,738   3,886   4,408     1,329     1,528     1,739     2,663  

Income tax provision

   465   15   1,445   39     502     556     650     980  
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Net income

  $758   $1,723   $2,441   $4,369     $827     $972     $1,089     $1,683  
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

18


AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In millions)(Unaudited)

 

   Three Months Ended September 30,  Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016  2015  2016  2015 

Net income

  $758   $1,723   $2,441   $4,369  

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

     

Pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits

   (17  (26  (53  (79

Derivative financial instruments:

     

Reclassification into earnings

   —      —      —      (9

Unrealized gain (loss) on investments:

     

Net change in value

   2    (4  6    (4
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive loss, net of tax

   (15  (30  (47  (92
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total comprehensive income

  $743   $1,693   $2,394   $4,277  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017  2016  2017  2016

Net income

   $827     $972     $1,089     $1,683  

Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:

            

Pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits

    (15)     (16)     (29)     (35) 

Investments

    —           —       
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other comprehensive loss, net of tax

    (15)     (14)     (29)     (31) 
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total comprehensive income

   $812      958     $1,060      1,652  
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

19


AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In millions, except shares and per share amounts)par value)

 

  September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015   June 30, 2017   December 31, 2016
  (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)   

ASSETS

        

Current assets

         

Cash

  $372   $364     $368     $310  

Short-term investments

   6,371   5,862     6,498     6,034  

Restricted cash and short-term investments

   635   695     554     638  

Accounts receivable, net

   1,705   1,420     1,549     1,599  

Receivables from related parties, net

   6,131   1,981     8,029     6,810  

Aircraft fuel, spare parts and supplies, net

   1,035   796     1,146     1,032  

Prepaid expenses and other

   847   740     817     633  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total current assets

   17,096   11,858     18,961     17,056  

Operating property and equipment

         

Flight equipment

   35,898   32,838     38,992     36,671  

Ground property and equipment

   6,722   6,224     7,362     6,910  

Equipment purchase deposits

   1,149   1,067     1,212     1,209  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total property and equipment, at cost

   43,769   40,129     47,566     44,790  

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

   (13,744 (12,893   (14,842)    (13,909) 
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total property and equipment, net

   30,025   27,236     32,724     30,881  

Other assets

         

Goodwill

   4,091   4,091     4,091     4,091  

Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $562 and $502, respectively

   2,189   2,249  

Intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $602 and $578, respectively

   2,224     2,173  

Deferred tax asset

   1,944   2,932     1,287     1,912  

Other assets

   1,905   2,073     2,040     1,979  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total other assets

   10,129   11,345     9,642     10,155  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total assets

  $57,250   $50,439     $61,327     $58,092  
   

 

    

 

 
  

 

  

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

         

Current liabilities

         

Current maturities of long-term debt and capital leases

  $1,801   $2,234     $1,837     $1,859  

Accounts payable

   1,622   1,517     1,880     1,546  

Accrued salaries and wages

   1,321   1,156     1,243     1,460  

Air traffic liability

   4,513   3,747     5,222     3,912  

Loyalty program liability

   2,950   2,525     3,014     2,789  

Other accrued liabilities

   2,114   2,198     2,234     2,106  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total current liabilities

   14,321   13,377     15,430     13,672  

Noncurrent liabilities

         

Long-term debt and capital leases, net of current maturities

   19,775   16,592     21,252     20,718  

Pension and postretirement benefits

   7,346   7,410     7,458     7,800  

Deferred gains and credits, net

   554   667  

Other liabilities

   2,665   2,695     3,446     3,253  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total noncurrent liabilities

   30,340   27,364     32,156     31,771  

Commitments and contingencies

         

Stockholder’s equity

         

Common stock, $1.00 par value; 1,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding

   —      —        —      —  

Additional paid-in capital

   16,600   16,521     16,655     16,624  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

   (4,878 (4,831   (5,211)    (5,182) 

Retained earnings (deficit)

   867   (1,992

Retained earnings

   2,297     1,207  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total stockholder’s equity

   12,589   9,698     13,741     12,649  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholder’s equity

  $57,250   $50,439     $61,327     $58,092  
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

20


AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In millions)(Unaudited)

 

  Nine Months Ended September 30,   Six Months Ended June 30, 
  2016 2015   2017 2016 

Net cash provided by operating activities

  $1,769   $3,877    $2,787  $1,449 

Cash flows from investing activities:

      

Capital expenditures and aircraft purchase deposits

   (4,219 (4,564   (3,163 (3,027

Purchases of short-term investments

   (5,078 (7,717   (3,829 (3,605

Sales of short-term investments

   4,587   6,167     3,373  2,810 

Decrease in restricted cash and short-term investments

   60   64     84  55 

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

   48   18  

Other investing activities

   2    —    

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment and sale-leaseback transactions

   312  30 
  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

   (4,600 (6,032   (3,223 (3,737

Cash flows from financing activities:

      

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

   1,625  4,522 

Payments on long-term debt and capital leases

   (2,534 (1,821   (1,101 (2,163

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

   5,392   3,963  

Deferred financing costs

   (39 (62   (39 (87

Sale-leaseback transactions

   —     43  

Other financing activities

   20   34     9  77 
  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

   2,839   2,157     494  2,349 
  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

Net increase in cash

   8   2     58  61 

Cash at beginning of period

   364   984     310  364 
  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

Cash at end of period

  $372   $986    $368  $425 
  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

      

Settlement of bankruptcy obligations

  $3   $60    $  $3 

Capital lease obligations

   —     5  

Supplemental information:

      

Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized

   653   632  

Interest paid, net

   468  431 

Income taxes paid

   9   8     9  5 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

21


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of American Airlines, Inc. (American) should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements contained in American’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.2016. American is the principal wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc. (AAG). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

On December 9, 2013, (the Effective Date),a subsidiary of AMR Merger Sub, Inc.Corporation (AMR) merged with and into US Airways Group, Inc. (US Airways Group) (the Merger), with US Airways Group survivinga Delaware corporation, which survived as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAG, a Delaware corporation (formerly known asand AAG emerged from Chapter 11 (the Merger). Upon closing of the Merger and emergence from Chapter 11, AMR Corporation or AMR) following the Merger.

changed its name to American Airlines Group Inc. On December 30, 2015, in order to simplify AAG’s internal corporate structure, and as part of the integration efforts following the business combination of AAG and US Airways Group, AAG caused US Airways Group to be merged with and into AAG, with AAG as the surviving corporation, and, immediately thereafter, US Airways, Inc. (US Airways), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of US Airways Group, merged with and into American, with American as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger of US Airways and American, US Airways transferred all of its assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet commitments to American. For financial reporting purposes, this transaction constituted a transfer of assets between entities under common control and is reflected in American’s condensed consolidated financial statements as though the transaction had occurred on December 9, 2013, when a subsidiary of AMR merged with and into US Airways Group, which represents the earliest date that American and US Airways were under common control. Thus, all periods presented in Part I, Item 1B of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are comprised of the condensed consolidated financial data of American and US Airways. This transaction was accounted for in a manner similar to the pooling of interests method of accounting. Under this method, the carrying amount of net assets recognized in the balance sheets of each combining entity are carried forward to the balance sheet of the combined entity and no other assets or liabilities are recognized.

Management believes that all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of results, consisting of normally recurring items, have been included in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the interim periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant areas of judgment relate to passenger revenue recognition, impairment of goodwill, impairment of long-lived and intangible assets, the loyalty program, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, as well as pensions,pension and retiree medical and other postretirement benefits. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” ASU 2014-09 completes the joint effort by the FASB and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to improve financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Subsequently, the FASB has issued several additional ASUs to clarify the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations, identifying performance obligations, assessing collectability, presentation of sales taxes and other similar taxes collected from customers, non-cash consideration, contract modifications and completed contracts at transition. These ASUs applyimplementation. The new revenue standard applies to all companies that enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services. These ASUs areservices and is effective for public entities for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, but not before interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.American will adopt the new revenue standard effective January 1, 2018. Entities have the choice to apply these ASUsthe new revenue standard either retrospectively to each reporting period presented or by recognizing the cumulative effect of applying these standardsthe new revenue standard at the date of initial application and not adjusting comparative information. American currently expects to adopt the new revenue standard using the full retrospective method.

American is currentlystill in the process of evaluating how the requirementsadoption of these standards and has not yet determined the new revenue standard will impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements. American currently expects that the new revenue standard will materially impact its liability for outstanding mileage credits earned by AAdvantage loyalty program members when flying on American. American currently uses the incremental cost method to account for this portion of its loyalty program liability, which values these mileage credits based on the estimated incremental cost of carrying one additional passenger. The new revenue standard will require American to change its policy and apply a relative selling price approach whereby a portion of each passenger ticket sale attributable to mileage credits earned will be deferred and recognized in passenger revenue upon future mileage redemption. The carrying value of the earned mileage credits recognized in loyalty program liability is expected to be materially greater under the relative selling price approach than the value attributed to these mileage credits under the incremental cost method. The new revenue standard will also require American to reclassify certain ancillary fees to passenger revenue, which are currently included within other operating revenue.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset on the balance sheet and aligns many of the underlying principles of the new lessor model with those in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. American is currently evaluatingEntities are required to adopt the requirementsnew lease standard using a modified retrospective approach for all leases existing at or commencing after the date of ASU 2016-02 and has not yet determined its impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvementsinitial application with an option to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” ASU 2016-09 simplifies the accounting for share-based payment award transactions including the financial statement presentation of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, accounting for forfeitures and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. American early adopted thisuse certain practical expedients.

22


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

 

American is currently evaluating how the adoption of the new lease standard duringwill impact its condensed consolidated financial statements. Interpretations are on-going and could have a material impact on American’s implementation. Currently, American expects that the second quarteradoption of 2016.the new lease standard will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities principally for certain leases currently accounted for as operating leases.

Statement of Cash Flows

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash.” ASU 2016-18 requires that the change in total cash, cash at beginning of period and cash at end of period on the statement of cash flows include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. ASU 2016-18 also requires companies who report cash and restricted cash separately on the balance sheet to reconcile those amounts to the statement of cash flows. This standard is to be applied retrospectively to each period presented and is effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. This standard is not expected to have a material impact on American’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

Retirement Benefits

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.” ASU 2017-07 requires an entity to present the service cost component of net benefit cost in the income statement line items where it reports compensation cost. Entities will present all other components of net benefit cost outside of operating income, if this subtotal is presented. This standard is to be applied retrospectively to each period presented and is effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. American will adopt this standard on January 1, 2018. The new standard will require all components of American’s net periodic benefit cost (income), with the exception of service cost, currently reported within operating expenses as salaries, wages and benefits, to be reclassified and reported within nonoperating income (expense). The adoption of this new standard resulted in the recognitionwill have no impact on pre-tax income or net income reported. See Note 6 for American’s current components of $418 million of previously unrecognized excess tax benefits in deferred tax assets and an increase to retained earnings on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of the beginning of the current year, and the recognition of $9 million of excess tax benefits to the income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.net periodic benefit cost (income).

2. Special Items, Net

Special items, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations are as followsconsisted of the following (in millions):

 

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016   2015   2016   2015 

Mainline operating special items, net(1)

  $289    $163    $450    $610  
       Three Months Ended June 30,           Six Months Ended June 30,     
   2017   2016   2017   2016 

Merger integration expenses (1)

    $68       $97       $130       $201   

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

     48        15        111        41   

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

     38        (56)        20        (61)   

Labor contract expenses(3)

     45                45           

Other operating charges (credits), net

     3        6        14        (20)   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   

Mainline operating special items, net

     202        62        320        161   

Regional operating special items, net(4)

     1        3        4        8   

Nonoperating special items, net(5)

     2        36        7        36   

 

(1)

The 2016 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $289 million, which principally included $225 million of merger integration expenses and a $39 million net charge for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. The 2016 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $450 million, which principally included $467 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $22 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. For the 2016 third quarter and nine month periods, mergerMerger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and uniforms, information technology,training. Additionally, the 2016 periods also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, fleet restructuring, professional fees,re-branded uniforms, relocation and training, as well as severance.

The 2015 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $163 million, which principally included $198 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. The 2015 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $610 million, which principally included $741 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $75 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations and a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. For the 2015 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, fleet restructuring, alignment of labor union contracts, professional fees, severance, relocation and training, re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, as well as share-based compensation.

The following additional amounts are also included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as follows (in millions):

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016   2015   2016   2015 

Regional operating special items, net

  $3    $2    $11    $11  

Nonoperating special items, net(1)

   —       21     36     24  

Income tax special items, net

   —       6     —       22  
(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

 

(1)(3)

In connection withLabor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a bond refinancing, American recorded a $36 million nonoperating special chargeresult of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the 2016 nine month periodsecond quarter of 2017.

(4)

Regional operating special items, net principally related to non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.Merger integration expenses.

The 2015 third quarter nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $21 million, which was primarily due to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The 2015 nine month period nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $24 million, which principally included $41 million in charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with refinancing American’s secured term loan facilities, prepayments of certain aircraft financings and the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. These charges were offset in part by a $17 million early debt extinguishment gain associated with the repayment of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank.

23


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

 

(5)

Nonoperating special items, net primarily consisted of debt issuance and extinguishment costs associated with term loan refinancings. Additionally, the 2016 periods included costs associated with a bond refinancing.

3. Debt

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations included in the condensed consolidated balance sheets consisted of (in millions):

 

   September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015 

Secured

    

2013 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.25%, installments through 2020

  $1,843    $1,867  

2014 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.25%, installments through 2021

   743     743  

2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.50%, installments through 2023

   1,000     —    

2013 Citicorp Credit Facility tranche B-1, variable interest rate of 3.50%, installments through 2019

   970     980  

2013 Citicorp Credit Facility tranche B-2

   —       588  

Aircraft enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs), fixed interest rates ranging from 3.20% to 9.75%, maturing from 2017 to 2028

   10,358     8,693  

Equipment loans and other notes payable, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 1.92% to 8.48%, maturing from 2016 to 2028

   5,136     4,183  

Special facility revenue bonds, fixed interest rates ranging from 5.00% to 5.50%, maturing from 2017 to 2035

   862     1,051  

Other secured obligations, fixed interest rates ranging from 3.60% to 12.24%, maturing from 2016 to 2028

   864     922  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   21,776     19,027  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Unsecured

    

Affiliate unsecured obligations

   —       27  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   —       27  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total long-term debt and capital lease obligations

   21,776     19,054  

Less: Total unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs

   200     228  

Less: Current maturities

   1,801     2,234  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities

  $19,775    $16,592  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     June 30, 2017     December 31, 2016 

Secured

            

2013 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.22%, installments through 2020

    $1,825       $1,843   

2014 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.12%, installments through 2021

     735        735   

April 2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.72%, installments through 2023

     990        1,000   

December 2016 Credit Facilities, variable interest rate of 3.66%, installments through 2023

     1,250        1,250   

Aircraft enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs), fixed interest rates ranging from 3.00% to 9.75%, maturing from 2018 to 2029

     11,328        10,912   

Equipment loans and other notes payable, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 2.34% to 8.80%, maturing from 2017 to 2029

     5,525        5,343   

Special facility revenue bonds, fixed interest rates ranging from 5.00% to 5.50%, maturing from 2017 to 2035

     862        862   

Other secured obligations, fixed interest rates ranging from 3.60% to 12.24%, maturing from 2017 to 2028

     803        848   
    

 

 

       

 

 

   

Total long-term debt and capital lease obligations

     23,318        22,793   

Less: Total unamortized debt discount, premium and issuance costs

     229        216   

Less: Current maturities

     1,837        1,859   
    

 

 

       

 

 

   

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities

    $21,252       $20,718   
    

 

 

       

 

 

   

The table below shows availability under revolving credit facilities, all of which were undrawn, as of SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 (in millions):

 

2013 Revolving Facility

  $  1,400 

2014 Revolving Facility

   1,025 
  

 

 

 

Total

  $2,425 
  

 

 

 

The April 2016 and December 2016 Credit Facilities each provide for a revolving credit facility that may be established in the future.

20162017 Aircraft Financing Activities

2016-12017-1 EETCs

In January 2016,2017, American created three pass-through trusts which issued approximately $1.1 billion$983 million aggregate faceprincipal amount of Series 2016-12017-1 Class AA, Class A and Class B EETCs (the 2016-12017-1 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 2224 aircraft owned bydelivered to American through May 2017 (the 2016-1 EETC2017-1 Aircraft).

AllAs of June 30, 2017, all of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-12017-1 EETCs have been used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in three series: Series AA equipment notes inconnection with the principal amountfinancing of $584 million bearing interest at 3.575% per annum, Series A equipment notes innew aircraft on or following the principal amount of $262 million bearing interest at 4.10% per annum and Series B equipment notes in the principal amount of $228 million bearing interest at 5.25% per annum.delivery thereof. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes arewill be payable semi-annually in JanuaryFebruary and JulyAugust of each year, with interest payments beginning in July 2016.August 2017 and principal payments beginning in February 2018. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in January 2028 and the final payment on the Series B equipment notes is due in January 2024. These equipment notes are secured by liens on the 2016-1 EETC2017-1 Aircraft.

2016-2 EETCs

In May and July 2016, American created three pass-through trusts which issued approximately $1.1 billion aggregate face amount of Series 2016-2 Class AA, Class A and Class B EETCs (the 2016-2 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 22 aircraft owned by American (the 2016-2 EETC Aircraft).24

All of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-2 EETCs have been used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in three series: Series AA equipment notes in the principal amount of $567 million bearing interest at 3.20% per annum, Series A equipment notes in the principal amount of $261 million bearing interest at 3.65% per annum and Series B equipment notes in the


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

 

principalCertain information regarding the 2017-1 EETC equipment notes, as of June 30, 2017, is set forth in the table below.

   2017-1 EETCs
   Series AA Series A Series B

Aggregate principal issued

  $537 million $248 million $198 million

Fixed interest rate per annum

  3.65% 4.00% 4.95%

Maturity date

          February 2029                 February 2029                 February 2025        

2016-3 EETCs

During the first quarter of 2017, all remaining proceeds of the Series 2016-3 Class AA and Class A (the 2016-3 EETCs), in the amount of $227$109 million, bearing interest at 4.375% per annum.were used to purchase equipment notes issued by American in connection with the financing of new aircraft on or following the delivery thereof. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes are payable semi-annually in JuneApril and DecemberOctober of each year, with interest payments beginningthat began in December 2016April 2017 and principal payments beginning in JuneOctober 2017. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in June 2028 and the final payments on the Series B equipment notes are due in June 2024. These equipment notes are secured by liens on the 2016-2aircraft financed with the proceeds of the 2016-3 EETCs.

Certain information regarding the 2016-3 EETC Aircraft.equipment notes, as of June 30, 2017, is set forth in the table below.

   2016-3 EETCs
   Series AA Series A

Aggregate principal issued

  $558 million $256 million

Fixed interest rate per annum

  3.00% 3.25%

Maturity date

          October 2028                 October 2028        

Equipment Loans and Other Aircraft Financing TransactionsNotes Payable Issued in 2017

In the first ninesix months of 2016,2017, American entered into loan agreements to borrow $1.4 billionunder which it borrowed $533 million in connection with the financing of certain aircraft. Debt incurred under these loan agreements matures in 20262021 through 2028 and bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus an applicable margin.2029.

20162017 Other Financing Activities

20162013 Credit Facilities

On April 29, 2016,In March 2017, American and AAG entered into athe Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, (the 2016amending the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement)and Guaranty Agreement dated May 21, 2015 (which amended and restated the Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated June 27, 2013), amongas previously amended by the First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated October 26, 2015, pursuant to which American asrefinanced the borrower, AAG as parent and guarantor, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent and certain lenders. The 2016 Credit Agreement provides for a $1.0$1.8 billion term loan facility due June 2020 established thereunder (the 20162013 Term Loan Facility) with a maturity date of April 28, 2023 and a revolving credit facility that may be established in the future (the 2016 Revolving Credit Facility and, together with the 2016$1.4 billion revolving credit facility established under such agreement, the 2013 Credit Facilities) to reduce the LIBOR margin from 2.50% to 2.00% and the base rate margin from 1.50% to 1.00%. The $1.4 billion revolving credit facility under the 2013 Credit Facilities (the 2013 Revolving Facility) remains unchanged. As of June 30, 2017, approximately $1.8 billion of principal was outstanding under the 2013 Term Loan Facility the 2016 Credit Facilities). Asand there were no borrowings or letters of September 30, 2016, the aggregate outstanding principal amount under the 2016 Term Loan Facility was $1.0 billion.

The proceeds from the 2016 Term Loan Facility were used to repay approximately $588 million in remaining principal plus accrued and unpaid interest of the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility Tranche B-2 with the remainder of the proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes.

The 2016 Term Loan Facility is repayable in annual installments in an amount equal to 1.00% of the original principal balance with any unpaid balance due on the maturity date of the 2016 Term Loan Facility. Voluntary prepayments may be made by American at any time, with a premium of 1.0% applicable to certain prepayments made prior to the date that is six months following April 29, 2016.

Loans under the 2016 Term Loan Facility bear interest at a base rate plus an applicable base rate margin or, at American’s option, LIBOR (subject to a floor of 0.75%) plus an applicable LIBOR margin. The applicable base rate margin is 1.75% and the applicable LIBOR margin is 2.75% for loans under the 2016 Term Loan Facility.

The obligations of American under the 2016 Credit Agreement are secured by liens on substantially all aircraft spare parts owned by American. American has the ability to add or release certain types of collateral, subject to certain conditions, at its discretion. The obligations of American under the 2016 Credit Facilities are guaranteed by AAG. American is required to maintain a certain minimum ratio of appraised value of the collateral to the outstanding loans under the 2016 Credit Facilities.

The 2016 Credit Facilities contain events of default customary for similar financings, including cross default to other material indebtedness. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the outstanding obligations under the 2016 Credit Facilities may be accelerated and become due and payable immediately. In addition, if a “change of control” (as defined in the 2016 Credit Agreement) occurs with respect to AAG, American will (absent an amendment or waiver) be required to repay at par the loanscredit outstanding under the 2016 Credit Facilities and terminate the 20162013 Revolving Facility. The 2016 Credit Facilities also include covenants that, among other things, require AAG to maintain a minimum aggregate liquidity (as defined in the 2016 Credit Facilities) of not less than $2.0 billion, and limit the ability of AAG and its restricted subsidiaries to pay dividends and make certain other payments, make certain investments, incur liens on the collateral, dispose of the collateral, enter into certain affiliate transactions and engage in certain business activities, in each case subject to certain exceptions.

Obligations Associated with Special Facility Revenue Bonds

In June 2016, the New York Transportation Development Corporation (NYTDC) issued approximately $844 million of special facility revenue refunding bonds (the 2016 JFK Bonds) on behalf of American. The net proceeds from the 2016 JFK Bonds generally were used to provide a portion of the funds to refinance $1.0 billion of special facility revenue bonds (Prior JFK Bonds), the net proceeds of which partially financed the construction of a terminal used by American at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (the Terminal).

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

American is required to pay debt service on the 2016 JFK Bonds through payments under a loan agreement with NYTDC, and American and AAG guarantee the 2016 JFK Bonds. American’s and AAG’s obligations under these guarantees are secured by a mortgage on American’s lease of the Terminal and related property from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The 2016 JFK Bonds, in aggregate, were priced at approximately 107% of par value. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the 2016 JFK Bonds were approximately $907 million. Of this amount, approximately $895 million was used to partially fund the redemption of the Prior JFK Bonds. The 2016 JFK Bonds bear interest at 5.0% per annum and are comprised of $212 million of serial bonds, portions of which mature annually from August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2021, and $632 million of term bonds, $278 million of which matures on August 1, 2026 and $354 million of which matures on August 1, 2031. In connection with the refinancing of the Prior JFK Bonds, American recorded a special nonoperating charge of $36 million consisting of non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.

2014 Credit Facilities

On September 22, 2016,In June 2017, American and AAG amendedentered into the Third Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, amending the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated April 20, 2015 (which amended and restated the Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated October 10, 2014), as previously amended by the First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated October 26, 2015 and the Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated September 22, 2016, pursuant to which itAmerican refinanced the $750$735 million term loan facility due October 2021 established thereunder (the 2014 Term Loan Facility and, together with the $1.025 billion revolving credit facility established under such agreement, the 2014 Credit Facilities) to reduce the LIBOR margin from 2.75%2.50% to 2.50%2.00% and the base rate margin from 1.75%1.50% to 1.50%1.00%. The $1.025 billion revolving credit facility under the 2014 Credit Facilities (the 2014 Revolving Facility) remains unchanged. As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016, $7432017, approximately $735 million of principal was outstanding under the 2014 Term Loan Facility and there were no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under the 2014 Revolving Facility.

25


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

4. Income Taxes

At December 31, 2015,2016, American had approximately $8.8$11.3 billion of gross net operating losses (NOLs) carried over from prior taxable years (NOL Carryforwards) to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2016.2017. American is a member of AAG’s consolidated federal and certain state income tax returns. The amount of federal NOL Carryforwards available in those returns is $8.0$10.5 billion, substantially all of which is expected to be available for use in 2016.2017. The federal NOL Carryforwards will expire beginning in 2022 if unused. American also had approximately $3.7$3.4 billion of NOL Carryforwards to reduce future state taxable income at December 31, 2015,2016, which will expire in years 20162017 through 2034 if unused.

At December 31, 2015,2016, American had an Alternative Minimum Taxalternative minimum tax credit carryforward of approximately $458$452 million available for federal income tax purposes, which is available for an indefinite period.

In connection withDuring the preparation of American’s financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2015, management determined that it was more likely than not that substantially all of its deferred tax assets, which include its NOLs, would be realized. Accordingly, American reversed $3.5 billion of the valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015.

In the first ninethree and six months of 2016,ended June 30, 2017, American recorded an income tax expense with an effective rateprovision of approximately 38%,$502 million and $650 million, respectively, which iswas substantially non-cash as American utilizeddue to the utilization of the NOLs described above. For purposes of taxation, substantiallySubstantially all of American’s income before income taxes is attributable to the United States.

Following the filing of AAG’s 2015 annual tax return in the third quarter of 2016, federal NOLs, substantially all of which are expected to be available to reduce future federal taxable income in 2016 and future years, increased by $2.4 billion. The increase in the federal NOLs is attributable to the election to take bonus depreciation on eligible assets (primarily aircraft) in the 2015 federal income tax return.

5. Fair Value Measurements

Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

American utilizes the market approach to measure fair value for its financial assets. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets. American’s short-term investments classified as Level 2 primarily utilize broker quotes in a non-active market for valuation of these securities. No changes in valuation techniques or inputs occurred during the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

2017.

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below (in millions):

 

  Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2016   Fair Value Measurements as of June 30, 2017 
  Total   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3 

Short-term investments(1), (2):

        

Short-term investments(1) (2):

                        

Money market funds

  $376    $376    $—      $—        $347       $347       $       $   

Corporate obligations

   2,694     —       2,694     —         3,007                3,007           

Bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits

   3,051     —       3,051     —         3,094                3,094           

Repurchase agreements

   250     —       250     —         50                50           
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

     

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

   
   6,371     376     5,995     —         6,498        347        6,151           

Restricted cash and short-term investments (1)

   635     635     —       —         554        106        448           
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

     

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

   

Total

  $7,006    $1,011    $5,995    $—        $    7,052       $     453       $    6,599       $        —   
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

     

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

(1) 

Unrealized gains or losses on short-term investments and restricted cash and short-term investments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss at each measurement date.

(2)

All short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale and stated at fair value. American’s short-term investments mature in one year or less except for $100 million$1.7 billion of bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits and $230$441 million of corporate obligations.

There were no Level 1 to Level 2 transfers during the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Fair Value of Debt

The fair value of American’s long-term debt was estimated using quoted market prices or discounted cash flow analyses, based on American’s current estimated incremental borrowing rates for similar types of borrowing arrangements. If American’s long-term debt was measured at fair value, it would have been classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

The carrying value and estimated fair value of American’s long-term debt, including current maturities, were as follows (in millions):

 

   September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015 
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
 

Long-term debt, including current maturities

  $21,576    $22,650    $18,826    $19,378  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   June 30, 2017   December 31, 2016 
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
   Carrying
Value
   Fair
Value
 

Long-term debt, including current maturities

    $ 23,089       $ 23,582       $ 22,577       $ 23,181   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   

Cash and Short-term Investments

Generally, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, cannot be predicted by American and can significantly affect the value of American’s cash and short-term investments located outside the United States. These conditions, as well as any further delays, devaluations or imposition of more stringent repatriation restrictions, may materially adversely affect American’s business, results of operations and financial condition. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“We operate a global business with international operations that are subject to economic and political instability and have been, and in the future may continue to be, adversely affected by numerous events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control” for additional discussion of this and other currency risks.26


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

 

6. Retirement BenefitsEmployee Benefit Plans

The following tables provide the components of net periodic benefit cost (income) (in millions):

 

   Pension Benefits  Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Three Months Ended September 30,

  2016  2015  2016  2015 

Service cost

  $—     $—     $1   $1  

Interest cost

   186    183    12    13  

Expected return on assets

   (187  (212  (5  (5

Settlements

   —      —      —      —    

Amortization of:

     

Prior service cost (benefit) (1)

   7    7    (60  (60

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

   32    28    (4  (2
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

  $38   $6   $(56 $(53
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

Each of the 2016 and 2015 third quarters’ prior service cost does not include amortization of $1 million related to other postretirement benefits.

   Pension Benefits  Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

  2016  2015  2016  2015 

Service cost

  $1   $1   $2   $3  

Interest cost

   559    550    36    38  

Expected return on assets

   (560  (636  (15  (15

Settlements

   —      1    —      —    

Amortization of:

     

Prior service cost (benefit) (1)

   21    21    (180  (182

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

   94    84    (12  (5
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

  $115   $21   $(169 $(161
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

The 2016 and 2015 nine months’ prior service cost does not include amortization of $1 million and $2 million, respectively, related to other postretirement benefits.

   Pension Benefits   Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Three Months Ended June 30,

  2017   2016   2017   2016 

Service cost

    $—        $—        $       $   

Interest cost

     180         187         10         12    

Expected return on assets

     (196)        (187)        (5)        (5)   

Amortization of:

                        

Prior service cost (benefit)

                     (59)        (60)   

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

     36         31         (6)        (4)   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

    $        27        $        38       $        (59)       $        (56)   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   
   Pension Benefits   Retiree Medical and Other
Postretirement Benefits
 

Six Months Ended June 30,

  2017   2016   2017   2016 

Service cost

    $       $       $       $   

Interest cost

     359         373         19         24    

Expected return on assets

     (393)        (373)        (10)        (10)   

Amortization of:

                        

Prior service cost (benefit)

     14         14         (119)        (120)   

Unrecognized net loss (gain)

     72         63         (11)        (8)   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   

Net periodic benefit cost (income)

 ��  $53        $78       $(119)       $(112)   
    

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

       

 

 

   

Effective November 1, 2012, substantially all of American’s defined benefit pension plans were frozen.

In the second quarter of 2017, American contributed $279 million to its defined benefit pension plans, including a supplemental contribution of $254 million in addition to a $25 million minimum required cash contribution.

7. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Loss

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (AOCI) are as follows (in millions):

 

   Pension, Retiree
Medical and
Other
Postretirement

Benefits
  Unrealized
Gain (Loss) on

Investments
  Income Tax
Benefit

(Provision)
  Total 

Balance at December 31, 2015

  $(3,831 $(9 $(991)(1)  $(4,831

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

   (7  9    —      2  

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

   (76  —      27(2)   (49
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)

   (83  9    27    (47
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2016

  $(3,914 $—     $(964 $(4,878
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 
   Pension, Retiree
Medical and
Other
Postretirement

Benefits
  Income Tax
Benefit

(Provision) (1)
 Total

Balance at December 31, 2016

   $(4,394)   $(788)  $(5,182)

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

    (44)    15  (2)   (29)
   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)

    (44)    15    (29)
   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at June 30, 2017

   $  (4,438)   $    (773)  $  (5,211)
   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) 

Relates principally to pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits obligations that will not be recognized in net income until the obligations are fully extinguished.

(2)

Relates to pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits obligations and is recognized within the income tax provision on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Reclassifications out of AOCI for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (in millions):

   Amounts reclassified from AOCI  Affected line items on the
   Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,  condensed consolidated

AOCI Components

  2017  2016  2017  2016  statements of operations

Amortization of pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits:

               

Prior service cost (benefit)

   $(33)   $(33)   $(67)   $(67)    Salaries, wages and benefits

Actuarial loss

    18     17     38     35     Salaries, wages and benefits
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax

   $(15)   $(16)   $(29)   $(32)   
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

27


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

 

Reclassifications out of AOCI for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are as follows (in millions):

   Amounts reclassified from AOCI   

AOCI Components

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
  

Affected line items on condensed
consolidated statement of operations

  2016  2015  2016  2015  

Amortization of pension, retiree medical and other postretirement benefits:

      

Prior service cost (benefit)

  $(33 $(52 $(101 $(159 Salaries, wages and benefits

Actuarial loss

   17    26    52    80   Salaries, wages and benefits

Derivative financial instruments:

      

Cash flow hedges

   —      —      —      (9 Aircraft fuel and related taxes

Net unrealized change on investments:

      

Net change in value

   —      —      —      1   Other nonoperating, net
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax

  $(16 $(26 $(49 $(87 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

8. Regional Expenses

Expenses associated with American’s third-party regional carriers operating under the brand name American Eagle are classified as regional expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Regional expenses consist of the following (in millions):

 

  Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30,     Three Months Ended June 30,      Six Months Ended June 30,  
  2016   2015   2016   2015   2017  2016  2017  2016

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $303    $310    $801    $970     $329   $279   $648   $498

Salaries, wages and benefits

   82     71     249     207     86   83   161   167

Capacity purchases from third-party regional carriers

   891     823     2,665     2,454     827   799   1,628   1,613

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   1     2     4     3     2   1   3   2

Other rent and landing fees

   124     114     356     324     150   122   296   231

Aircraft rent

   7     7     20     21     7   7   14   14

Selling expenses

   90     87     256     253     94   88   174   166

Depreciation and amortization

   62     50     174     145     65   58   128   112

Special items, net

   3     2     11     11     1   3   4   8

Other

   69     75     202     226     68   70   143   136
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total regional expenses

  $1,632    $1,541    $4,738    $4,614     $1,629   $1,510   $3,199   $2,947
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

9. Transactions with Related Parties

The following represents the net receivables (payables) to related parties (in millions):

 

  September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015     June 30, 2017    December 31, 2016

AAG(1)

  $8,195   $4,489     $10,191   $8,981 

AAG’s wholly-owned subsidiaries(2)

   (2,064 (2,508   (2,162)   (2,171)
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

Total

  $6,131   $1,981     $8,029    $6,810 
  

 

  

 

    

 

    

 

 

 

(1)

The increase in American’s net related party receivable from AAG is primarily due to American providing the cash funding for AAG’s share repurchase and dividend programs.

(2)

The net payable to AAG’s wholly-owned subsidiaries consists primarily of amounts due under regional capacity purchase agreements with AAG’s wholly-owned regional airlines operating under the brand name of American Eagle.

10. Legal Proceedings

Chapter 11 Cases.Cases. On November 29, 2011, AMR, American, and certain of AMR’s other direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries (the Debtors) filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the Bankruptcy Court). On October 21, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order approving and confirming the Debtors’ fourth amended joint plan of reorganization (as amended, the Plan). On the Effective Date, December 9, 2013, the Debtors consummated their reorganization pursuant to the Plan and completed the Merger.

Pursuant to rulings of the Bankruptcy Court, the Plan established the Disputed Claims Reserve to hold shares of AAG common stock reserved for issuance to disputed claimholders at the Effective Date that ultimately become holders of allowed “Single-Dip” unsecured claims. As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, there were approximately 25.2 million shares of AAG common stock remaining in the

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

Disputed Claims Reserve. As disputed claims are resolved, the claimants will receive distributions of shares from the Disputed Claims Reserve on the same basis as if such distributions had been made on or about the Effective Date. However, American is not required to distribute additional shares above the limits contemplated by the Plan, even if the shares remaining for distribution are not sufficient to fully pay any additional allowed unsecured claims. To the extent that any of the reserved shares remain undistributed upon resolution of all remaining disputed claims, such shares will not be returned to AAGAmerican but rather will be distributed to former AMR stockholders as of the Effective Date.stockholders.

There is also pending in the Bankruptcy Court an adversary proceeding relating to an action brought by American to seek a determination that certain non-pension, postemployment benefits are not vested benefits and thus may be modified or terminated without liability to American. On April 18, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court granted American’s motion for summary judgment with respect to certain non-union employees, concluding that their benefits were not vested and could be terminated. The summary judgment motion was denied with respect to all other retirees. The Bankruptcy Court has not yet scheduled a trial on the merits concerning whether those retirees’ benefits are vested, and American cannot predict whether it will receive relief from obligations to provide benefits to any of those retirees. American’s financial

28


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

statements presently reflect these retirement programs without giving effect to any modification or termination of benefits that may ultimately be implemented based upon the outcome of this proceeding.

DOJ Antitrust Civil Investigative Demand.Demand. In June 2015, American received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of an investigation into whether there have been illegal agreements or coordination of air passenger capacity. The CID seeks documents and other information from American, and other airlines have announced that they have received similar requests. American is cooperating fully with the DOJ investigation. In addition, subsequent to announcement of the delivery of CIDs by the DOJ, American, along with Delta Air Lines, Inc., Southwest Airlines Co., United Airlines, Inc. and, in the case of litigation filed in Canada, Air Canada, have been named as defendants in approximately 100 putative class action lawsuits alleging unlawful agreements with respect to air passenger capacity. The U.S. lawsuits were the subject of multiple motions to consolidate them in a single forum, and they have now been consolidated in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. TheOn October 28, 2016, the Court denied a motion by the airline defendants have moved to dismiss all claims in the class actions. Both the DOJ investigation and these lawsuits are in their veryrelatively early stages and American intends to defend the lawsuitsthese matters vigorously.

Private Party Antitrust Action. On July 2, 2013, a lawsuit captioned Carolyn Fjord, et al., v. US Airways Group, Inc., et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint named as defendants US Airways Group and US Airways, and alleged that the effect of the Merger may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act. TheAct, and sought injunctive relief sought in the complaint included an injunction against the Merger, and/or divestiture. On August 6, 2013, the plaintiffs re-filed their complaint in the Bankruptcy Court, adding AMR and American as defendants, and on October 2, 2013, dismissed the initial California action.defendants. On November 27, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court denied plaintiffs’ motion to preliminarily enjoin the Merger. On August 19, 2015, after three previous largely unsuccessful attempts to amend their complaint,May 12, 2017, defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. On June 23, 2017, plaintiffs filed a fourthan opposition to defendants’ motion and cross-motion for leave to file an amended and supplemental complaint to add a claim for damages and demand for jury trial, as well as claims similar to those in the putative class action lawsuits regarding air passenger capacity. Thereafter, plaintiffs filed a request with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate the Fjord matter with the putative class action lawsuits. The JPML denied that request on October 15, 2015 and plaintiffs’ request for further relief from the JPML was denied on February 4, 2016. Accordingly, the parties will continue to litigate the matter in Bankruptcy Court; a jointly proposed schedule for the remainder of the case was submitted on September 7, 2016, which has not yet been accepted by the court.summary judgment. American believes this lawsuit is without merit and intends to vigorously defend against the allegations.

DOJ Investigation Related to the United States Postal Service. In April 2015, the DOJ informed American of an inquiry regarding American’s 2009 and 2011 contracts with the United States Postal Service for the international transportation of mail by air. In October 2015, American received a CID from the DOJ seeking certain information relating to these contracts and the DOJ has also sought information concerning certain of the airlines that transport mail on a codeshare basis. The DOJ has indicated it is investigating potential violations of the False Claims Act or other statutes. American is cooperating fully with the DOJ with regard to its investigation.

General. In addition to the specifically identified legal proceedings, American and its subsidiaries are also engaged in other legal proceedings from time to time. Legal proceedings can be complex and take many months, or even years, to reach resolution, with the final outcome depending on a number of variables, some of which are not within American’s control. Therefore, although American will vigorously defend itself in each of the actions described above and such other legal proceedings, their ultimate resolution and potential financial and other impacts on American are uncertain but could be material. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “We may be a party to litigation in the normal course of business or otherwise, which could affect our financial position and liquidity” for additional discussion.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.

(Unaudited)

29

11. Subsequent Event

2016-3 EETCs

In October 2016, American created two pass-through trusts which issued approximately $814 million aggregate face amount of 2016-3 Class AA and Class A EETCs (the 2016-3 EETCs) in connection with the financing of 25 aircraft owned by American or scheduled to be delivered to American between October 2016 and January 2017. A portion of the proceeds received from the sale of the 2016-3 EETCs has been used to acquire Series AA and A equipment notes issued by American to the pass-through trusts and the balance of such proceeds is being held in escrow for the benefit of the holders of the 2016-3 EETCs until such time as American issues additional Series AA and A equipment notes to the pass-through trusts, which will purchase the notes with escrowed funds. These escrowed funds are not guaranteed by American and are not reported as debt on its condensed consolidated balance sheet because the proceeds held by the depository are not American’s assets.

Series AA equipment notes bear interest at 3.00% per annum and Series A equipment notes bear interest at 3.25% per annum. Interest and principal payments on the equipment notes will be payable semi-annually in April and October of each year, with interest payments beginning in April 2017 and principal payments beginning in October 2017. The final payments on the Series AA and Series A equipment notes are due in October 2028.


ITEM 2.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Part I, Item 2 of this report should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7 of AAG’s and American’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20152016 (the 20152016 Form 10-K). The information contained herein is not a comprehensive discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of AAG and American, but rather updates disclosures made in the 20152016 Form 10-K.

Background

American AirlinesTogether with our wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle, offerAmerican operates an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American hasWe have hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. In the thirdsecond quarter of 2016,2017, approximately 52 million passengers boarded our mainline and regional flights. As

We are committed to consistently delivering safe, reliable and convenient service to our customers in every aspect of September 30, 2016,our operation, to building the best employee relations in the industry and to providing returns for our stockholders. In January 2017, we operated 922 mainline aircraftwere named the 2017 Airline of the Year byAir Transport World, which cited the integration work related to the Merger, our operational and were supported bycustomer service improvements and the investments we are making in our regional airline subsidiaries and third-party regional carriers, which operated an additional 599 regional aircraft.product.

Financial Overview

The U.S. Airline Industry

In the thirdThe second quarter of 2016,2017 marked the return to year-over-year unit revenue growth for the U.S. airline industry continuedindustry. Improving yields were primarily driven by strong demand in domestic markets. International markets, particularly Latin America, also contributed to benefit from lowerpositive unit revenue trends. These revenue improvements were offset in part by higher fuel prices. However, the reductions in fuel costs in the quarter were offset by year-over-year declines in revenue. Domestic markets continued to be impacted by competitive capacity growth. Domestic markets did, however, perform better than international markets, which also have been impacted by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness and foreign currency weakness.

Jet fuel prices closelytend to follow the price of Brent crude oil. On average, the price of Brent crude oil per barrel was approximately 8% lower9% higher in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 as compared to the 20152016 period. The average daily spot price for Brent crude oil during the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 was $46$50 per barrel as compared to an average daily spot price of $50$46 per barrel during the third quarter of 2015. From a trend perspective, fuel prices were flat when compared to the second quarter of 2016 when the average daily spot price was also $46 per barrel.2016. On a daily basis, Brent crude oil prices fluctuated during the third quarter of 2016 between a high of $50$55 per barrel to a low of $40$44 per barrel, and closed the quarter on SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 at $48$47 per barrel.

While jet fuel prices have declined period-over-period as described above, uncertainty exists regarding the economic conditions driving these declines. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“Downturns “Downturns in economic conditions could adversely affect our business” and“Our business is very dependent on the price and availability of aircraft fuel. Continued periods of high volatility in fuel costs, increased fuel prices andor significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel could have a significant negative impact on our operating results and liquidity.”

American Airlines Group30


ThirdAAG’s Second Quarter 20162017 Results

The selected financial data presented below is derived from AAG’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1A of this report and should be read in conjunction with those financial statements and the related notes thereto.

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
       Three Months Ended June 30,      Increase
  (Decrease)  
  Percent
Increase
  (Decrease)  
  2016   2015     2017  2016  
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Mainline and regional passenger revenues

  $9,150    $9,353     (2.2   $9,582   $8,995   $587    6.5 

Cargo and other operating revenues

   1,444     1,353     6.7  

Other operating revenues

   1,327   1,194   133    11.1 

Total operating revenues

   10,594     10,706     (1.1   11,105   10,363   742    7.2 

Mainline and regional aircraft fuel and related taxes

   1,696     1,903     (10.9   1,839   1,593   246    15.4 

Salaries, wages and benefits

   3,003   2,670   333    12.5 

Total operating expenses

   9,163     8,707     5.2     9,570   8,612   958    11.1 

Operating income

   1,431     1,999     (28.4   1,535   1,751   (216)   (12.3)

Pre-tax income

   1,189     1,709     (30.4   1,291   1,493   (202)   (13.5)

Income tax provision

   452     16     nm     488   543   (55)   (10.1)

Net income

   737     1,693     (56.4   803   950   (147)   (15.5)

Pre-tax income

  $1,189    $1,709     (30.4   $1,291   $1,493   $(202)   (13.5)

Pre-tax special items:

      

Operating special charges, net(1)

   294     165     77.5  

Nonoperating special items, net

   —       21     nm  
  

 

   

 

   

Total pre-tax special items

   294     186     57.7  

Adjusted for: Total pre-tax special items(1)

   205   101   104    nm 
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Pre-tax income excluding special items

  $1,483    $1,895     (21.7   $1,496   $1,594   $(98)   (6.1)
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

(1)

Our 2016See below“Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and 2015 third quarter results were impacted by net operating special charges of $294 million and $165 million, respectively, consisting principally of mainline and regional merger integration expenses. SeeNote 2 to AAG’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis1A for details on the components of Financial Condition and Results of Operations –“AAG’s Results of Operations” of this report for more information on net special items.

Pre-Tax Income and Net Income

We realized pre-taxnet income of $1.2$803 million in the second quarter of 2017 as compared to net income of $950 million in the second quarter of 2016. Pre-tax income was $1.3 billion and $1.7$1.5 billion in the thirdsecond quarters of 20162017 and 2015,2016, respectively. Excluding the effects of pre-tax net special charges,items, we recognized pre-tax income of $1.5 billion and $1.9in the second quarter of 2017 as compared to $1.6 billion in the third quarterssecond quarter of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Our 2016 third quarter results2016. The quarter-over-quarter declines in our pre-tax income on both a GAAP basis and excluding pre-tax net special chargesitems were impacted by a decline in revenuesprincipally driven by lower yields and travel demand. Operating costs also increased during the third quarter due primarily to higher salaries, wages and benefits associated with new labor contracts and higher fuel costs. Salaries, wages and benefits costs were higher due to mid-contract pay rate increases for pilots and flight attendants effective in the additionsecond quarter of an employee profit sharing program.2017, as well as rate increases for maintenance and fleet service work groups, which became effective in the third quarter of 2016. These impactsincreases were offset in part by a year-over-year decline in fuel prices.higher revenues.

As of December 31, 2015, we reversed the valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, which include our federal and state net operating losses (NOLs). As a result of the reversal of the valuation allowance, we began to record a provision for income taxes in 2016. The provision is substantially non-cash due to the utilization of NOLs. We currently have $10.5 billion of federal NOLs and $4.0 billion of state NOLs available to reduce federal taxable income in 2016 and future years. Accordingly, as illustrated above, amounts reported in the third quarter of 2016 for income tax provision and net income are not comparable to the third quarter of 2015. Therefore, we are discussing pre-tax income and pre-tax income excluding special items in order to provide a more meaningful period-over-period comparison. The exclusion of special items provides investors the ability to measure financial performance in a way that is more indicative of our ongoing performance and is more comparable to financial measures presented by other major airlines. Management uses pre-tax income excluding special items to evaluate our financial performance.

Revenue

In the thirdsecond quarter of 2016,2017, we reported total operating revenues of $10.6$11.1 billion, a decreasean increase of $112$742 million, or 1.1%7.2%, as compared to the 20152016 period. Mainline and regional passenger revenues were $9.2$9.6 billion, a decreasean increase of $203$587 million, or 2.2%6.5%, as compared to the 20152016 period. The declineincrease in mainline and regional passenger revenues was driven by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness outside of the United States and foreign currency weakness. The decline in mainline and regional passenger revenues was offset in part by ana 4.3% period-over-period increase in consolidated passenger yields. Domestic consolidated yields increased 6.4% and international yields rose 1.3%, due principally to improved revenue performance in Central/South American and Caribbean regions. The second quarter of 2017 marks our third consecutive quarter of period-over-period increasing yields.

Additionally, other operating revenues increased $133 million primarily due to revenue generated fromrevenues associated with our loyalty program, principally new co-branded credit card agreements that became effective in the third quarter of 2016. Our mainline and regional total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) was 14.7315.48 cents in the thirdsecond quarter of 2016,2017, a 2.2% decrease5.7% increase as compared to 15.0614.65 cents in the 2015 period.

second quarter of 2016.

Fuel

MainlineOur mainline and regional fuel expense totaled $1.7$1.8 billion in the thirdsecond quarter of 2016,2017, which was $207$246 million, or 10.9%15.4%, lowerhigher as compared to the third quarter of 2015.2016 period. This decreaseincrease was driven by an 11.6% decreasea 14.7% increase in the average price per gallon of fuel to $1.48$1.63 in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 from $1.67$1.42 in the 20152016 period.

31


As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we did not have any fuel hedging contracts outstanding to hedge our fuel consumption. As such, and assuming we do not enter into any future transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, we will continue to be fully exposed to fluctuations in fuel prices. Our current policy is not to enter into transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, although we review that policy from time to time based on market conditions and other factors.

Cost per Available Seat Mile (CASM)Other Costs

We remain committed to actively managing our cost structure, which we believe is necessary in an industry whose economic prospects are heavily dependent upon two variables we cannot control: the health of the economy and the price of fuel.

Our 2016 third2017 second quarter mainline CASMcost per available seat mile (CASM) was 11.9612.51 cents, an increase of 5.6% as compared to the 2015 period.10.6%, from 11.32 cents in 2016. The increase was primarily driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits associated with new labor contractsdue to the contract pay rate increases described above and the addition of an employee profit sharing program, offset in part by lowerhigher fuel costs.

Our third2017 second quarter mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel was 9.329.82 cents, an increase of 8.9%7.6%, as compared to the 2015 period. The increase2016 period, which was primarily due toalso driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits as described above.

The following table details ourFor a reconciliation of mainline CASM for the three months ended September 30, 2016excluding special items and 2015:

   Three Months Ended
September 30,
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
 
   2016  2015  
   (In cents, except percentage changes) 

Mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel:

    

Total mainline CASM

   11.96    11.33    5.6  

Special items, net

   (0.45  (0.26  77.0  

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   (2.18  (2.51  (13.0
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Mainline CASM, excluding special items and fuel(1)

   9.32    8.56    8.9  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

(1)

We believe that the presentation of mainline CASM excluding fuel is useful to investors because both the cost and availability of fuel are subject to many economic and political factors beyond our control, and the exclusion of special items provides investors the ability to measure financial performance in a way that is more indicative of our ongoing performance and that is more comparable to measures reported by other major airlines. Management uses mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our operating performance. Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

fuel, see belowCustomer Service“Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We are committed to consistently delivering safe, reliableLiquidity and convenient service to our customers in every aspect of our operation. We are working to continue to improve our customer experience by making investments in our operations in the form of hiring additional personnel and expenditures for new equipment and technology. Additionally, on October 1, 2016, we combined our pilots and entire fleet into a single scheduling system, which was a critical integration milestone that enables us to operate as one airline and better meet the needs of our passengers. The table below summarizes the operating statistics we reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for our mainline operations for the third quarter of 2016 and 2015. Our 2016 third quarter results were affected by severe weather, particularly in Dallas/Fort Worth, our largest hub, which has downstream impacts to our entire system.

   2016   2015   Better (Worse) 
   July   August   September(e)   July   August   September   July  August  September 

On-time performance(a)

   70.7     71.9     83.0     80.0     80.6     85.6     (9.3)pts   (8.7)pts   (2.6)pts 

Completion factor(b)

   98.2     98.1     99.7     99.3     99.0     99.5     (1.1)pts   (0.9)pts   0.2 pts 

Mishandled baggage(c)

   4.12     4.12     2.70     3.73     3.88     2.95     (10.5)%   (6.2)%   8.5 % 

Customer complaints (d)

   2.57     3.23     2.60     3.45     4.01     4.15     25.5 %   19.5 %   37.3 % 

(a)

Percentage of reported flight operations arriving less than 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time.

(b)

Percentage of scheduled flight operations completed.

(c)

Rate of mishandled baggage reports per 1,000 passengers.

(d)

Rate of customer complaints filed with the DOT per 100,000 enplanements.

(e)

September 2016 operating statistics are preliminary as the DOT has not issued its September 2016 Air Travel Consumer report as of the date of this filing.

Liquidity PositionStockholder Returns

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we had approximately $9.2$9.3 billion in total available liquidity, consisting of $6.9 billion in unrestricted cash and short-term investments of $6.8 billion and $2.4 billion in undrawn revolver capacity.revolving credit facilities. We also had restricted cash of $554 million.

This remainsDuring the second quarter of 2017, we returned $500 million to our stockholders, including quarterly dividend payments of $50 million and the repurchase of $450 million of common stock, or 10.0 million shares. Since our capital return program commenced in mid-2014, we have returned more than $10.7 billion to stockholders, including $748 million in quarterly dividend payments and $10.0 billion in share repurchases, or 250.0 million shares. In July 2017, our Board of Directors declared a $0.10 per share dividend for stockholders of record on August 14, 2017, and payable on August 28, 2017.

We continue to take advantage of historically low interest rates to finance new aircraft deliveries under our fleet renewal program. During the second quarter of 2017, we issued an aggregate principal amount of $348 million in Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificate (EETC) equipment notes at an average fixed interest rate of 4.00%, as well as $378 million in excessother equipment notes, which primarily bear interest at variable rates based on LIBOR plus a margin, averaging 2.82% at June 30, 2017. We also raised $267 million in proceeds from aircraft sale-leaseback transactions. Additionally, we repriced a $735 million term loan facility. See Note 5 to AAG’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for additional information on our debt obligations.

As a result of the $6.5 billion minimum liquidityforegoing factors, we seek to maintain for the foreseeable future. Wecurrently have a higher debt level and fewer unencumbered assets than our peers. Accordingly, we believe it is important to retain liquidity levels higher than our network peers given our overall leverage as well as to protect against an adverse economic shock. Our current plan is to maintain minimum total available liquidity of $7.0 billion. We were well above that minimum level at June 30, 2017.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We sometimes use financial measures that are derived from the condensed consolidated financial statements but that are not presented in accordance with GAAP to understand and evaluate our current operating performance and to allow for period-to-period comparisons. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures may also provide useful information to investors and others. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP measures of other companies, and should be considered in addition to and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance, cash flow or liquidity prepared in accordance with GAAP. We are providing a reconciliation of reported non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable financial measures on a GAAP basis.

The table below presents the fact thatreconciliation of pre-tax income (GAAP measure) to pre-tax income excluding special items (non-GAAP measure). Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate our current operating performance and to allow for period-to-period comparisons. As special items may vary from period-to-period in nature and

32


amount, the adjustment to exclude special items allows management an additional tool to better understand our core operating performance.

   Three Months Ended June 30,  Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017  2016  2017  2016

Reconciliation of Pre-Tax Income Excluding Special Items:

            

Pre-tax income

   $1,291   $1,493   $1,656   $2,610

Pre-tax special items(1):

            

Operating special items, net

    203    65    324    169

Nonoperating special items, net

    2    36    7    36
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total pre-tax special items

    205    101    331    205
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pre-tax income excluding special items

   $1,496   $1,594   $1,987   $2,815
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Additionally, the table below presents the reconciliation of mainline operating costs (GAAP measure) to mainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel (non-GAAP measure). Management uses mainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our current operating performance and for period-to-period comparisons. The price of fuel, over which we have no control, impacts the comparability of period-to-period financial performance. The adjustment to exclude aircraft fuel and special items allows management an additional tool to better understand and analyze our non-fuel costs and core operating performance. Amounts may not yet completed our fleet renewal program.recalculate due to rounding.

See Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations –“Commitments” for further discussion of our contractual commitments.

     Three Months Ended June 30,      Six Months Ended June 30,  
   2017  2016  2017  2016
Reconciliation of Mainline CASM Excluding Special Items and Fuel:            

(In millions)

            

Total operating expenses

   $9,570    $8,612    $18,593    $16,711 

Less regional expenses:

            

Fuel and related taxes

    (329)    (279)    (648)    (498)

Other

    (1,291)    (1,239)    (2,546)    (2,452)
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mainline operating expenses

    7,950     7,094     15,399     13,761 

Adjusted for: Special items, net(1)

    (202)    (62)    (320)    (161)

Adjusted for: Aircraft fuel and related taxes

    (1,510)    (1,314)    (2,912)    (2,343)
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mainline operating expenses excluding special items and fuel

   $6,238    $5,718    $12,167    $11,257 
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(In millions)

            

Available Seat Miles (ASM)

    63,520     62,670     120,083     120,234 

(In cents)

            

Mainline CASM

    12.51     11.32     12.82     11.45 

Adjusted for: Special items, net per ASM

    (0.32)    (0.10)    (0.27)    (0.13)

Adjusted for: Aircraft fuel and related taxes per ASM

    (2.38)    (2.10)    (2.42)    (1.95)
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel

    9.82     9.12     10.13     9.36 
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(1)

See Note 2 to AAG’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for further information on special items.

33


AAG’s Results of Operations

We realized pre-tax income of $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Excluding the effects of net special charges, we recognized pre-tax income of $1.5 billion and $1.9 billion in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively.

We realized pre-tax income of $3.8 billion and $4.4 billion in the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Excluding the effects of net special charges, we recognized pre-tax income of $4.3 billion and $5.0 billion in the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Our 2016 third quarter and first nine months results on both a GAAP basis and excluding net special charges were impacted by a decline in revenues driven by lower yields and travel demand. In addition, our results were impacted by higher salaries, wages and benefits associated with new labor contracts and the addition of an employee profit sharing program. These impacts were offset in part by a year-over-year decline in fuel prices.

The table below details our pre-tax and net income excluding special items (in millions):

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016  2015   2016  2015 

Pre-tax income

  $1,189   $1,709    $3,799   $4,371  

Pre-tax special items:

      

Mainline operating special charges, net(1)

   289    163     450    610  

Regional operating special charges, net

   5    2     13    20  

Nonoperating special charges, net(2)

   —      21     36    2  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total pre-tax special items

   294    186     499    632  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Pre-tax income excluding special items

  $1,483   $1,895    $4,298   $5,003  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

  $737   $1,693    $2,387   $4,329  

Total special items:

      

Total pre-tax special items

   294    186     499    632  

Income tax special charges, net

   —      6     —      22  

Net tax effect of special items(3)

   (98  —       (188  —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total special items

   196    192     311    654  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income excluding special items

  $933   $1,885    $2,698   $4,983  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

The 2016 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $289 million, which principally included $225 million of merger integration expenses and a $39 million net charge for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. The 2016 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $450 million, which principally included $467 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $22 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. For the 2016 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, information technology, alignment of labor union contracts, fleet restructuring, professional fees, relocation and training, as well as severance.

The 2015 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $163 million, which principally included $198 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. The 2015 nine month

period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $610 million, which principally included $741 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $75 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations and a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. For the 2015 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, fleet restructuring, alignment of labor union contracts, professional fees, severance, relocation and training, re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, as well as share-based compensation.

(2)

In connection with a bond refinancing, we recorded a $36 million nonoperating special charge in the 2016 nine month period related to non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.

The 2015 third quarter nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $21 million, which was primarily due to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The 2015 nine month period nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $2 million, which principally included $40 million in charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with refinancing American’s secured term loan facilities, prepayments of certain aircraft financings and the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. These charges were offset in part by a $22 million gain associated with the sale of an investment and a $17 million early debt extinguishment gain associated with the repayment of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank.

(3)

In the 2015 periods, there was no net tax effect associated with special items. During the 2015 periods, our net deferred tax asset, which includes our NOLs, was subject to a full valuation allowance. Accordingly, our NOLs offset our taxable income and resulted in the release of a corresponding portion of valuation allowance, which offset the tax provision dollar for dollar.

Income Taxes

At December 31, 2015, we had approximately $8.0 billion of gross NOLs carried over from prior taxable years (NOL Carryforwards) to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2016. The federal NOL Carryforwards will expire beginning in 2022 if unused. We also had approximately $4.0 billion of NOL Carryforwards to reduce future state taxable income at December 31, 2015, which will expire in years 2016 through 2034 if unused. Our ability to deduct our NOL Carryforwards and to utilize certain other available tax attributes can be substantially constrained under the general annual limitation rules of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Section 382) where an “ownership change” has occurred. We experienced an ownership change in connection with our emergence from bankruptcy in 2013. The general limitation rules of Section 382 for a debtor in a bankruptcy case are liberalized where the ownership change occurs upon emergence from bankruptcy. We elected to be covered by certain special rules for federal income tax purposes that permitted approximately $9.0 billion (with $6.6 billion of unlimited NOL remaining at December 31, 2015) of our federal NOL Carryforwards to be utilized without regard to the Section 382 annual limitation rules. Substantially all of our remaining federal NOL Carryforwards are subject to limitation under Section 382; however, our ability to utilize such NOL Carryforwards is not anticipated to be effectively constrained as a result of such limitation. Similar limitations may apply for state income tax purposes. Our ability to utilize any new NOL Carryforwards arising after the 2013 ownership changes is not affected by the annual limitation rules imposed by Section 382 unless another ownership change occurs.

At December 31, 2015, we had an Alternative Minimum Tax credit carryforward of approximately $341 million available for federal income tax purposes, which is available for an indefinite period.

In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2015, we determined that it was more likely than not that substantially all of our deferred tax assets, which include our NOLs, would be realized. Accordingly, we reversed $3.0 billion of the valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015.

In the first nine months of 2016, we recorded income tax expense with an effective rate of approximately 38%, which is substantially non-cash as we utilized the NOLs described above. For purposes of taxation, substantially all of our income before income taxes is attributable to the United States.

Following the filing of our 2015 annual tax return in the third quarter of 2016, federal NOLs, substantially all of which are expected to be available to reduce future federal taxable income in 2016 and future years, increased by $2.5 billion. The increase in the federal NOLs is attributable to the election to take bonus depreciation on eligible assets (primarily aircraft) in the 2015 federal income tax return.

Operating Statistics

The table below sets forth selected mainline and regional operating data for the three and ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 and 2015.2016.

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
       Three Months Ended June 30,  Increase
(Decrease)
  Six Months Ended June 30,  Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015   Increase
(Decrease)
 2016   2015   Increase
(Decrease)
   2017  2016  2017  2016  

Mainline

                             

Revenue passenger miles (millions)(a)

   53,472     54,667     (2.2)%  151,619     151,148     0.3   53,177       51,927       2.4  %      98,388       98,147       0.2   %   

Available seat miles (millions)(b)

   63,751     63,459     0.5 183,985     181,232     1.5   63,520       62,670       1.4  %      120,083       120,234       (0.1)  %   

Passenger load factor (percent)(c)

   83.9     86.1     (2.2)pts  82.4     83.4     (1.0)pts    83.7       82.9       0.8  pts    81.9       81.6       0.3   pts 

Yield (cents)(d)

   13.87     14.00     (0.9)%  13.98     14.75     (5.3)%    14.57       13.88       4.9  %      14.59       14.03       4.0   %   

Passenger revenue per available seat mile (cents)(e)

   11.64     12.06     (3.5)%  11.52     12.30��    (6.4)%    12.20       11.50       6.0  %      11.95       11.46       4.3   %   

Operating cost per available seat mile (cents)(f)

   11.96     11.33     5.6 11.62     11.97     (2.9)%    12.51       11.32       10.6  %      12.82       11.45       12.0   %   

Passenger enplanements (thousands)(g)

   37,584     38,909     (3.4)%  109,830     110,683     (0.8)% 

Departures (thousands)

   282     286     (1.3)%  837     841     (0.5)% 

Aircraft at end of period

   922     943     (2.2)%  922     943     (2.2)%    956       947       1.0  %      956       947       1.0   %   

Block hours (thousands)(h)

   905     908     (0.3)%  2,650     2,643     0.3

Average stage length (miles)(i)

   1,258     1,259     (0.1)%  1,235     1,231     0.3

Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)

   953     954     (0.2)%  2,739     2,736     0.1   934       931       0.4  %      1,766       1,786       (1.1)  %   

Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)

   1.46     1.67     (12.4)%  1.36     1.80     (24.0)%    1.62       1.41       14.5  %      1.65       1.31       25.7   %   

Full-time equivalent employees at end of period

   101,200     99,700     1.5 101,200     99,700     1.5   106,100       103,100       2.9  %      106,100       103,100       2.9   %   

Regional(j)

           

Total Mainline and Regional

                  

Revenue passenger miles (millions)(a)

   6,447     6,199     4.0 18,406     17,729     3.8   59,564       58,336       2.1  %      110,548       110,106       0.4   %   

Available seat miles (millions)(b)

   8,160     7,633     6.9 23,741     22,050     7.7   71,743       70,751       1.4  %      136,083       135,815       0.2   %   

Passenger load factor (percent)(c)

   79.0     81.2     (2.2)pts  77.5     80.4     (2.9)pts    83.0       82.5       0.5  pts    81.2       81.1       0.1   pts 

Yield (cents)(d)

   26.85     27.40     (2.0)%  27.38     27.69     (1.1)%    16.09       15.42       4.3  %      16.04       15.51       3.4   %   

Passenger revenue per available seat mile (cents)(e)

   21.21     22.25     (4.7)%  21.23     22.27     (4.7)%    13.36       12.71       5.0  %      13.03       12.58       3.6   %   

Operating cost per available seat mile (cents)(f)

   18.85     19.89     (5.2)%  18.91     20.57     (8.1)% 

Passenger enplanements (thousands)(g)

   14,288     14,413     (0.9)%  40,908     41,032     (0.3)% 

Total revenue per available seat mile (cents)(g)

   15.48       14.65       5.7  %      15.23       14.58       4.5   %   

Aircraft at end of period

   599     584     2.6 599     584     2.6   1,583       1,547       2.3  %      1,583       1,547       2.3   %   

Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)

   196     186     5.3 565     536     5.4   1,129       1,122       0.6  %      2,143       2,155       (0.6)  %   

Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)

   1.55     1.67     (7.3)%  1.42     1.81     (21.6)%    1.63       1.42       14.7  %      1.66       1.32       26.0   %   

Full-time equivalent employees at end of period(k)

   20,600     19,300     6.7 20,600     19,300     6.7

Total Mainline and Regional

           

Revenue passenger miles (millions)(a)

   59,919     60,866     (1.6)%  170,025     168,877     0.7

Available seat miles (millions)(b)

   71,911     71,092     1.2 207,726     203,282     2.2

Cargo ton miles (millions)(l)

   601     569     5.6 1,754     1,716     2.2

Passenger load factor (percent)(c)

   83.3     85.6     (2.3)pts  81.9     83.1     (1.2)pts 

Yield (cents)(d)

   15.27     15.37     (0.6)%  15.43     16.11     (4.2)% 

Passenger revenue per available seat mile (cents)(e)

   12.72     13.16     (3.3)%  12.63     13.38     (5.6)% 

Total revenue per available seat mile (cents)(m)

   14.73     15.06     (2.2)%  14.63     15.43     (5.2)% 

Cargo yield per ton mile (cents)(n)

   28.42     31.63     (10.2)%  28.86     33.11     (12.8)% 

Passenger enplanements (thousands)(g)

   51,872     53,322     (2.7)%  150,738     151,715     (0.6)% 

Aircraft at end of period

   1,521     1,527     (0.4)%  1,521     1,527     (0.4)% 

Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)

   1,149     1,140     0.7 3,304     3,272     1.0

Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)

   1.48     1.67     (11.6)%  1.37     1.80     (23.6)% 

Full-time equivalent employees at end of period

   121,800     119,000     2.4 121,800     119,000     2.4

Full-time equivalent employees at end of period(h)

   128,300       123,500       3.9  %      128,300       123,500       3.9   %   

 

(a)

Revenue passenger mile (RPM) – A basic measure of sales volume. One RPM represents one passenger flown one mile.

(b)

Available seat mile (ASM) – A basic measure of production. One ASM represents one seat flown one mile.

(c)

Passenger load factor – The percentage of available seats that are filled with revenue passengers.

(d)

Yield – A measure of airline revenue derived by dividing passenger revenue by RPMs.

(e)

Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) – Passenger revenues divided by ASMs.

(f)

Operating cost per available seat mile (CASM) – Operating expenses divided by ASMs.

(g)

Passenger enplanements – The number of passengers on board an aircraft, including local, connecting and through passengers.

(h)

Block hours – The hours measured from the moment an aircraft first moves under its own power, including taxi time, for the purposes of flight until the aircraft is docked at the next point of landing and its power is shut down.

(i)

Average stage length – The average of the distances flown on each segment of every route.

(j)

Regional statistics include our subsidiaries, Envoy Aviation Group Inc. (Envoy), Piedmont Airlines, Inc. (Piedmont) and PSA Airlines, Inc. (PSA), and operating statistics from our capacity purchase agreements with Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation, ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., Mesa Airlines, Inc., Republic Airline Inc., SkyWest Airlines, Inc., Compass Airlines, LLC and Trans States Airlines, Inc.

(k)

Regional full-time equivalent employees only include our wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries, Envoy, Piedmont and PSA.

(l)

Cargo ton miles – A basic measure of cargo transportation. One cargo ton mile represents one ton of cargo transported one mile.

(m)

Total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) – Total revenues divided by total mainline and regional ASMs.

(n)(h)

Cargo yield per ton mile – Cargo revenues divided by total mainlineRegional full-time equivalent employees only include our wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries, Envoy, Piedmont and regional cargo ton miles.PSA.

34


Three Months Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 Compared to Three Months Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20152016

We realized pre-tax income of $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion in the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, respectively. Excluding the effects of pre-tax net special items, pre-tax income was $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion in the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Our second quarter 2017 pre-tax results on both a GAAP basis and excluding pre-tax net special items were principally driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits and higher fuel costs, which were offset in part by higher revenues.

Operating Revenues

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016  
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Mainline passenger

  $7,419    $7,654     (3.1   $    7,747   $    7,209   $538   7.5

Regional passenger

   1,731     1,699     1.9     1,835   1,786   49   2.8

Cargo

   171     180     (5.1   196   174   22   13.1

Other

   1,273     1,173     8.5     1,327   1,194   133   11.1
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total operating revenues

  $10,594    $10,706     (1.1   $11,105   $10,363   $742   7.2
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

This table presents our total passenger revenues and the period-over-period change in certain operating statistics:

      Increase (Decrease)
vs. Three Months Ended June 30, 2016
   Three Months Ended
June 30, 2017
  Passenger
Revenue
 RPMs ASMs Load
Factor
  Passenger
Yield
 PRASM
   (In millions)              

Mainline passenger

   $7,747    7.5%   2.4%   1.4%   0.8 pts    4.9%   6.0%

Regional passenger

    1,835    2.8%   (0.3)%   1.7%   (1.6)pts     3.1%   1.0%
   

 

 

               

Total passenger revenues

   $9,582    6.5%   2.1%   1.4%   0.5 pts    4.3%   5.0%
   

 

 

               

Total operatingpassenger revenues increased $587 million, or 6.5%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 2017 from the 2016 decreased $112period primarily driven by a 4.3% period-over-period increase in consolidated passenger yields. Domestic consolidated yields increased 6.4% and international yields rose 1.3%, due principally to improved revenue performance in Central/South American and Caribbean regions.

Cargo revenue increased $22 million, or 1.1%13.1%, in the second quarter of 2017 from the 2015 period. Our mainline and regional TRASM was 14.73 cents in the third quarter of 2016 a 2.2% decrease as compared to 15.06 cents in the 2015 period. Mainline and regional passenger revenues declined $203 million, or 2.2%, as compared to the 2015 period primarily driven by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness outside of the United States and foreign currency weakness. The decline in mainline and regional passenger revenues was offset in part by an increase in freight volume.

Other revenue primarily includes revenue associated with our loyalty program, baggage fees, ticketing change fees, airport clubs and inflight services. Other revenue increased $133 million, or 11.1%, in the second quarter of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in loyalty program revenue. In the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, other revenue associated with our loyalty program was $581 million and $461 million, respectively, of which $549 million and $430 million, respectively, related to the marketing component of mileage sales and other marketing related payments. This period-over-period increase was primarily due to revenue generated fromrevenues associated with our new co-branded credit card agreements effective in the third quarter of 2016. Significant changes in the components of operating revenues are as follows:

Mainline passenger revenues were $7.4 billion in the third quarter of 2016 as compared to $7.7 billion in the 2015 period. Mainline RPM’s decreased 2.2% as mainline capacity, as measured by ASMs, increased 0.5%, resulting in a 2.2 point decrease in load factor to 83.9%. Mainline passenger yield decreased 0.9% to 13.87 cents in the third quarter of 2016 from 14.00 cents in the 2015 period. Mainline PRASM decreased 3.5% to 11.64 cents in the third quarter of 2016 from 12.06 cents in the 2015 period.

Regional passenger revenues were $1.7 billion in each of the third quarters of 2016 and 2015. Regional RPM’s increased 4.0% as regional capacity, as measured by ASMs, increased 6.9%, resulting in a 2.2 point decrease in load factor to 79.0%. Regional passenger yield decreased 2.0% to 26.85 cents in the third quarter of 2016 from 27.40 cents in the 2015 period. Regional PRASM decreased 4.7% to 21.21 cents in the third quarter of 2016 from 22.25 cents in the 2015 period.

Cargo revenue decreased $9 million, or 5.1%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period driven primarily by a decrease in domestic and international freight yields.

Other revenue increased $100 million, or 8.5%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period primarily due to new co-branded credit card agreementsthat became effective in the third quarter of 2016.

Total operating revenues in the second quarter of 2017 increased $742 million, or 7.2%, from the 2016 period driven principally by a 6.5% increase in total passenger revenues as described above. Our mainline and regional TRASM was 15.48 cents in the second quarter of 2017, a 5.7% increase as compared to 14.65 cents in the 2016 period.

35


Mainline Operating Expenses

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $1,393    $1,593     (12.6   $1,510   $1,314   $196 14.9

Salaries, wages and benefits

   2,772     2,404     15.3     3,003   2,670   333 12.5

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   481     456     5.3     495   453   42 9.4

Other rent and landing fees

   463     432     7.2     452   458   (6) (1.2)

Aircraft rent

   299     308     (3.0   294   302   (8) (2.8)

Selling expenses

   347     366     (5.0   376   334   42 12.5

Depreciation and amortization

   399     336     18.6     418   374   44 11.5

Special items, net

   289     163     77.8     202   62   140 nm

Other

   1,182     1,131     4.5     1,200   1,127   73 6.5
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total mainline operating expenses

   7,625     7,189     6.1     $7,950   $7,094   $856 12.1

Regional expenses:

      

Fuel

   303     310     (2.4

Other

   1,235     1,208     2.3  
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total regional operating expenses

   1,538     1,518     1.3  
  

 

   

 

   

Total operating expenses

  $9,163    $8,707     5.2  
  

 

   

 

   

TotalMainline operating expenses were $9.2 billionincreased $856 million, or 12.1%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 2016, an increase of $456 million, or 5.2%,2017 from the 20152016 period. The increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits driven by new labor contracts and the addition of an employee profit sharing program effective January 1, 2016.as well as higher fuel costs. See detailed explanations below relating to the other changes in operating costs.mainline CASM.

Mainline CASM

OurWe sometimes use financial measures that are derived from the condensed consolidated financial statements but that are not presented in accordance with GAAP to understand and evaluate our current operating performance to allow for period-to-period comparisons. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures may also provide useful information to investors and others. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP measures of other companies, and should be considered in addition to and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance, cash flow or liquidity prepared in accordance with GAAP. We are providing a reconciliation of reported non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable financial measures on a GAAP basis.

The table below presents the reconciliation of mainline CASM increased 0.63 cents, or 5.6%, from 11.33 cents in the third quarter of 2015operating expenses (GAAP measure) to 11.96 cents in the third quarter of 2016. Excludingmainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel (non-GAAP measure). Management uses mainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our mainline CASM increased 0.76 cents, or 8.9%, from 8.56 cents incurrent operating performance and for period-to-period comparisons. The price of fuel, over which we have no control, impacts the third quartercomparability of 2015period-to-period financial performance. The adjustment to 9.32 cents in the third quarter of 2016, while mainline capacity increased 0.5%.exclude aircraft fuel and special items allows management an additional tool to better understand and analyze our non-fuel costs and core operating performance.

The table below sets forth the major components of our total mainline CASM and our mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel for the three months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2017 and 2016 and 2015:are as follows (amounts may not recalculate due to rounding):

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016 2015   2017 2016 
  (In cents, except percentage changes)   (In cents, except percentage changes)

Mainline CASM:

         

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   2.18   2.51   (13.0   2.38 2.10 13.4

Salaries, wages and benefits

   4.35   3.79   14.8     4.73 4.26 11.0

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   0.75   0.72   4.8     0.78 0.72 7.9

Other rent and landing fees

   0.73   0.68   6.7     0.71 0.73 (2.5)

Aircraft rent

   0.47   0.49   (3.4   0.46 0.48 (4.1)

Selling expenses

   0.54   0.58   (5.5   0.59 0.53 11.0

Depreciation and amortization

   0.63   0.53   18.1     0.66 0.60 10.0

Special items, net

   0.45   0.26   77.0     0.32 0.10 nm

Other

   1.85   1.78   4.0     1.89 1.80 5.0
  

 

  

 

     

 

  

 

  

Total mainline CASM

   11.96   11.33   5.6     12.51 11.32 10.6

Special items, net

   (0.45 (0.26 77.0     (0.32) (0.10) nm

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   (2.18 (2.51 (13.0   (2.38) (2.10) 13.4
  

 

  

 

     

 

  

 

  

Mainline CASM, excluding special items and fuel (1)

   9.32   8.56   8.9     9.82 9.12 7.6
  

 

  

 

     

 

  

 

  

 

(1)

We believe that the presentation of mainline CASM excluding fuel is useful to investors because both the cost and availability of fuel are subject to many economic and political factors beyond our control, and the exclusion of special items provides investors the ability to measure financial performance in a way that is more indicative of our ongoing performance and that is more comparable to measures reported by other major airlines. Management uses mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our operating performance. Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

36


Significant changes in the components of mainline CASM are as follows:

 

Aircraft fuel and related taxes per ASM decreased 13.0%increased 13.4% primarily due to a 12.4% decrease14.5% increase in the average price per gallon of fuel to $1.46$1.62 in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 from $1.67$1.41 in the 20152016 period.

 

Salaries, wages and benefits per ASM increased 14.8%11.0% primarily due to increased costs associated with new labor contractsmid-contract pay rate increases for pilots and flight attendants effective in the addition of an employee profit sharing program effective January 1, 2016. During the thirdsecond quarter of 2016, we accrued $86 million for this profit sharing program.

Other rent and landing fees per ASM increased 6.7% and was primarily driven by2017, as well as rate increases at certain airportsfor maintenance and fleet service work groups, which became effective in the third quarter of 20162016.

Maintenance, materials and repairs per ASM increased 7.9% as compared to the 2015 period.2016 period primarily due to a contract change impacting the timing of maintenance expenses incurred. Certain flight equipment was transitioned to a new flight hour based contract (referred to as power by the hour) where expense is incurred and recognized based on actual hours flown. Previously this flight equipment was covered by a time and materials based contract where expense is incurred and recognized as maintenance is performed.

 

Selling expenses per ASM decreased 5.5%increased 11.0% primarily due to lowerhigher revenues in the thirdsecond quarter of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period, resulting in lower commissions and credit card fees.higher commissions.

 

Depreciation and amortization per ASM increased 18.1%10.0% primarily due to newaircraft purchased aircraft deliveries since the end of the third quarter of 2015 in connection with our fleet renewal program.

Other operating expenses per ASM increased 5.0% primarily due to expenses associated with improving our product offerings, customer experience and operational reliability.

Operating Special Items, Net

       Three Months Ended June 30,    
   2017  2016
   (In millions)

Merger integration expenses(1)

   $68   $97

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

    48    15

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

    38    (56)

Labor contract expenses(3)

    45    

Other operating charges, net

    3    6
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mainline operating special items, net

    202    62

Regional operating special items, net(4)

    1    3
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating special items, net

   $203   $65
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

(1)

Merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and training. Additionally, the 2016 period also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, re-branded uniforms, relocation and severance.

(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

(3)

Labor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a result of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the second quarter of 2017.

(4)

Regional operating special items, net principally related to Merger integration expenses.

37


Regional Operating Expenses

Total regional

   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   2017  2016    
   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   $      329   $      279   $50    18.0

Other

    1,291    1,239    52    4.3
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total regional operating expenses

   $1,620   $1,518   $102    6.8
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Regional operating expenses increased $20$102 million, or 1.3%6.8%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 from the 20152016 period. The period-over-period increase was primarily due to a $27$50 million, or 18.0%, increase in fuel costs and a $52 million, or 4.3%, increase in other regional operating expenses, offset in part by a $7 million decrease in fuel costs.expenses. The average price per gallon of fuel decreased 7.3%increased 15.9% to $1.55$1.69 in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 from $1.67$1.46 in the 20152016 period, on a 5.3%1.8% increase in consumption. The increase in other regional operating expenses was primarily driven by a 1.7% increase in capacity, principally due to increasedfrom our wholly-owned regional capacity.carriers. See Note 10 to AAG’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for more detailfurther information on regional operating expenses.

Nonoperating Income (Expense)Results

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016 2015   2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Interest income

  $16   $10   70.6     $      24    $      16    $      8 52.7

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (250 (219 14.3  

Interest expense, net

   (263)    (249)    (14) 5.8

Other, net

   (8 (81 (90.3   (5)    (25)    20 (80.6)
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total nonoperating expense, net

  $(242 $(290 (16.8   $(244)    $(258)    $14 (5.5)
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

Our short-term investments in each period consisted of highly liquid investments whichthat provided relatively nominal returns. Interest income increased $8 million, or 52.7%, principally due to an increase in interest rates, which drove more than a 50 basis point increase in average yields in the second quarter of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period.

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest increased $31$14 million in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 as compared to the 20152016 period primarily due to issuanceshigher outstanding debt as a result of $4.1 billion in aircraft related financings since the end of the third quarter of 2015.associated with our fleet renewal program.

Other nonoperating expense, net in the third quarter2016 period primarily included $36 million of 2016 included $7net special charges consisting of debt issuance and extinguishment costs associated with a bond refinancing, offset in part by $17 million of foreign currency losses.gains.

Other nonoperating expense,Income Taxes

In the second quarter 2017, we recorded an income tax provision of $488 million, which was substantially non-cash due to utilization of our net operating losses (NOLs). Substantially all of our income before income taxes is attributable to the United States. At December 31, 2016, we had approximately $10.5 billion of gross NOLs to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2017.

See Note 6 to AAG’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for additional information on income taxes.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2016

We realized pre-tax income of $1.7 billion and $2.6 billion in the third quarterfirst six months of 2015 included $62 million2017 and 2016, respectively. Excluding the effects of foreign currency lossespre-tax net special items, pre-tax income was $2.0 billion and $21 million in special charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The foreign currency losses$2.8 billion in the 2015 periodfirst six months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Our pre-tax results on both a GAAP basis and excluding pre-tax net special items for the first six months of 2017 were principally driven primarily by the strengthening of the U.S. dollarhigher fuel costs as well as higher salaries, wages and benefits, which were offset in foreign currency transactions relative to other currencies, principally in Latin American and European markets, including a 30% decrease in the value of the Brazilian real and a 4% decrease in the value of the British pound.part by higher revenues.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 201538


Operating Revenues

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016  
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Mainline passenger

  $21,192    $22,298     (5.0   $    14,353   $    13,773   $    580   4.2

Regional passenger

   5,040     4,910     2.7     3,384   3,309   75   2.3

Cargo

   506     568     (10.9   368   336   32   9.8

Other

   3,653     3,584     1.9     2,624   2,380   244   10.2
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total operating revenues

  $30,391    $31,360     (3.1   $20,729   $19,798   $931   4.7
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

This table presents our total passenger revenues and the period-over-period change in certain operating statistics:

      Increase (Decrease)
vs. Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
   Six Months Ended
June 30, 2017
  Passenger
Revenue
  RPMs  ASMs  Load
Factor
  Passenger
Yield
 PRASM
   (In millions)                 

Mainline passenger

   $    14,353    4.2%     0.2%     (0.1)%     0.3 pts    4.0%   4.3%

Regional passenger

    3,384    2.3%     1.7%     2.7%      (0.8)pts     0.6%   (0.4)%
   

 

 

                  

Total passenger revenues

   $17,737    3.8%     0.4%     0.2%      0.1 pts    3.4%   3.6%
   

 

 

                  

Total passenger revenues increased $655 million, or 3.8%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by a 3.4% period-over-period increase in consolidated passenger yields. Domestic consolidated yields increased 4.8% and international yields rose 0.9%, due principally to improved revenue performance in Central/South American and Caribbean regions.

Cargo revenue increased $32 million, or 9.8%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in freight volume.

Other revenue primarily includes revenue associated with our loyalty program, baggage fees, ticketing change fees, airport clubs and inflight services. Other revenue increased $244 million, or 10.2%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in loyalty program revenue. In the first six months of 2017 and 2016, other revenue associated with our loyalty program was $1.2 billion and $952 million, respectively, of which $1.1 billion and $856 million, respectively, related to the marketing component of mileage sales and other marketing related payments. This period-over-period increase was primarily due to revenues associated with our new co-branded credit card agreements that became effective in the third quarter of 2016.

Total operating revenues in the first ninesix months of 2016 decreased $9692017 increased $931 million, or 3.1%4.7%, from the 20152016 period primarily due todriven principally by a decline3.8% increase in mainline and regionaltotal passenger revenues driven by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness outside of the United States and foreign currency weakness.as described above. Our mainline and regional TRASM was 14.6315.23 cents in the first ninesix months of 2016,2017, a 5.2% decrease4.5% increase as compared to 15.4314.58 cents in the 20152016 period. Significant changes in the components of operating revenues are as follows:

Mainline passenger revenues were $21.2 billion in the first nine months of 2016 as compared to $22.3 billion in the 2015 period. Mainline RPM’s increased 0.3% as mainline capacity, as measured by ASMs, increased 1.5%, resulting in a 1.0 point decrease in load factor to 82.4%. Mainline passenger yield decreased 5.3% to 13.98 cents in the first nine months of 2016 from 14.75 cents in the 2015 period. Mainline PRASM decreased 6.4% to 11.52 cents in the first nine months of 2016 from 12.30 cents in the 2015 period.

Regional passenger revenues were $5.0 billion in the first nine months of 2016 as compared to $4.9 billion in the 2015 period. Regional RPM’s increased 3.8% as regional capacity, as measured by ASMs, increased 7.7%, resulting in a 2.9 point decrease in load factor to 77.5%. Regional passenger yield decreased 1.1% to 27.38 cents in the first nine months of 2016 from 27.69 cents in the 2015 period. Regional PRASM decreased 4.7% to 21.23 cents in the first nine months of 2016 from 22.27 cents in the 2015 period.

Cargo revenue decreased $62 million, or 10.9%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 period driven primarily by a decrease in domestic and international freight yields.

Mainline Operating Expenses

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $3,736    $4,912     (23.9   $    2,912   $    2,343   $    569 24.2

Salaries, wages and benefits

   8,094     7,141     13.4     5,829   5,322   507 9.5

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   1,352     1,452     (6.9   987   871   116 13.3

Other rent and landing fees

   1,342     1,290     4.0     892   879   13 1.5

Aircraft rent

   908     941     (3.6   589   609   (20) (3.3)

Selling expenses

   990     1,051     (5.9   694   642   52 8.0

Depreciation and amortization

   1,128     1,013     11.4     822   729   93 12.8

Special items, net

   450     610     (26.3   320   161   159 99.4

Other

   3,386     3,278     3.3     2,354   2,205   149 6.8
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total mainline operating expenses

   21,386     21,688     (1.4   $15,399   $13,761   $1,638 11.9

Regional expenses:

      

Fuel

   801     970     (17.4

Other

   3,687     3,566     3.4  
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total regional operating expenses

   4,488     4,536     (1.1
  

 

   

 

   

Total operating expenses

  $25,874    $26,224     (1.3
  

 

   

 

   

TotalMainline operating expenses were $25.9increased $1.6 billion, or 11.9%, in the first ninesix months of 2016, a decrease of $350 million, or 1.3%,2017 from the 20152016 period. The decreaseincrease in operating expenses was primarily driven by lower aircrafthigher fuel costs offset in part by higheras well as salaries, wages and benefits driven by new labor contracts and the addition of an employee profit sharing program effective January 1, 2016.benefits. See

39


detailed explanations below relating to other changes in operating costs.mainline CASM.

Mainline CASM

Our mainline CASM decreased 0.35 cents,We sometimes use financial measures that are derived from the condensed consolidated financial statements but that are not presented in accordance with GAAP to understand and evaluate our current operating performance to allow for period-to-period comparisons. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures may also provide useful information to investors and others. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP measures of other companies, and should be considered in addition to and not as a substitute for or 2.9%, from 11.97 centssuperior to, any measure of performance, cash flow or liquidity prepared in the first nine monthsaccordance with GAAP. We are providing a reconciliation of 2015reported non-GAAP financial measures to 11.62 cents in the first nine months of 2016. Excluding special items and aircraft fuel and related taxes, our mainline CASM increased 0.43 cents, or 4.8%, from 8.92 cents in the first nine months of 2015 to 9.35 cents in the first nine months of 2016, while mainline capacity increased 1.5%.their comparable financial measures on a GAAP basis.

The table below sets forthpresents the reconciliation of mainline operating expenses (GAAP measure) to mainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel (non-GAAP measure). Management uses mainline operating costs excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our current operating performance and for period-to-period comparisons. The price of fuel, over which we have no control, impacts the comparability of period-to-period financial performance. The adjustment to exclude aircraft fuel and special items allows management an additional tool to better understand and analyze our non-fuel costs and core operating performance.

The major components of our total mainline CASM and our mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel for the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2017 and 2016 and 2015:are as follows (amounts may not recalculate due to rounding):

 

   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
 
   2016  2015  
   (In cents, except percentage changes) 

Mainline CASM:

    

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   2.03    2.71    (25.1

Salaries, wages and benefits

   4.40    3.94    11.7  

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   0.73    0.80    (8.3

Other rent and landing fees

   0.73    0.71    2.5  

Aircraft rent

   0.49    0.52    (5.0

Selling expenses

   0.54    0.58    (7.3

Depreciation and amortization

   0.61    0.56    9.7  

Special items, net

   0.24    0.34    (27.4

Other

   1.84    1.81    1.8  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Total mainline CASM

   11.62    11.97    (2.9

Special items, net

   (0.24  (0.34  (27.4

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   (2.03  (2.71  (25.1
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Mainline CASM, excluding special items and fuel(1)

   9.35    8.92    4.8  
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

(1)

We believe that the presentation of mainline CASM excluding fuel is useful to investors because both the cost and availability of fuel are subject to many economic and political factors beyond our control, and the exclusion of special items provides investors the ability to measure financial performance in a way that is more indicative of our ongoing performance and that is more comparable to measures reported by other major airlines. Management uses mainline CASM excluding special items and fuel to evaluate our operating performance. Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

   Six Months Ended
June 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   2017 2016 
   (In cents, except percentage changes)

Mainline CASM:

       

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

    2.42   1.95   24.4

Salaries, wages and benefits

    4.85   4.43   9.7

Maintenance, materials and repairs

    0.82   0.72   13.4

Other rent and landing fees

    0.74   0.73   1.6

Aircraft rent

    0.49   0.51   (3.2)

Selling expenses

    0.58   0.53   8.2

Depreciation and amortization

    0.68   0.61   12.9

Special items, net

    0.27   0.13   99.7

Other

    1.96   1.83   6.9
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Total mainline CASM

    12.82   11.45   12.0

Special items, net

    (0.27)   (0.13)   99.7

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

    (2.42)   (1.95)   24.4
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Mainline CASM, excluding special items and fuel

    10.13   9.36   8.2
   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Significant changes in the components of mainline CASM are as follows:

 

Aircraft fuel and related taxes per ASM decreased 25.1%increased 24.4% primarily due to a 24.0% decrease25.7% increase in the average price per gallon of fuel to $1.36$1.65 in the first ninesix months of 20162017 from $1.80$1.31 in the 2015 period.2016 period, offset in part by a 1.1% decrease in gallons of fuel consumed.

 

Salaries, wages and benefits per ASM increased 11.7%9.7% primarily due to increased costs associated with new labor contractsmid-contract pay rate increases for pilots and flight attendants effective in the additionsecond quarter of an employee profit sharing program2017, as well as rate increases for maintenance and fleet service work groups, which became effective January 1,in the third quarter of 2016. During the first nine months of 2016, we accrued $257 million for this profit sharing program.

 

Maintenance, materials and repairs per ASM decreased 8.3% and wasincreased 13.4% as compared to the 2016 period primarily driven by fewer engine overhauls due to a contract change impacting the timing of maintenance cycles inexpenses incurred. Certain flight equipment was transitioned to a new flight hour based contract (referred to as power by the first nine months of 2016hour) where expense is incurred and recognized based on actual hours flown. Previously this flight equipment was covered by a time and materials based contract where expense is incurred and recognized as compared to the 2015 period.

Aircraft rent per ASM decreased 5.0% and was primarily due to expirations and early exiting of aircraft leases, driven by our fleet renewal program.maintenance is performed.

 

Selling expenses per ASM decreased 7.3%increased 8.2% primarily due to lowerhigher revenues in the first ninesix months of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period, resulting in lower commissions and credit card fees.higher commissions.

 

Depreciation and amortization per ASM increased 9.7%12.9% primarily due to newaircraft purchased aircraft deliveries since the end of the third quarter of 2015 in connection with our fleet renewal program.

40


Other operating expenses per ASM increased 6.9% primarily due to expenses associated with improving our product offerings, customer experience and operational reliability.

Operating Special Items, Net

   Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017  2016
   (In millions)

Merger integration expenses(1)

   $130   $201

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

    111    41

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

    20    (61)

Labor contract expenses(3)

    45    

Other operating charges (credits), net

    14    (20)
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mainline operating special items, net

    320    161

Regional operating special items, net(4)

    4    8
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating special items, net

   $324   $169
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

(1)

Merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and training. Additionally, the 2016 period also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, re-branded uniforms, relocation and severance.

(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

(3)

Labor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a result of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the second quarter of 2017.

(4)

Regional operating special items, net principally related to Merger integration expenses.

Regional Operating Expenses

Total regional

   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   2017  2016    
   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   $      648   $      498   $      150          30.0

Other

    2,546    2,452    94    3.8
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total regional operating expenses

   $3,194   $2,950   $244    8.3
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Regional operating expenses decreased $48increased $244 million, or 1.1%8.3%, in the first ninesix months of 20162017 from the 20152016 period. The period-over-period decreaseincrease was primarily due to a $169$150 million, decreaseor 30.0%, increase in fuel costs offset in part byand a $121$94 million, or 3.8%, increase in other regional operating expenses. The average price per gallon of fuel decreased 21.6%increased 27.2% to $1.42$1.72 in the first ninesix months of 20162017 from $1.81$1.35 in the 20152016 period, on a 5.4%2.2% increase in consumption. The increase in other regional operating expenses was primarily driven by a 2.7% increase in capacity, principally due to increasedfrom our wholly-owned regional capacity.carriers. See Note 10 to AAG’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for more detailfurther information on regional operating expenses.

41


Nonoperating Income (Expense)Results

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016 2015   2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Interest income

  $45   $29   54.9     $45   $28   $17 57.7

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (738 (651 13.2  

Interest expense, net

   (520)    (488)    (32) 6.6

Other, net

   (25 (143 (82.2   (5)    (17)    12 (69.2)
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total nonoperating expense, net

  $(718 $(765 (6.2   $    (480)    $    (477)    $(3) 0.8
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

Our short-term investments in each period consisted of highly liquid investments whichthat provided relatively nominal returns. Interest income increased $17 million, or 57.7%, principally due to an increase in interest rates, which drove more than a 50 basis point increase in average yields in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period.

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest increased $87$32 million in the first ninesix months of 20162017 as compared to the 20152016 period primarily due to issuanceshigher outstanding debt as a result of $4.1 billion in aircraft related financings since the end of the third quarter of 2015.associated with our fleet renewal program.

Other nonoperating expense, net in the first nine months of 2016 period primarily included $36 million inof net special charges related to non-cash write offsconsisting of unamortized bond discountsdebt issuance and issuanceextinguishment costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees in connectionassociated with a bond refinancing, offset in part by $19$27 million of foreign currency gains. The foreign currency gains were driven primarily by the weakening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, principally the Brazilian real, which appreciated 19% in the first nine months of 2016.

Other nonoperating expense, net in the first nine months of 2015 included $144 million of foreign currency losses driven primarily by the strengthening of the U.S. dollar in foreign currency transactions relative to other currencies, principally in Latin American and European markets, including a 50% decrease in the value of the Brazilian real, an 8% decrease in the value of the Euro and a 2% decrease in the value of the British pound.

American’s Results of Operations

On December 30, 2015, in order to simplify AAG’s internal corporate structure and as part of the integration efforts following the business combination of AAG and US Airways Group, US Airways merged with and into American, with American as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger of US Airways and American, US Airways transferred all of its assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet commitments to American. For financial reporting purposes, this transaction constituted a transfer of assets between entities under common control and was accounted for at historical cost. As a result, American’s condensed consolidated financial statements as well as this management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (unless otherwise indicated) are presented as though the transaction had occurred on December 9, 2013, when a subsidiary of AMR merged with and into US Airways Group, which represents the earliest date that American and US Airways were under common control. Thus, all periods presented below inAmerican’s Results of Operations are comprised of the financial data of American and US Airways.

American realized pre-tax income of $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Excluding the effects of net special charges, American recognized pre-tax income of $1.5 billion and $1.9 billion in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively.

American realized pre-tax income of $3.9 billion and $4.4 billion in the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively. Excluding the effects of net special charges, American recognized pre-tax income of $4.4 billion and $5.1 billion in the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively.

American’s 2016 third quarter and first nine months results on both a GAAP basis and excluding net special charges were impacted by a decline in revenues driven by lower yields and travel demand. In addition, our results were impacted by higher salaries, wages and benefits associated with new labor contracts and the addition of an employee profit sharing program. These impacts were offset in part by a year-over-year decline in fuel prices.

The table below details American’s pre-tax and net income excluding special items (in millions):

   Three Months Ended September 30,   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2016  2015   2016  2015 

Pre-tax income

  $1,223   $1,738    $3,886   $4,408  

Pre-tax special items:

      

Mainline operating special charges, net(1)

   289    163     450    610  

Regional operating special charges, net

   3    2     11    11  

Nonoperating special charges, net(2)

   —      21     36    24  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total pre-tax special items

   292    186     497    645  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Pre-tax income excluding special items

  $1,515   $1,924    $4,383   $5,053  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

  $758   $1,723    $2,441   $4,369  

Total special items:

      

Total pre-tax special items

   292    186     497    645  

Income tax special charges, net

   —      6     —      22  

Net tax effect of special items(3)

   (98  —       (188  —    
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total special items

   194    192     309    667  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income excluding special items

  $952   $1,915    $2,750   $5,036  
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

The 2016 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $289 million, which principally included $225 million of merger integration expenses and a $39 million net charge for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. The 2016 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $450 million, which principally included $467 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $22 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations. For the 2016 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, information technology, alignment of labor union contracts, fleet restructuring, professional fees, relocation and training, as well as severance.

The 2015 third quarter mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $163 million, which principally included $198 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. The 2015 nine month period mainline operating special items totaled a net charge of $610 million, which principally included $741 million of merger integration expenses and a $38 million charge in connection with the dissolution of a joint venture. These charges were offset in part by a $75 million net credit for bankruptcy related items principally consisting of fair value adjustments for bankruptcy settlement obligations and a $66 million credit related to proceeds received from a legal settlement. For the 2015 third quarter and nine month periods, merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, fleet restructuring, alignment of labor union contracts, professional fees, severance, relocation and training, re-branding of aircraft, airport facilities and uniforms, as well as share-based compensation.

(2)

In connection with a bond refinancing, American recorded a $36 million nonoperating special charge in the 2016 nine month period related to non-cash write offs of unamortized bond discounts and issuance costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees.

The 2015 third quarter nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $21 million, which was primarily due to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The 2015 nine month period nonoperating special items totaled a net charge of $24 million, which principally included $41 million in charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with refinancing American’s secured term loan facilities, prepayments of certain aircraft financings and the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. These charges were offset in part by a $17 million early debt extinguishment gain associated with the repayment of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank.

(3)

In the 2015 periods, there was no net tax effect associated with special items. During the 2015 periods, American’s net deferred tax asset, which includes its NOLs, was subject to a full valuation allowance. Accordingly, American’s NOLs offset its taxable income and resulted in the release of a corresponding portion of valuation allowance, which offset the tax provision dollar for dollar.

Income Taxes

In the first six months of 2017, we recorded an income tax provision of $619 million, which was substantially non-cash due to utilization of our NOLs. Substantially all of our income before income taxes is attributable to the United States. At December 31, 2015, American2016, we had approximately $8.8$10.5 billion of gross NOL CarryforwardsNOLs to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2016. American is a member2017.

See Note 6 to AAG’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A for additional information on income taxes.

American’s Results of AAG’s consolidated federal

and certain state income tax returns. The amount of federal NOL Carryforwards available in those returns is $8.0 billion, substantially all of which is expected to be available for use in 2016. The federal NOL Carryforwards will expire beginning in 2022 if unused. American also had approximately $3.7 billion of NOL Carryforwards to reduce future state taxable income at December 31, 2015, which will expire in years 2016 through 2034 if unused. American’s ability to deduct its NOL Carryforwards and to utilize certain other available tax attributes can be substantially constrained under the general annual limitation rules of Section 382 where an “ownership change” has occurred. American experienced an ownership change in connection with its emergence from bankruptcy in 2013. The general limitation rules of Section 382 for a debtor in a bankruptcy case are liberalized where the ownership change occurs upon emergence from bankruptcy. American elected to be covered by certain special rules for federal income tax purposes that permitted approximately $9.5 billion (with $7.3 billion of unlimited NOL remaining at December 31, 2015) of its federal NOL Carryforwards to be utilized without regard to the Section 382 annual limitation rules. Substantially all of American’s remaining federal NOL Carryforwards are subject to limitation under Section 382; however, American’s ability to utilize such NOL Carryforwards is not anticipated to be effectively constrained as a result of such limitation. Similar limitations may apply for state income tax purposes. American’s ability to utilize any new NOL Carryforwards arising after the 2013 ownership changes is not affected by the annual limitation rules imposed by Section 382 unless another ownership change occurs.

At December 31, 2015, American had an Alternative Minimum Tax credit carryforward of approximately $458 million available for federal income tax purposes, which is available for an indefinite period.

In connection with the preparation of American’s financial statements for the fourth quarter of 2015, management determined that it was more likely than not that substantially all of its deferred tax assets, which include its NOLs, would be realized. Accordingly, American reversed $3.5 billion of the valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015.

In the first nine months of 2016, American recorded income tax expense with an effective rate of approximately 38%, which is substantially non-cash as American utilized the NOLs described above. For purposes of taxation, substantially all of American’s income before income taxes is attributable to the United States.

Following the filing of AAG’s 2015 annual tax return in the third quarter of 2016, federal NOLs, substantially all of which are expected to be available to reduce future federal taxable income in 2016 and future years, increased by $2.4 billion. The increase in the federal NOLs is attributable to the election to take bonus depreciation on eligible assets (primarily aircraft) in the 2015 federal income tax return.Operations

Three Months Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 Compared to Three Months Ended SeptemberJune 30, 20152016

American realized pre-tax income of $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion in the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, respectively. Excluding the effects of pre-tax net special items, pre-tax income was $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion in the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

American’s second quarter 2017 pre-tax results on both a GAAP basis and excluding pre-tax net special items were principally driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits and higher fuel costs, which were offset in part by higher revenues.

Operating Revenues

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016  
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Mainline passenger

  $7,419    $7,654     (3.1   $7,747   $7,209   $538   7.5

Regional passenger

   1,731     1,699     1.9     1,835   1,786   49   2.8

Cargo

   171     180     (5.1   196   174   22   13.1

Other

   1,368     1,200     14.0     1,324   1,191   133   11.2
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total operating revenues

  $10,689    $10,733     (0.4   $    11,102   $    10,360   $         742   7.2
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total operatingpassenger revenues increased $587 million, or 6.5%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 2017 from the 2016 decreased $44period primarily driven by a period-over-period increase in consolidated passenger yields.

Cargo revenue increased $22 million, or 0.4%13.1%, in the second quarter of 2017 from the 2015 period. Mainline and regional passenger revenues declined $203 million, or 2.2%, as compared to the 20152016 period primarily driven by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness outside of the United States and foreign currency weakness. The decline in mainline and regional passenger revenues was offset in part by an increase in freight volume.

42


Other revenue primarily includes revenue associated with American’s loyalty program, baggage fees, ticketing change fees, airport clubs and inflight services. Other revenue increased $133 million, or 11.2%, in the second quarter of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in loyalty program revenue. In the second quarters of 2017 and 2016, other revenue associated with American’s loyalty program was $581 million and $461 million, respectively, of which $549 million and $430 million, respectively, related to the marketing component of mileage sales and other marketing related payments. This period-over-period increase was primarily due to revenue generated from therevenues associated with American’s new co-branded credit card agreements effective in the third quarter of 2016. Significant changes in the components of operating revenues are as follows:

Mainline passenger revenues decreased $235 million, or 3.1%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period due to a decrease in yield and RPMs.

Regional passenger revenues increased $32 million, or 1.9%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period due to higher RPMs, offset in part by a decrease in yield.

Cargo revenue decreased $9 million, or 5.1%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period driven primarily by a decrease in domestic and international freight yields.

Other revenue increased $168 million, or 14.0%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 period primarily due to new co-branded credit card agreementsthat became effective in the third quarter of 2016.

Total operating revenues in the second quarter of 2017 increased $742 million, or 7.2%, from the 2016 period driven principally by a 6.5% increase in total passenger revenues as described above.

Mainline Operating Expenses

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $1,393    $1,593     (12.6   $    1,510   $    1,314   $       196 14.9

Salaries, wages and benefits

   2,770     2,402     15.3     2,999   2,668   331 12.5

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   481     456     5.3     495   453   42 9.4

Other rent and landing fees

   463     432     7.2     452   458   (6) (1.2)

Aircraft rent

   299     308     (3.0   294   302   (8) (2.8)

Selling expenses

   347     366     (5.0   376   334   42 12.5

Depreciation and amortization

   399     336     18.6     418   374   44 11.5

Special items, net

   289     163     77.8     202   62   140 nm

Other

   1,184     1,133     4.6     1,200   1,128   72 6.3
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total mainline operating expenses

   7,625     7,189     6.1     $7,946   $7,093   $853 12.0

Regional expenses:

      

Fuel

   303     310     (2.4

Other

   1,329     1,231     7.9  
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total regional operating expenses

   1,632     1,541     5.9  
  

 

   

 

   

Total operating expenses

  $9,257    $8,730     6.0  
  

 

   

 

   

TotalMainline operating expenses increased $853 million, or 12.0%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 2016 increased $527 million, or 6.0%,2017 from the 20152016 period. SignificantThe increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by higher salaries, wages and benefits as well as higher fuel costs. Detailed explanations related to the changes in the components ofAmerican’s mainline operating expenses are as follows:

 

Aircraft fuel and related taxes decreased $200 million, or 12.6%, in the third quarter of 2016 from the 2015 periodincreased 14.9% primarily due to a decrease14.5% increase in the average price per gallon of fuel.fuel to $1.62 in the second quarter of 2017 from $1.41 in the 2016 period.

 

Salaries, wages and benefits increased $368 million, or 15.3%,12.5% primarily due to mid-contract pay rate increases for pilots and flight attendants effective in the second quarter of 2017, as well as rate increases for maintenance and fleet service work groups, which became effective in the third quarter of 2016 from2016.

Maintenance, materials and repairs increased 9.4% as compared to the 20152016 period primarily due to increased costs associated witha contract change impacting the timing of maintenance expenses incurred. Certain flight equipment was transitioned to a new labor contractsflight hour based contract (referred to as power by the hour) where expense is incurred and the addition of an employee profit sharing program effective January 1, 2016. During the third quarter of 2016, American accrued $86 million forrecognized based on actual hours flown. Previously this profit sharing program.

Other rentflight equipment was covered by a time and landing fees increased $31 million, or 7.2%,materials based contract where expense is incurred and was primarily driven by rate increases at certain airports in the third quarter of 2016recognized as compared to the 2015 period.maintenance is performed.

 

Selling expenses decreased $19 million, or 5.0%,increased 12.5% primarily due to lowerhigher revenues in the thirdsecond quarter of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period, resulting in lower commissions and credit card fees.higher commissions.

 

Depreciation and amortization increased $63 million, or 18.6%,11.5% primarily due to newaircraft purchased aircraft deliveries since the end of the third quarter of 2015 in connection with American’s fleet renewal program.

Other operating expenses increased 6.3% primarily due to expenses associated with improving our product offerings, customer experience and operational reliability.

43


Operating Special Items, Net

       Three Months Ended June 30,    
   2017  2016
   (In millions)

Merger integration expenses(1)

   $68   $97

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

    48    15

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

    38    (56)

Labor contract expenses(3)

    45    

Other operating charges, net

    3    6
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mainline operating special items, net

    202    62

Regional operating special items, net(4)

    1    3
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating special items, net

   $203   $65
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

(1)

Merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and training. Additionally, the 2016 period also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, re-branded uniforms, relocation and severance.

(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

(3)

Labor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a result of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the second quarter of 2017.

(4)

Regional operating special items, net principally related to Merger integration expenses.

Regional Operating Expenses

Total regional

   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   2017  2016    
   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   $329   $279   $50    18.0

Other

    1,300    1,231    69    5.6
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total regional operating expenses

   $1,629   $1,510   $  119    7.9
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Regional operating expenses increased $91$119 million, or 5.9%7.9%, in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 from the 20152016 period. The period-over-period increase was primarily due to a $98$50 million, or 18.0%, increase in fuel costs and a $69 million, or 5.6%, increase in other regional operating expenses. The average price per gallon of fuel increased 15.9% to $1.69 in the second quarter of 2017 from $1.46 in the 2016 period, on a 1.8% increase in consumption. The increase in other regional operating expenses principally due towas primarily driven by increased flying under capacity purchase agreements, offset in part by a $7 million decrease in fuel costs due to a decrease in the average price per gallon of fuel.capacity. See Note 8 to American’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1B for more detailfurther information on regional operating expenses.

Nonoperating Income (Expense)Results

 

  Three Months Ended
September 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Three Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016 2015   2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Interest income

  $28   $13   nm     $53   $25   $28 nm

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (229 (197 16.3  

Interest expense, net

   (246)    (228)          (18 8.4

Other, net

   (8 (81 (89.8   (5)    (26)    21 (82.7)
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total nonoperating expense, net

  $(209 $(265 (21.2   $    (198)    $    (229)    $31 (13.4)
  

 

  

 

     

 

    

 

    

 

  

American’s short-term investments in each period consisted of highly liquid investments whichthat provided relatively nominal returns. Interest income increased $28 million principally due to an increase in interest rates, which drove more than a 50 basis point increase in average yields in the second quarter of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period.

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest increased $32$18 million in the thirdsecond quarter of 20162017 as compared to the 20152016 period primarily due to issuanceshigher outstanding debt as a result of $4.1 billion in aircraft related financings since the end of the third quarter of 2015.associated with American’s fleet renewal program.

44


Other nonoperating expense, net in the third quarter2016 period primarily included $36 million of 2016 included $7net special charges consisting of debt issuance and extinguishment costs associated with a bond refinancing, offset in part by $17 million of foreign currency losses.gains.

Other nonoperating expense, netIncome Taxes

In the second quarter 2017, American recorded an income tax provision of $502 million, which was substantially non-cash due to utilization of its NOLs. Substantially all of American’s income before income taxes is attributable to the United States. At December 31, 2016, American had approximately $11.3 billion of gross NOLs to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in 2017.

See Note 4 to American’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1B for additional information on income taxes.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2016

American realized pre-tax income of $1.7 billion and $2.7 billion in the third quarterfirst six months of 2015 included $62 million2017 and 2016, respectively. Excluding the effects of foreign currency lossespre-tax net special items, pre-tax income was $2.1 billion and $21 million in special charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. The foreign currency losses$2.9 billion in the 2015 periodfirst six months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

American’s pre-tax results on both a GAAP basis and excluding pre-tax net special items for the first six months of 2017 were principally driven primarily by the strengthening of the U.S. dollarhigher fuel costs as well as higher salaries, wages and benefits, which were offset in foreign currency transactions relative to other currencies, principally in Latin American and European markets, including a 30% decrease in the value of the Brazilian real and a 4% decrease in the value of the British pound.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015part by higher revenues.

Operating Revenues

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016  
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Mainline passenger

  $21,192    $22,298     (5.0   $14,353   $13,773   $580   4.2

Regional passenger

   5,040     4,910     2.7     3,384   3,309   75   2.3

Cargo

   506     568     (10.9   368   336   32   9.8

Other

   3,897     3,647     6.8     2,617   2,369   248   10.5
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total operating revenues

  $30,635    $31,423     (2.5   $20,722   $19,787   $     935   4.7
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

    

Total passenger revenues increased $655 million, or 3.8%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by a period-over-period increase in consolidated passenger yields.

Cargo revenue increased $32 million, or 9.8%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in freight volume.

Other revenue primarily includes revenue associated with American’s loyalty program, baggage fees, ticketing change fees, airport clubs and inflight services. Other revenue increased $248 million, or 10.5%, in the first six months of 2017 from the 2016 period primarily driven by an increase in loyalty program revenue. In the first six months of 2017 and 2016, other revenue associated with American’s loyalty program was $1.2 billion and $952 million, respectively, of which $1.1 billion and $856 million, respectively, related to the marketing component of mileage sales and other marketing related payments. This period-over-period increase was primarily due to revenues associated with American’s new co-branded credit card agreements that became effective in the third quarter of 2016.

Total operating revenues in the first ninesix months of 2016 decreased $7882017 increased $935 million, or 2.5%4.7%, from the 20152016 period primarily due todriven principally by a decline3.8% increase in mainline and regionaltotal passenger revenues driven by competitive capacity growth, continued macroeconomic softness outside of the United States and foreign currency weakness. Significant changes in the components of operating revenues are as follows:described above.

 

Mainline passenger revenues decreased $1.1 billion, or 5.0%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 period due to a decrease in yield.45

Regional passenger revenues increased $130 million, or 2.7%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 period due to higher RPMs, offset in part by a decrease in yield.

Cargo revenue decreased $62 million, or 10.9%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 period driven primarily by a decrease in domestic and international freight yields.


Mainline Operating Expenses

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
   Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016   2015     2017  2016   
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

  $3,736    $4,912     (23.9   $2,912   $2,343   $569 24.2

Salaries, wages and benefits

   8,087     7,134     13.4     5,823   5,318   505 9.5

Maintenance, materials and repairs

   1,352     1,452     (6.9   987   871   116 13.3

Other rent and landing fees

   1,342     1,290     4.0     892   879   13 1.5

Aircraft rent

   908     941     (3.6   589   609   (20) (3.3)

Selling expenses

   990     1,051     (5.9   694   642   52 8.0

Depreciation and amortization

   1,128     1,013     11.4     822   729   93 12.8

Special items, net

   450     610     (26.3   320   161   159 99.4

Other

   3,391     3,281     3.4     2,354   2,208   146 6.6
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total mainline operating expenses

   21,384     21,684     (1.4   $    15,393   $    13,760   $      1,633 11.9

Regional expenses:

      

Fuel

   801     970     (17.4

Other

   3,937     3,644     8.0  
  

 

   

 

      

 

    

 

    

 

  

Total regional operating expenses

   4,738     4,614     2.7  
  

 

   

 

   

Total operating expenses

  $26,122    $26,298     (0.7
  

 

   

 

   

TotalMainline operating expenses increased $1.6 billion, or 11.9%, in the first ninesix months of 2016 decreased $176 million, or 0.7%,2017 from the 20152016 period. SignificantThe increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by higher fuel costs as well as salaries, wages and benefits. Detailed explanations related to the changes in the components ofAmerican’s mainline operating expenses are as follows:

 

Aircraft fuel and related taxes decreased $1.2 billion, or 23.9%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 periodincreased 24.2% primarily due to a decrease25.7% increase in the average price per gallon of fuel.fuel to $1.65 in the first six months of 2017 from $1.31 in the 2016 period, offset in part by a 1.1% decrease in gallons of fuel consumed.

Salaries, wages and benefits increased $953 million, or 13.4%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 period9.5% primarily due to increased costs associated with new labor contractsmid-contract pay rate increases for pilots and flight attendants effective in the additionsecond quarter of an employee profit sharing program2017, as well as rate increases for maintenance and fleet service work groups, which became effective January 1,in the third quarter of 2016. During the first nine months of 2016, American accrued $257 million for this profit sharing program.

 

Maintenance, materials and repairs decreased $100 million, or 6.9%, and wasincreased 13.3% as compared to the 2016 period primarily driven by fewer engine overhauls due to a contract change impacting the timing of maintenance cycles inexpenses incurred. Certain flight equipment was transitioned to a new flight hour based contract (referred to as power by the first nine months of 2016hour) where expense is incurred and recognized based on actual hours flown. Previously this flight equipment was covered by a time and materials based contract where expense is incurred and recognized as compared to the 2015 period.

Aircraft rent decreased $33 million, or 3.6%, and was primarily due to expirations and early exiting of aircraft leases, driven by American’s fleet renewal program.maintenance is performed.

 

Selling expenses decreased $61 million, or 5.9%, in the first nine months of 2016 from the 2015 periodincreased 8.0% primarily due to lowerhigher revenues in the first ninesix months of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period, resulting in lower commissions and credit card fees.higher commissions.

 

Depreciation and amortization increased $115 million, or 11.4%,12.8% primarily due to newaircraft purchased aircraft deliveries since the end of the third quarter of 2015 in connection with American’s fleet renewal program.

Other operating expenses increased 6.6% primarily due to expenses associated with improving our product offerings, customer experience and operational reliability.

Operating Special Items, Net

   Six Months Ended June 30,
   2017  2016
   (In millions)

Merger integration expenses(1)

   $130   $201

Fleet restructuring expenses(2)

    111    41

Mark-to-market adjustments for bankruptcy obligations and other

    20    (61)

Labor contract expenses(3)

    45    

Other operating charges (credits), net

    14    (20)
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mainline operating special items, net

    320    161

Regional operating special items, net(4)

    4    8
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating special items, net

   $324   $169
   

 

 

    

 

 

 

46


(1)

Merger integration expenses included costs related to information technology, professional fees, re-branding of aircraft and airport facilities and training. Additionally, the 2016 period also included costs related to alignment of labor union contracts, re-branded uniforms, relocation and severance.

(2)

Fleet restructuring expenses driven by the Merger principally included the acceleration of aircraft depreciation and impairments for aircraft grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned.

(3)

Labor contract expenses primarily included one-time charges to adjust the vacation accruals for pilots and flight attendants as a result of the mid-contract pay rate adjustments effective in the second quarter of 2017.

(4)

Regional operating special items, net principally related to Merger integration expenses.

Regional Operating Expenses

Total regional

   Six Months Ended
June 30,
  Increase
(Decrease)
  Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   2017  2016    
   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Aircraft fuel and related taxes

   $648   $498   $150    30.0

Other

    2,551    2,449    102    4.2
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total regional operating expenses

   $3,199   $2,947   $   252    8.6
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

Regional operating expenses increased $124$252 million, or 2.7%8.6%, in the first ninesix months of 20162017 from the 20152016 period. The period-over-period increase was primarily due to a $293$150 million, or 30.0%, increase in fuel costs and a $102 million, or 4.2%, increase in other regional operating expenses. The average price per gallon of fuel increased 27.2% to $1.72 in the first six months of 2017 from $1.35 in the 2016 period, on a 2.2% increase in consumption. The increase in other regional operating expenses principally due towas primarily driven by increased flying under capacity purchase agreements, offset in part by a $169 million decrease in fuel costs due to a decrease in the average price per gallon of fuel.capacity. See Note 8 to American’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1B for more detailfurther information on regional operating expenses.

Nonoperating Income (Expense)Results

 

  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
   Six Months Ended
June 30,
 Increase
(Decrease)
 Percent
Increase
(Decrease)
  2016 2015   2017 2016 
  (In millions, except percentage changes)   (In millions, except percentage changes)

Interest income

  $74   $36   nm     $102 $46 $56 nm

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest

   (674 (587 14.7  

Interest expense, net

   (488) (445) (43) 9.5

Other, net

   (27 (166 (83.7   (5) (18) 13 (71.1)
  

 

  

 

     

 

  

 

  

 

  

Total nonoperating expense, net

  $(627 $(717 (12.6   $(391) $(417) $   26 (6.4)
  

 

  

 

     

 

  

 

  

 

  

American’s short-term investments in each period consisted of highly liquid investments whichthat provided relatively nominal returns. Interest income increased $56 million principally due to an increase in interest rates, which drove more than a 50 basis point increase in average yields in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period.

Interest expense, net of capitalized interest increased $87$43 million in the first ninesix months of 20162017 as compared to the 20152016 period primarily due to issuanceshigher outstanding debt as a result of $4.1 billion in aircraft related financings since the end of the third quarter of 2015.associated with American’s fleet renewal program.

Other nonoperating expense, net in the first nine months of 2016 period primarily included $36 million inof net special charges related to non-cash write offsconsisting of unamortized bond discountsdebt issuance and issuanceextinguishment costs as well as payments of redemption premiums and fees in connectionassociated with a bond refinancing, offset in part by $19$27 million of foreign currency gains. The foreign currency gains were driven primarily by the weakening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, principally the Brazilian real, which appreciated 19% in

Income Taxes

In the first ninesix months of 2016.

Other nonoperating expense, net in the first nine months2017, American recorded an income tax provision of 2015 included $143$650 million, which was substantially non-cash due to utilization of foreign currency losses and a net $24 million in special charges, which principally included $41 million in charges primarily related to non-cash write offs of unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with refinancing American’s secured term loan facilities, prepayments of certain aircraft financings and the purchase and subsequent remarketing of certain special facility revenue bonds. These charges were offset in part by a $17 million early debt extinguishment gain associated with the repaymentits NOLs. Substantially all of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank. The foreign currency losses were driven primarily byincome before income taxes is attributable to the strengtheningUnited States. At December 31, 2016, American had approximately $11.3 billion of the U.S. dollargross NOLs to reduce future federal taxable income, substantially all of which are expected to be available for use in foreign currency transactions relative2017.

See Note 4 to other currencies, principallyAmerican’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Latin American and European markets, including a 50% decrease in the value of the Brazilian real, an 8% decrease in the value of the Euro and a 2% decrease in the value of the British pound.Part I, Item 1B for additional information on income taxes.

47


Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, AAG had approximately $9.2$9.3 billion in total available liquidity and $635$554 million in restricted cash and short-term investments. Additional detail of our available liquidity is provided in the table below (in millions):

 

   AAG   American 
   September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015   September 30, 2016   December 31, 2015 

Cash

  $381    $390    $372    $364  

Short-term investments

   6,374     5,864     6,371     5,862  

Undrawn revolver capacity

   2,425     2,425     2,425     2,425  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total available liquidity

  $9,180    $8,679    $9,168    $8,651  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Generally, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, cannot be predicted by us and can significantly affect the value of our cash and short-term investments located outside the United States. These conditions, as well as any further delays, devaluations or imposition of more stringent repatriation restrictions, may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“We operate a global business with international operations that are subject to economic and political instability and have been, and in the future may continue to be, adversely affected by numerous events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control” for additional discussion of this and other currency risks.

   AAG  American
   June 30, 2017  December 31, 2016  June 30, 2017  December 31, 2016

Cash

   $386   $322   $368   $310

Short-term investments

    6,500    6,037    6,498    6,034

Undrawn revolving credit facilities

    2,425    2,425    2,425    2,425
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total available liquidity

   $9,311   $8,784   $9,291   $8,769
   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Share Repurchase Programs

Since July 2014, our Board of Directors has approved severalsix share repurchase programs aggregating $9.0$11.0 billion of authorityauthority. As of which, as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016, $555 million2017, $1.0 billion remained unused under a repurchase programsprogram that expireexpires on December 31, 2017.2018. Share repurchases under our share repurchase programs may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades or accelerated share repurchase transactions. Any such repurchases will be made from time to time subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. Our share repurchase programs do not obligate us to repurchase any specific number of shares and may be suspended at any time at our discretion.

During the three months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we repurchased 18.210.0 million shares of AAG common stock for $616$450 million at a weighted average cost per share of $33.87.$45.01. During the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we repurchased 107.721.7 million shares of AAG common stock for $3.9$962 million at a weighted average cost per share of $44.36. Since the inception of our share repurchase programs in July 2014, we have repurchased 250.0 million shares of AAG common stock for $10.0 billion at a weighted average cost per share of $35.87. Since the inception of the share repurchase programs in July 2014, we have repurchased 216.2 million shares of AAG common stock for $8.4 billion at a weighted average cost per share of $39.06.$39.84.

Cash Dividends Paid

Our Board of Directors declared the following cash dividends during the first ninesix months of 2016:2017:

 

Period

  Per share   For stockholders
of record as of
   Payable on   Cash paid
(millions)
   Per share  For stockholders
of record as of
  Payable on  Total
(millions)

First Quarter

  $0.10     February 10, 2016     February 24, 2016    $61     $  0.10   February 13, 2017   February 27, 2017   $51

Second Quarter

  $0.10     May 4, 2016     May 18, 2016     58     $  0.10   May 16, 2017   May 30, 2017   50

Third Quarter

  $0.10     August 5, 2016     August 19, 2016     53  
        

 

             

 

 

Total

        $172              $101
        

 

             

 

 

In October 2016,July 2017, we announced that our Board of Directors had declared a $0.10 per share dividend for stockholders of record on November 7, 2016,August 14, 2017, and payable on November 21, 2016.August 28, 2017.

Any future dividends that may be declared and paid from time to time will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. We are not obligated to continue a dividend for any fixed period, and payment of dividends may be suspended at any time at our discretion.

Sources and Uses of Cash

AAG and American

Operating Activities

AAG’sOur net cash provided by operating activities was $5.9$3.9 billion and $6.0$4.8 billion for the first ninesix months of 20162017 and 2015, respectively. While AAG’s profitability was lower in the 2016, period as compared to the same period in 2015, cash provided by operating activities remained relatively flat on a year-over-year basis due to favorable changes in working capital primarily driven by certain payments related to our new co-branded credit card agreements effective in the third quarter of 2016.

American’s net cash provided by operating activities was $1.8 billion and $3.9 billion for the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively, a period-over-period decrease of $2.1 billion.$895 million. The decline in operating cash flowsdecrease was primarily due to American’s increased cash funding of AAG’s share repurchases and dividend paymentslower profitability in the 2016 period. In addition, American received the proceedsfirst six months of the $500 million senior notes issued2017 driven by AAG during the first quarter of 2015,higher fuel costs as well as salaries, wages and benefits, which also contributed to the period-over-period declinewere offset in operating cash flows.part by higher revenues.

Investing Activities

NetOur net cash used in investing activities was $4.6$3.3 billion and $6.0$3.8 billion for the first ninesix months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Our principal investing activities in the 2017 period included expenditures of $3.2 billion for property and 2015, respectively, for both AAGequipment, primarily 42 aircraft, including 15 Airbus A321 aircraft, 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, nine Embraer 175 aircraft, and American.eight

AAG

48


Boeing 787 aircraft. We also had $456 million in net purchases of short-term investments. These cash outflows were offset in part by $313 million of proceeds from the sale of property and American’sequipment, primarily including cash proceeds from aircraft sale-leaseback transactions.

Our principal investing activities in the 2016 period included expenditures of $4.3$3.1 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, for property and equipment, consisting primarily of the purchase of newly delivered56 aircraft, including 1915 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, 13 Airbus A321 aircraft, 18 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, 1812 Embraer 175 aircraft, 1510 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, fivefour Boeing 787 family aircraft and two Boeing 777 aircraft, as well as $491aircraft. We also had $795 million in net purchases of short-term investments.

AAG and American’s principal investing activities in the 2015 period each included expenditures of $4.6 billion for property and equipment, consisting primarily of the purchase of newly delivered aircraft including 24 Airbus A321 aircraft, 15 Embraer 175 aircraft, 14 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, 12 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, 11 Boeing 787 aircraft, seven Airbus A319 aircraft and one Boeing 777 aircraft, the purchase of five Boeing 757 aircraft previously being leased, as well as $1.6 billion in net purchases of short-term investments.

Financing Activities

AAG’sOur net cash used in financing activities was $1.3$621 million and $1.0 billion for the first ninesix months of 2017 and 2016, as compared to $33 million provided byrespectively.

Our principal financing activities forin the first nine months2017 period included proceeds of 2015. American’s net$1.6 billion from the issuance of debt, primarily the issuance of $1.1 billion of EETCs and $533 million borrowed in connection with the financing of certain aircraft. These cash providedinflows were offset in part by financing activities was $2.8$1.1 billion in scheduled debt repayments, $1.0 billion in share repurchases and $2.2 billion for the first nine months of 2016 and 2015, respectively.$102 million in dividend payments.

AAG and American’sOur principal financing activities in the 2016 period each included proceeds of $5.4$4.5 billion from the issuance of debt, primarily including the $2.1 billion issuance of enhanced equipment trust certifications (EETCs) by American,$1.7 billion of EETCs, $1.0 billion provided under the 2016 Term Loan Facility, thean $844 million issuance of special facility revenue refunding bonds related to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)JFK and an additional $1.4$1.0 billion borrowed in connection with the financing of certain aircraft. These cash inflows were offset in part by $3.2 billion in share repurchases, $2.2 million in debt repayments, of $2.5 billion by AAG and American, primarily including the repayment of approximately $588 million in remaining principal of the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility Tranche B-2 and the refunding of approximately $1.0 billion of special facility revenue bonds related to JFK. In addition, AAG had cash outflows of $3.9 billion in share repurchasesJFK, and $172$119 million in dividend payments.

AAGAmerican

Operating Activities

American’s net cash provided by operating activities was $2.8 billion and $1.4 billion for the first six months of 2017 and 2016, respectively, a period-over-period increase of $1.3 billion. We have the ability to move funds freely between our subsidiaries to support our cash requirements. The increase in operating cash flows during the first six months of 2017 as compared to the 2016 period was primarily due to a decrease in intercompany cash transfers from American to AAG. This increase in operating cash flows was offset in part by lower profitability in the first six months of 2017 driven by higher fuel costs as well as salaries, wages and benefits, which were offset in part by higher revenues.

Investing Activities

American’s net cash used in investing activities was $3.2 billion and $3.7 billion for the first six months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

American’s principal investing activities in the 2017 period included expenditures of $3.2 billion for property and equipment, primarily 42 aircraft, including 15 Airbus A321 aircraft, 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, nine Embraer 175 aircraft, and eight Boeing 787 aircraft. American also had $456 million in net purchases of short-term investments. These cash outflows were offset in part by $312 million of proceeds from the sale of property and equipment, primarily including cash proceeds from aircraft sale-leaseback transactions.

American’s principal investing activities in the 2016 period included expenditures of $3.0 billion for property and equipment, primarily 56 aircraft, including 15 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, 13 Airbus A321 aircraft, 12 Embraer 175 aircraft, 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, four Boeing 787 aircraft and two Boeing 777 aircraft. American also had $795 million in net purchases of short-term investments.

Financing Activities

American’s net cash provided by financing activities was $494 million and $2.3 billion for the first six months of 2017 and 2016, respectively.

American’s principal financing activities in the 20152017 period included proceeds of $1.6 billion from the issuance of debt, of $4.5 billion and $4.0 billion, respectively, primarily including the $2.3 billion issuance of $1.1 billion of EETCs by American and $533 million borrowed in connection with the $500 million issuancefinancing of 4.625% senior notes by AAG.certain aircraft. These cash inflows were offset in part by $1.1 billion in scheduled debt repayments.

49


American’s principal financing activities in the 2016 period included proceeds of $4.5 billion from the issuance of debt, primarily including the issuance of $1.7 billion of EETCs, $1.0 billion provided under the 2016 Term Loan Facility, an $844 million issuance of special facility revenue refunding bonds related to JFK and an additional $1.0 billion borrowed in connection with the financing of certain aircraft. These cash inflows were offset in part by $2.2 billion in debt repayments, of $1.8 billion by AAG and American,primarily including the $400 million repayment of American’s AAdvantage loan with Citibank. In addition, AAG had cash outflows of $2.4 billion in share repurchases and $206$588 million in dividend payments.remaining principal of the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility Tranche B-2 and the refunding of approximately $1.0 billion of special facility revenue bonds related to JFK.

Commitments

Significant Indebtedness

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, AAG and American had $23.6$25.1 billion and $21.8$23.3 billion, respectively, including current maturities of $2.3 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively, in long-term debt and capital leases (including current maturities of $1.8 billion each).leases. During the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, there have been no material changes in our significant indebtedness as discussed in our 20152016 Form 10-K, except for our new 2016 Credit Facilities, the repayment of the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility Tranche B-2, the refinancing of certain special facility revenue bonds related to JFK, the amendment of the 2014 Credit Facilities to reduce the applicable interest rate margins, and new aircraft related indebtedness. Seeas discussed in Note 5 to AAG’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A and Note 3 to American’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1B for all indebtedness as of September 30, 2016, as well as 2016 financing activities.1B.

Collateral Related Covenants

Certain of our debt financing agreements contain loan to value ratio covenants and require us to annually appraise the related collateral.collateral annually. Pursuant to such agreements, if the loan to value ratio exceeds a specified threshold, we are required, as applicable, to

pledge additional qualifying collateral (which in some cases may include cash collateral), or pay down such financing, in whole or in part. WeAs of June 30, 2017, we were in compliance with the collateral coverage tests for the 2013 Credit Facilities, 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility, the 2014 Credit Facilities, the April 2016 Credit Facilities and the December 2016 Credit Facilities as of the most recent measurement dates.

Credit Ratings

The following table details ourAAG and American’s credit ratings as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016:2017:

 

   S&P
Local Issuer
CreditCurrent Rating
Fitch
Issuer Default
Credit Rating
Moody’s
Corporate
Family Rating

AAGS&P Local Issuer Credit Rating

  BB-BB-Ba3

AmericanFitch Issuer Default Credit Rating

  BB-
BB-

Moody’s Corporate Family Rating(1)

  *Ba3

 

*(1)

The credit agency does not rate this category for the respective entity.American.

A decrease in our credit ratings could cause our borrowing costs to increase, which would increase our interest expense and could affect our net income, and our credit ratings could adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing. If our financial performance or industry conditions worsen, we may face future downgrades, which could negatively impact our borrowing costs and the prices of our equity or debt securities. In addition, any downgrade of our credit ratings may indicate a decline in our business and in our ability to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “Increased costs of financing, a reduction in the availability of financing and fluctuations in interest rates could adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition” for additional discussion.

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Aircraft and Engine Purchase Commitments

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we havehad definitive purchase agreements with Airbus, Boeing and Embraer for the acquisition of the following mainline and regional aircraft:

 

  Remainder
of 2016
   2017   2018   2019   2020   2021 and
Thereafter
   Total   Remainder
of 2017
   2018   2019   2020   2021   2022 and
Thereafter
   Total 

Airbus

                            

A320 Family

   6     20     —       —       —       —       26     5                        5 

A320neo Family

   —       —       —       25     25     50     100             25    25    25    25    100 

A350 XWB

   —       —       2     5     5     10     22                 2    5    15    22 
Boeing                            

737-800

   5     20     —       —       —       —       25     10                        10 

737 MAX Family

   —       4     16     20     20     40     100     4    16    20    20    20    20    100 

787 Family

   3     13     8     —       —       —       24     5    6    2                13 
Embraer                            

ERJ175(1)

   6     12     —       —       —       —       18     7                        7 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

Total

   20     69     26     50     50     100     315     31    22    47    47    50    60    257 

 

(1)

These aircraft may be operated by wholly-owned subsidiaries or leased to third-party regional carrierssubsidiaries which would operate the aircraft under capacity purchase arrangements.

We also have agreements for 4842 spare engines to be delivered in 20162017 and beyond. Under all of our aircraft and engine purchase agreements, our total future commitments as of September 30, 2016 are expected to be as follows (in millions):

   Remainder
of 2016
   2017   2018   2019   2020   2021 and
Thereafter
   Total 

Payments for the above aircraft commitments and certain engines(1)

  $1,089    $4,060    $2,196    $3,119    $3,138    $5,512    $19,114  

(1)

These amounts are net of purchase deposits currently held by the manufacturers and include all commitments for regional aircraft. American has granted a security interest in its purchase deposits with Boeing. Our purchase deposits held by all manufacturers totaled $1.1 billion as of September 30, 2016.

In July 2016, we amended our purchase agreement with Airbus, the principal purpose of which was to revise the delivery schedule of the A350s, and such revised delivery schedule is reflected in the table and future payment schedule above. Prior to the effectiveness of the amendment, the delivery schedule for the A350s was four in 2017, 10 in 2018, six in 2019 and two in 2020.

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we did not have financing commitments for the following aircraft currently on order and scheduled to be delivered through the end of 2017: 19 Airbus A320 familythree Boeing 737-800 aircraft, in 2017, 12five Boeing 787 family aircraft in 2017, ten Boeing 737-800 aircraft in 2017 and four Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft in 2017.aircraft. In addition, we do not have financing commitments in place for substantially all aircraft currently on order and scheduled to be delivered in 2018 and beyond. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –We “We will need to obtain sufficient financing or other capital to operate successfully.”

Labor Agreements

In March 2016, we reached a tentative agreement with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) for a new five-year joint collective bargaining agreement applicable to dispatchers and operational specialists, which was ratified by TWU membership in April 2016 and provides immediate and significant pay increases.

In August 2016, we reached an interim agreement with the Transport Workers Union International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (TWU-IAM) to move approximately 35,000 maintenance, fleet service, stores and planner employees represented by the TWU-IAM to new pay rates and to provide additional flexibility in assigning work to these employees. This new interim agreement provides immediate and significant pay increases and does not constitute a new joint collective bargaining agreement, and negotiations for such an agreement will continue.

In September 2016, we reached a tentative agreement with the TWU-IAM on a new joint collective bargaining agreement applicable to flight simulator engineers, which is subject to ratification by the TWU-IAM membership.

In October 2016, we reached a tentative agreement with the TWU on a new joint collective bargaining agreement applicable to flight crew training instructors and simulator instructors, which is subject to ratification by the TWU membership.

Co-branded Credit Card Agreements

In July 2016, American, Citi, Barclaycard US and MasterCard announced new agreements relating to American’s co-branded credit card program. Under the new arrangements, American will partner with two banks to provide co-branded credit cards. Citi and Barclaycard US will both issue AAdvantage co-branded credit cards commencing in January 2017. American also announced a new exclusive partnership and direct relationship with MasterCard. All new AAdvantage co-branded credit cards will be affiliated with MasterCard going forward. Consistent with our prior co-branded credit card agreements, we are accounting for these new agreements in accordance with Accounting Standards Update 2009-13, “Revenue Recognition (Topic 605) – Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements” as disclosed in our critical accounting policies and the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes contained in our 2015 Form 10-K.

Republic Capacity Purchase Agreement

Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic), commenced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case on February 25, 2016. As part of Republic’s restructuring process and with bankruptcy court approval, in September 2016 we entered into an amendment to our contractual relationship with Republic, that, among other things, provided for the reduction in the number of aircraft operated by Republic on our behalf to 76 E175 aircraft (a reduction of 20 E170 and nine E175 aircraft). In addition, we have reached a settlement with Republic which, if approved by the bankruptcy court, would allow an unsecured claim on behalf of American in the amount of $250 million, to compensate us for losses and damages that we incurred under the existing contract with Republic. It is not possible, at this point, however, to quantify the value of a recovery on such claim. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“If we encounter problems with any of our third-party regional operators or third-party service providers, our operations could be adversely affected by a resulting decline in revenue or negative public perception about our services”successfully” for additional discussion.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

An off-balance sheet arrangement is any transaction, agreement or other contractual arrangement involving an unconsolidated entity under which a company has (1) made guarantees, (2) a retained or a contingent interest in transferred assets, (3) an obligation under derivative instruments classified as equity or (4) any obligation arising out of a material variable interest in an unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support to us, or that engages in leasing, hedging or research and development arrangements with us.

There have been no material changes in our off-balance sheet arrangements as discussed in our 20152016 Form 10-K.

Labor Contracts

In the second quarter of 2017, we implemented a mid-contract hourly base pay rate adjustment for our flight attendants and pilots of an average of approximately 5% and 8%, respectively. We estimate that this adjustment will result in an increase in our salary and benefits expense of approximately $230 million for 2017 and $350 million for 2018 and 2019. The amendable dates for these workgroups are December 2019 (flight attendants) and January 2020 (pilots).

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AAG Contractual Obligations

The following table provides details of our future cash contractual obligations as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016:2017 (in millions):

 

   Payments Due by Period 
   Remainder
of 2016
   2017   2018   2019   2020   2021 and
Thereafter
   Total 

American

              

Debt and capital lease obligations(1), (3)

  $322    $1,853    $1,891    $2,885    $3,342    $11,483    $21,776  

Interest obligations(2), (3)

   209     864     788     683     562     1,699     4,805  

Commitments for aircraft and engine purchases(4)

   1,089     4,060     2,196     3,119     3,138     5,512     19,114  

Operating lease commitments(5)

   500     2,253     2,013     1,799     1,615     4,919     13,099  

Regional capacity purchase agreements(6)

   385     1,547     1,256     998     984     3,407     8,577  

Minimum pension obligations(7)

   —       —       164     1,205     902     4,199     6,470  

Retiree medical and other purchase obligations

   156     453     322     212     123     371     1,637  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total American Contractual Obligations

  $2,661    $11,030    $8,630    $10,901    $10,666    $31,590    $75,478  

AAG and Other AAG Subsidiaries

              

Debt and capital lease obligations(1)

  $—      $—      $500    $750    $506    $24    $1,780  

Interest obligations(2)

   37     97     82     67     14     9     306  

Operating lease commitments

   2     9     6     1     —       —       18  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total AAG Contractual Obligations

  $2,700    $11,136    $9,218    $11,719    $11,186    $31,623    $77,582  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

   Payments Due by Period 
   Remainder
of 2017
   2018   2019   2020   2021   2022 and
Thereafter
   Total 

American

              

Debt and capital lease obligations(1) (3)

   $820    $2,078    $2,105    $3,513    $2,778    $12,024    $23,318 

Interest obligations(2) (3)

   474    927    849    740    608    1,800    5,398 

Aircraft and engine purchase commitments(4)

   1,778    1,664    2,714    2,837    2,959    3,741    15,693 

Operating lease commitments(5)

   1,042    2,054    1,838    1,668    1,266    3,987    11,855 

Regional capacity purchase agreements(6)

   836    1,395    1,284    1,051    858    2,745    8,169 

Minimum pension obligations (7)

       62    1,136    800    793    3,082    5,873 

Retiree medical and other postretirement benefits and other obligations (8)

   793    1,075    471    136    280    322    3,077 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total American Contractual Obligations

   $5,743    $9,255    $10,397    $10,745    $9,542    $27,701    $73,383 

AAG Parent and Other AAG Subsidiaries

              

Debt and capital lease obligations(1)

   $    $500    $750    $506    $2    $22    $1,780 

Interest obligations(2)

   48    82    67    14    2    8    221 

Operating lease commitments

   10    15    9    7    9    16    66 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total AAG Contractual Obligations

   $5,801    $9,852    $11,223    $11,272    $9,555    $27,747    $75,450 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) 

Amounts represent contractual amounts due. Excludes $200$229 million and $13$10 million of unamortized debt discount, premium and debt issuance costs as of SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 for American and AAG Parent, respectively. For additional information, see Note 5 and Note 3 to AAG’s and American’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Items 1A and 1B.

(2) 

For variable-rate debt, future interest obligations are estimated using the current forward rates at SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

(3) 

Includes $10.4$11.3 billion of future principal payments and $2.6$2.7 billion of future interest payments, respectively, as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, related to EETC notes associated with mortgage financings for the purchase of certain aircraft.

(4) 

See Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – “Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional information about these obligations.

(5) 

Includes $1.5$1.3 billion of future minimum lease payments related to EETC leverage leased financings of certain aircraft as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

(6) 

Represents minimum payments under capacity purchase agreements with third-party regional carriers. These commitments are estimates of costs based on assumed minimum levels of flying under the capacity purchase agreements and our actual payments could differ materially. In the second quarter of 2017, Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic), a third-party regional carrier operating under a capacity purchase agreement with us, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In connection with Republic’s bankruptcy process, we restructured our contractual relationship with Republic and received an approximate 25% ownership interest in Republic in consideration for our unsecured claim in the case. This ownership interest is accounted for under the equity method and our portion of Republic’s financial results are recognized within other, net on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

(7) 

Includes minimum pension contributions based on actuarially determined estimatesestimates.

(8)

Includes retiree medical and other postretirement benefit payments, a $200 million equity investment in China Southern Airlines, the closing of which is dependent upon obtaining regulatory and is based on estimated payments through 2025. We are required to makeother approvals, and other minimum contributions to our defined benefit pension plans under the minimum funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and various other laws. Based on our current funding assumptions, we have no minimum required contributions until 2018. Currently, our minimum funding obligation for our pension plans is subject to favorable temporary funding rules that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2017. Our pension funding obligations are likely to increase materially following expiration of the temporary funding rules, when we will be required to make contributions relating to the 2018 fiscal year. The amount of these obligations will depend on the performance of our investments held in trust by the pension plans, interest rates for determining liabilities and our actuarial experience.purchase obligations.

Capital Raising Activity and Other Possible Actions

In light of our significant financial commitments related to, among other things, new aircraft, the servicing and amortization of existing debt and equipment leasing arrangements, as well asand future pension funding obligations, we and our subsidiaries will regularly consider, and enter into negotiations related to, capital raising activity, which may include the

52


entry into leasing transactions and future issuances of secured or unsecured debt obligations or additional equity securities in public or private offerings or otherwise. The cash available from operations and these sources, however, may not be sufficient to cover cash contractual obligations because economic factors may reduce the amount of cash generated by operations or increase costs. For instance, an economic downturn or general global instability caused by military actions, terrorism, disease outbreaks or natural disasters could reduce the demand for air travel, which would reduce the amount of cash generated by operations. An increase in costs, either due to an increase in borrowing costs caused by a reduction in credit ratings or a general increase in interest rates, or due to an increase in the cost of fuel,

maintenance, or aircraft, aircraft engines or parts, could decrease the amount of cash available to cover cash contractual obligations. Moreover, the 2013 Credit Facilities, the 2014 Credit Facilities, the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility, the 2016 Credit Facilities and certain of our other financing arrangements contain significant minimum cash balance requirements. As a result, we cannot use all of our available cash to fund operations, capital expenditures and cash obligations without violating these requirements.

In the past, we have from time to time refinanced, redeemed or repurchased our debt and taken other steps to reduce or otherwise manage the aggregate amount and cost of our debt or lease obligations or otherwise improve our balance sheet. Going forward, depending on market conditions, our cash position and other considerations, we may continue to take such actions.

Our Board of Directors, has from time to time authorized programs to repurchase shares of our common stock, and may authorize additional share repurchase programs in the future.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

In the thirdsecond quarter of 2016,2017, there were no changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from those disclosed in the consolidated financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes contained in our 20152016 Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 to AAG’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1A and Note 1 to American’s condensed consolidated financial statementsCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1B for further information on recent accounting pronouncements.

 

ITEM 3.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

AAG and American’s Market Risk Sensitive Instruments and Positions

Our primary market risk exposures include the price of aircraft fuel, foreign currency exchange rates and interest rate risk. Our exposure to these market risks has not changed materially from our exposure discussed in our 20152016 Form 10-K except as updated below.

Aircraft Fuel

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we did not have any fuel hedging contracts outstanding to hedge our fuel consumption. As such, and assuming we do not enter into any future transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, we will continue to be fully exposed to fluctuations in fuel prices. Our current policy is not to enter into transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, although we review that policy from time to time based on market conditions and other factors. Our 20162017 forecasted mainline and regional fuel consumption is presently approximately 4.34.4 billion gallons, and based on this forecast, a one cent per gallon increase in aviation fuel price would result in a $43$44 million increase in annual expense.

Foreign Currency

We are exposed to the effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on the U.S. dollar value of foreign currency-denominated operating revenues and expenses. Our largest exposure comes from the British pound, Euro, Canadian dollar and various Latin American currencies, primarily the Brazilian real. We do not currently have a foreign currency hedge program.

Generally, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, cannot be predicted by us and can significantly affect the value of our assets located outside the United States. These conditions, as well as any further delays, devaluations or imposition of more stringent repatriation restrictions, may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors –“We “We operate a global business with international operations that are subject to economic and political instability and have been, and in the future may continue to be, adversely affected by numerous events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control” for additional discussion of this and other currency risks.

 

53


Interest

Our earnings and cash flow are affected by changes in interest rates due to the impact those changes have on our interest expense from variable-rate debt instruments and our interest income from short-term investments. If annual interest rates increase 100 basis points, based on our June 30, 2017 variable-rate debt and short-term investments balances, annual interest expense on variable-rate debt would increase by approximately $98 million and annual interest income on short-term investments would increase by approximately $71 million.

ITEM 4.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The term “disclosure controls and procedures” is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). This term refers to the controls and procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC. An evaluation of the effectiveness of AAG’s and American’s disclosure controls and procedures as of SeptemberJune 30, 20162017 was performed under the supervision and with the participation of AAG’s and American’s management, including AAG’s and American’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Based on that evaluation, AAG’s and American’s management, including AAG’s and American’s CEO and CFO, concluded that AAG’s and American’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

On December 9, 2013, AAG acquired US Airways Group and its subsidiaries. We are still in the process of integrating policies,certain processes, people, technology and operations for the post-Merger combined company, and we will continue to evaluate the impact of any related changes to our internal control over financial reporting. Except for any changes in internal controls related to the integration of US Airways Group and its subsidiaries into the post-Merger combined company, including the related adoption of common financial reporting and internal control practices for the combined company and associated updates and improvements to the combined control environment, duringFor the quarter ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, there has been no change in AAG’s or American’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, AAG’s and American’s internal control over financial reporting.

Limitation on the Effectiveness of Controls

We believe that a controls system, no matter how well designed and operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives, and the CEO and CFO of AAG and American believe that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the “reasonable assurance” level as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

54


PART II: OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Chapter 11 Cases.Cases. On November 29, 2011, AMR, American, and certain of AMR’s other direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries (the Debtors) filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the Bankruptcy Court). On October 21, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order approving and confirming the Debtors’ fourth amended joint plan of reorganization (as amended, the Plan). On the Effective Date, December 9, 2013, the Debtors consummated their reorganization pursuant to the Plan and completed the Merger.

Pursuant to rulings of the Bankruptcy Court, the Plan established the Disputed Claims Reserve to hold shares of AAG common stock reserved for issuance to disputed claimholders at the Effective Date that ultimately become holders of allowed “Single-Dip” unsecured claims. As of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, there were approximately 25.2 million shares of AAG common stock remaining in the Disputed Claims Reserve. As disputed claims are resolved, the claimants will receive distributions of shares from the Disputed Claims Reserve on the same basis as if such distributions had been made on or about the Effective Date. However, we are not required to distribute additional shares above the limits contemplated by the Plan, even if the shares remaining for distribution are not sufficient to fully pay any additional allowed unsecured claims. To the extent that any of the reserved shares remain undistributed upon resolution of all remaining disputed claims, such shares will not be returned to us but rather will be distributed to former AMR stockholders as of the Effective Date.stockholders.

There is also pending in the Bankruptcy Court an adversary proceeding relating to an action brought by American to seek a determination that certain non-pension, postemployment benefits are not vested benefits and thus may be modified or terminated without liability to American. On April 18, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court granted American’s motion for summary judgment with respect to certain non-union employees, concluding that their benefits were not vested and could be terminated. The summary judgment motion was denied with respect to all other retirees. The Bankruptcy Court has not yet scheduled a trial on the merits concerning whether those retirees’ benefits are vested, and American cannot predict whether it will receive relief from obligations to provide benefits to any of those retirees. Our financial statements presently reflect these retirement programs without giving effect to any modification or termination of benefits that may ultimately be implemented based upon the outcome of this proceeding.

DOJ Antitrust Civil Investigative Demand.Demand. In June 2015, we received a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of an investigation into whether there have been illegal agreements or coordination of air passenger capacity. The CID seeks documents and other information from us, and other airlines have announced that they have received similar requests. We are cooperating fully with the DOJ investigation. In addition, subsequent to announcement of the delivery of CIDs by the DOJ, we, along with Delta Air Lines, Inc., Southwest Airlines Co., United Airlines, Inc. and, in the case of litigation filed in Canada, Air Canada, have been named as defendants in approximately 100 putative class action lawsuits alleging unlawful agreements with respect to air passenger capacity. The U.S. lawsuits were the subject of multiple motions to consolidate them in a single forum, and they have now been consolidated in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. TheOn October 28, 2016, the Court denied a motion by the airline defendants have moved to dismiss all claims in the class actions. Both the DOJ investigation and these lawsuits are in their veryrelatively early stages and we intend to defend the lawsuitsthese matters vigorously.

Private Party Antitrust Action. On July 2, 2013, a lawsuit captioned Carolyn Fjord, et al., v. US Airways Group, Inc., et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint named as defendants US Airways Group and US Airways, and alleged that the effect of the Merger may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act. TheAct, and sought injunctive relief sought in the complaint included an injunction against the Merger, and/or divestiture. On August 6, 2013, the plaintiffs re-filed their complaint in the Bankruptcy Court, adding AMR and American as defendants, and on October 2, 2013, dismissed the initial California action.defendants. On November 27, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court denied plaintiffs’ motion to preliminarily enjoin the Merger. On August 19, 2015, after three previous largely unsuccessful attempts to amend their complaint,May 12, 2017, defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. On June 23, 2017, plaintiffs filed a fourthan opposition to defendants’ motion and cross-motion for leave to file an amended and supplemental complaint to add a claim for damages and demand for jury trial, as well as claims similar to those in the putative class action lawsuits regarding air passenger capacity. Thereafter, plaintiffs filed a request with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate the Fjord matter with the putative class action lawsuits. The JPML denied that request on October 15, 2015 and plaintiffs’ request for further relief from the JPML was denied on February 4, 2016. Accordingly, the parties will continue to litigate the matter in Bankruptcy Court; a jointly proposed schedule for the remainder of the case was submitted on September 7, 2016, which has not yet been accepted by the court.summary judgment. We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend against the allegations.

DOJ Investigation Related to the United States Postal Service. In April 2015, the DOJ informed us of an inquiry regarding American’s 2009 and 2011 contracts with the United States Postal Service for the international transportation of mail by air. In October 2015, we received a CID from the DOJ seeking certain information relating to these contracts and the DOJ has also sought information concerning certain of the airlines that transport mail on a codeshare basis. The DOJ has indicated it is investigating potential violations of the False Claims Act or other statutes. We are cooperating fully with the DOJ with regard to its investigation.

General. In addition to the specifically identified legal proceedings, we and our subsidiaries are also engaged in other legal proceedings from time to time. Legal proceedings can be complex and take many months, or even years, to reach resolution, with the final outcome depending on a number of variables, some of which are not within our control.

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Therefore, although we will vigorously defend ourselves in each of the actions described above and such other legal proceedings, their ultimate resolution and potential financial and other impacts on us are uncertain but could be material. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “We may be a party to litigation in the normal course of business or otherwise, which could affect our financial position and liquidity” for additional discussion.

ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Below are certain risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, or the trading price of our common stock or other securities. We caution the reader that these risk factors may not be exhaustive. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time. Management cannot predict such new risks and uncertainties, nor can it assess the extent to which any of the risk factors below or any such new risks and uncertainties, or any combination thereof, may impact our business.

Risks Relating to AAG and Industry-Related Risks

We could experience significant operating losses in the future.

For a number of reasons, including those addressed in these risk factors, we might fail to maintain profitability and might experience significant losses. In particular, the condition of the economy, the level and volatility of fuel prices, the state of travel demand and intense competition in the airline industry have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our operating results, and may increase the risk that we will experience losses.

Downturns in economic conditions could adversely affect our business.

Due to the discretionary nature of business and leisure travel spending and the highly competitive nature of the airline industry, our revenues are heavily influenced by the condition of the U.S. economy and economies in other regions of the world. Unfavorable conditions in these broader economies have resulted, and may result in the future, in decreased passenger demand for air travel, and changes in booking practices bothand related reactions by our competitors, all of which in turn have had, and may have in the future, a strong negative effect on our revenues. In addition, during challenging economic times, actions by our competitors to increase their revenues can have an adverse impact on our revenues. See also“The airline industry is intensely competitive and dynamic” below. Certain labor agreements to which we are a party limit our ability to reduce the number of aircraft in operation, and the utilization of such aircraft, below certain levels. As a result, we may not be able to optimize the number of aircraft in operation in response to a decrease in passenger demand for air travel.

Our business is very dependent on the price and availability of aircraft fuel. Continued periods of high volatility in fuel costs, increased fuel prices andor significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel could have a significant negative impact on our operating results and liquidity.

Our operating results are materially impacted by changes in the availability, price volatility and cost of aircraft fuel, which represents one of the largest single cost items in our business. Jet fuel market prices have fluctuated substantially over the past several years and prices continue to be highly volatile.

Because of the amount of fuel needed to operate our business, even a relatively small increase or decrease in the price of fuel can have a material effect on our operating results and liquidity. Due to the competitive nature of the airline industry and unpredictability of the market for air travel, we can offer no assurance that we may be able to increase our fares, impose fuel surcharges or otherwise increase revenues sufficiently to offset fuel price increases. Similarly, we cannot predict the effect or the actions of our competitors if the current low fuel prices remain in place for a significant period of time.time or fuel prices decrease in the future.

Although we are currently able to obtain adequate supplies of aircraft fuel, we cannot predict the future availability, price volatility or cost of aircraft fuel. Natural disasters, political disruptions or wars involving oil-producing countries, changes in fuel-related governmental policy, the strength of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, changes in access to petroleum product pipelines and terminals, speculation in the energy futures markets, changes in aircraft fuel production capacity, environmental concerns and other unpredictable events may result in fuel supply shortages, additional fuel price volatility and cost increases in the future.

We have a large number of older aircraft in our fleet, and these aircraft are not as fuel efficient as more recent models of aircraft, including those we have on order. We intend to continue to execute our fleet renewal plans to, among other things, improve the fuel efficiency of our fleet, and we are dependent on a limited number of major aircraft manufacturers to deliver aircraft on schedule. If we experience delays in delivery of the more fuel efficient aircraft that we have on order, we will be adversely affected.

Our aviation fuel purchase contracts generally do not provide meaningful price protection against increases in fuel costs. Prior to the closing of the Merger, we sought to manage the risk of fuel price increases by using derivative contracts. AsOur current policy is not to enter into transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, although we review that policy from time to time based on market conditions and other factors. Accordingly, as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016,2017, we did not have any fuel hedging contracts outstanding. As such, and assuming we do not enter into any future transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, we will continue to be fully exposed to fluctuations in fuel prices.

Our current policy is not to enter into transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, although we review that policy from time to time based on market conditions and other factors. If in the future we enter into derivative contracts to hedge our fuel consumption, there can be no assurance that, at any given time, we will have derivatives in place to provide any particular level of protection against increased fuel costs or that our counterparties will be able to perform under our derivative contracts. To the extent we use derivative contracts that have the potential to create an obligation to pay upon settlement if prices decline significantly, such derivative contracts may limit our ability to benefit from lower fuel costs in the future. Also, a rapid decline in the projected price of fuel at a time when we have fuel hedging contracts in place could materially adversely impact our short-term liquidity, because hedge counterparties could require that we post collateral in the form of cash or letters of credit. See also the discussion in Part I, Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk –AAG and American’s Market Risk Sensitive Instruments and Positions – Aircraft Fuel.”

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The airline industry is intensely competitive and dynamic.

Our competitors include other major domestic airlines and foreign, regional and new entrant airlines, as well as joint ventures formed by some of these airlines, many of which have more financial or other resources and/or lower cost structures than ours, as well as other forms of transportation, including rail and private automobiles. In many of our markets we compete with at least one low-cost air carrier. Our revenues are sensitive to the actions of other carriers in many areas including pricing, scheduling, capacity, amenities and promotions, which can have a substantial adverse impact not only on our revenues, but on overall industry revenues. These factors may become even more significant in periods when the industry experiences large losses, as airlines under financial stress, or in bankruptcy, may institute pricing structures intended to achieve near-term survival rather than long-term viability.

Low-cost carriers, including so-called ultra-low-cost carriers, have a profound impact on industry revenues. Using the advantage of low unit costs, these carriers offer lower fares in order to shift demand from larger, more established airlines, and represent significant competitors, particularly for customers who fly infrequently and are price sensitive and tend not to be loyal to any one particular carrier. SomeA number of low-cost carriers which have cost structures lower than ours, have better recent financial performance and have announced growth strategies including commitments to acquire significant numbers of aircraft for delivery in the next few years. These low-cost carriers are expectedattempting to continue to increase their market share through growth and, potentially, consolidation, and could continue to have an impact on our revenues and overall performance. For example, as a result of divestitures completed in connection with gaining regulatory approval for the Merger, low-fare, low-cost carriers have gained additional access in a number of markets, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), a slot-controlled airport. In addition, we and several other large network carriers have announced “basic economy” fares designed to compete against low-cost carriers and we cannot predict whether these initiatives will be successful or the competitive reaction of the low-cost carriers. The actions of the low-cost carriers, including those described above, could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance.

Our presence in international markets is not as extensive as that of some of our competitors. We derived approximately 30% of our operating revenues in 2015 from operations outside of the U.S., as measured and reported to the DOT. In providing international air transportation, we compete to provide scheduled passenger and cargo service between the U.S. and various overseas locations with U.S. airlines, foreign investor-owned airlines and foreign state-owned or state-affiliated airlines, including carriers based in the Middle East, the three largest of which we believe benefit from significant government subsidies. Our international service exposes us to foreign economies and the potential for reduced demand, such as we have recently experienced in Brazil and Venezuela, when any foreign countries we serve suffer adverse local economic conditions. In addition, open skies agreements with an increasing number of countries around the world provide international airlines with open access to U.S. markets. See also“Our business is subject to extensive government regulation, which may result in increases in our costs, disruptions to our operations, limits on our operating flexibility, reductions in the demand for air travel, and competitive disadvantages.”

Certain airline alliances, joint ventures and joint businesses have been, or may in the future be, granted immunity from antitrust regulations by governmental authorities for specific areas of cooperation, such as joint pricing decisions. To the extent alliances formed by our competitors can undertake activities that are not available to us, our ability to effectively compete may be hindered. Our ability to attract and retain customers is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to offer our customers convenient access to desired markets. Our business could be adversely affected if we are unable to maintain or obtain alliance and marketing relationships with other air carriers in desired markets.

We are party to antitrust-immunized cooperation agreements with British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Royal Jordanian, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines and LAN Peru. As part of the antitrust-immunized relationships, we have also established joint business agreements (JBAs) with British Airways, Iberia and Finnair, and separately with Japan Airlines. We have signed a revised JBA with Qantas Airways and have applied for antitrust immunity with the DOTU.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the revised relationship, whichbut we withdrew that application is still pending beforein November 2016 after it was tentatively denied by the DOT. However, we expect that more limited cooperation with Qantas will continue, and we intend to file a new application for antitrust immunity with the DOT this year, which, if granted, would allow us to expand that relationship further. In addition, we have signed JBAs with certain air carriers of the LATAM Airlines Group and have applied for approval in the relevant jurisdictions affected by such agreements, which applications have been approved in some cases but are still pending before a number of the relevant regulators. The foregoing arrangements are important aspects of our international network and we are dependent on the performance of the other airlines party to those agreements. No assurances can be given as to any benefits that we may derive from such arrangements or any other arrangements that may ultimately be implemented.

Additional mergers and other forms of industry consolidation, including antitrust immunity grants, may take place and may not involve us as a participant. Depending on which carriers combine and which assets, if any, are sold or otherwise transferred to other carriers in connection with any such combinations, our competitive position relative to the post-combinationpost-

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combination carriers or other carriers that acquire such assets could be harmed. In addition, as carriers combine through traditional mergers or antitrust immunity grants, their route networks will grow, and that growth will result in greater overlap with our network, which in turn could result in lower overall market share and revenues for us. Such consolidation is not limited to the U.S., but could include further consolidation among international carriers in Europe and elsewhere.

We may be unable to integrate operations successfully and realize the anticipated synergies and other benefits of the Merger.

The Merger involved the combination of two companies that operated as independent public companies prior to the Merger, and each of which operated its own international network airline. Historically, the integration of separate airlines has often proven to be more time consuming and to require more resources than initially estimated. Although we received a single operating certificate from the FAA for American and US Airways on April 8, 2015, implemented a single integrated reservation system on October 17, 2015 and merged American and US Airways on December 30, 2015, we must continue to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating our business practices, cultures and operations. Potential difficulties we may encounter as part of the integration process include the following:

the inability to successfully combine our businesses in a manner that permits us to achieve the synergies and other benefits anticipated to result from the Merger;

the challenge of integrating complex systems, operating procedures, regulatory compliance programs, technology, aircraft fleets, networks, and other assets (including, for example, our flight operations systems and technology which supports human resources functions) in a manner that minimizes any adverse impact on customers, suppliers, employees, and other constituencies;

the effects of divestitures and other operational commitments entered into in connection with the settlement of the litigation brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain states prior to the closing of the Merger, including those involving Dallas Love Field Airport and DCA;

the challenge of forming and maintaining an effective and cohesive management team;

the diversion of the attention of our management and other key employees;

the challenge of integrating workforces while maintaining focus on providing consistent, high quality customer service and running an efficient operation;

the risks relating to integrating various computer, communications and other technology systems that will be necessary to operate American and US Airways as a single airline and to achieve cost synergies by eliminating redundancies in the businesses;

the disruption of, or the loss of momentum in, our ongoing business;

branding or rebranding initiatives may involve substantial costs and may not be favorably received by customers; and

potential unknown liabilities, liabilities that are significantly larger than we currently anticipate and unforeseen increased expenses or delays associated with the Merger, including costs in excess of the cash transition costs that we currently anticipate.

Accordingly, we may not be able to realize the contemplated benefits of the Merger fully, or it may take longer and cost more than expected to realize such benefits.

Ongoing data security compliance requirements and obligations could increase our costs, and any significant data breachsecurity incident could disrupt our operations and harm our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business requires the appropriate and secure utilization of customer, employee, business partner and other sensitive information.information, and confidence in the networks and systems that allow us to operate. We cannot be certain that we will not be the target of attacks on our networks and intrusions into our data, particularly given recent advances in criminaltechnical capabilities, (includingand increased financial and political motivations to carry out cyber-attacks on physical systems, gain unauthorized access to information, and make information unavailable for use through, for example, ransomware or cyber intrusions over the Internet, malware, computer virusesdenial-of-service attacks, and the like), discovery ofotherwise exploit new vulnerabilities or attempts to exploitand existing vulnerabilities in our systems, other data thefts, physical system or network break-ins or inappropriate access, or other developments will not compromise or breach

the technology protecting the networks that access and store sensitive information.infrastructure. The risk of a data security breachincident or disruption, particularly through cyber-attack or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments and cyber terrorists, has increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. Furthermore, in response to these threats there has been heightened legislative and regulatory focus on attacks on critical infrastructures, including those in the transportation sector, and on data security in the U.S. and abroad (particularly in the European Union (EU)), including requirements for varying levels of customerdata subject notification in the event of a data breach.security incident.

In addition, many of our commercial partners, including credit card companies, have imposed data security standards that we must meet. In particular, we are required by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, founded by the credit card companies, to comply with their highest level of data security standards. While we continue our efforts to meet these standards, new and revised standards may be imposed that may be difficult for us to meet and could increase our costs.

A significant data security breachincident or our failure to comply with applicable U.S. or foreign data security regulations or other data security standards may impact our brand and expose us to litigation claims for contract breach,and regulatory enforcement actions, resulting in fines, sanctions or other penalties, whichpenalties. Such actions could disrupt our operations,further harm our reputation, adversely impact our relationship with our customers, employees, and materiallystockholders, result in material financial impact, and adversely affect ourdisrupt business results of operations and financial condition.operations. Failure to appropriately address these issues appropriately could also give rise to additionalsimilar legal risks which, in turn, could increase the size and number of litigation claims and damages asserted or subject us to enforcement actions, fines and penalties and cause us to incur further related costs and expenses.damages.

Our indebtednesshigh level of debt and other obligations are substantialmay limit our ability to fund general corporate requirements and could adversely affectobtain additional financing, may limit our flexibility in responding to competitive developments and cause our business to be vulnerable to adverse economic and liquidity.industry conditions.

We have significant amounts of indebtedness and other obligations, including pension obligations, obligations to make future payments on flight equipment and property leases, and substantial non-cancelable obligations under aircraft and related spare engine purchase agreements. Moreover, currently a substantial portion of our assets are pledged to secure our indebtedness. Our substantial indebtedness and other obligations could have important consequences. For example, they:

 

may make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness;

 

may limit our ability to obtain additional funding for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments, integration costs, and general corporate purposes, and adversely affect the terms on which such funding can be obtained;

 

require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness and other obligations, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes;

 

make us more vulnerable to economic downturns, industry conditions and catastrophic external events;

limit our ability to respond to business opportunities and to withstand operating risks that are customary in the industry,events, particularly relative to competitors with lower relative levels of financial leverage;

contain covenants requiring us to maintain an aggregate of at least $2.0 billion of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and amounts available to be drawn under revolving credit facilities;

 

contain restrictive covenants that could:

 

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limit our ability to merge, consolidate, sell assets, incur additional indebtedness, issue preferred stock, make investments and pay dividends;

 

significantly constrain our ability to respond, or respond quickly, to unexpected disruptions in our own operations, the U.S. or global economies, or the businesses in which we operate, or to take advantage of opportunities that would improve our business, operations, or competitive position versus other airlines;

 

limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures and reduce our flexibility in responding to changing business and economic conditions; and

 

result in an event of default under our indebtedness.

We will need to obtain sufficient financing or other capital to operate successfully.

Our business plan contemplates significant investments in modernizing our fleet and integrating the American and US Airways businesses. Significant capital resources will be required to execute this plan. We estimate that, based on our commitments as of September 30, 2016, our planned aggregate expenditures for aircraft purchase commitments and certain engines on a consolidated basis for calendar years 2016-2020 would be approximately $13.6 billion. Accordingly, we will need substantial financing or other capital resources. In addition, as of the date of this report, we had not secured financing commitments for some of the aircraft that we have on order, and we cannot be assured of the availability or cost of that financing. In particular, as of September 30, 2016, we did not have financing commitments for the following aircraft currently on order and scheduled to be delivered through 2017: 19 Airbus A320 family aircraft in 2017, 12 Boeing 787 family aircraft in 2017, ten Boeing 737-800 aircraft in 2017 and four Boeing 737 MAX

family aircraft in 2017. In addition, we do not have financing commitments in place for substantially all aircraft currently on order and scheduled to be delivered in 2018 and beyond. The number of aircraft for which we do not have financing may change as we exercise purchase options or otherwise change our purchase and delivery schedules. If we are unable to arrange financing for such aircraft at customary advance rates and on terms and conditions acceptable to us, we may need to use cash from operations or cash on hand to purchase such aircraft or may seek to negotiate deferrals for such aircraft with the aircraft manufacturers. Depending on numerous factors, many of which are out of our control, such as the state of the domestic and global economies, the capital and credit markets’ view of our prospects and the airline industry in general, and the general availability of debt and equity capital at the time we seek capital, the financing or other capital resources that we will need may not be available to us, or may only be available on onerous terms and conditions. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining financing or other needed sources of capital to operate successfully. An inability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Increased costs of financing, a reduction in the availability of financing and fluctuations in interest rates could adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

Concerns about the systemic impact of inflation, the availability and cost of credit, energy costs and geopolitical issues, combined with continued changes in business activity levels and consumer confidence, increased unemployment and volatile oil prices, have in the past and may in the future contribute to volatility in the capital and credit markets. These market conditions could result in illiquid credit markets and wider credit spreads. Any such changes in the domestic and global financial markets may increase our costs of financing and adversely affect our ability to obtain financing needed for the acquisition of aircraft that we have contractual commitments to purchase and for other types of financings we may seek in order to refinance debt maturities, raise capital or fund other types of obligations. Any downgrades to our credit rating may likewise increase the cost and reduce the availability of financing.

Further, a substantial portion of our indebtedness bears interest at fluctuating interest rates, primarily based on the London interbank offered rate for deposits of U.S. dollars (LIBOR). LIBOR tends to fluctuate based on general economic conditions, general interest rates, rates set by the Federal Reserve and other central banks, and the supply of and demand for credit in the London interbank market. We have not hedged our interest rate exposure with respect to our floating rate debt. Accordingly, our interest expense for any particular period will fluctuate based on LIBOR and other variable interest rates. To the extent these interest rates increase, our interest expense will increase, in which event we may have difficulties making interest payments and funding our other fixed costs, and our available cash flow for general corporate requirements may be adversely affected. See also the discussion of interest rate risk in Part II,I, Item 7A.3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk –AAG’s Market Risk Sensitive Instruments and Positions – Interest”Interest.” and “American’s Market Risk Sensitive Instruments and Positions – Interest”in our 2015 Form 10-K.

Our high level of fixed obligations may limit our ability to fund general corporate requirements and obtain additional financing, may limit our flexibility in responding to competitive developments and cause our business to be vulnerable to adverse economic and industry conditions.

We have a significant amount of fixed obligations, including debt, pension costs, aircraft leases and financings, aircraft purchase commitments, leases and developments of airport and other facilities and other cash obligations. We also have certain guaranteed costs associated with our regional operations.

As a result of the substantial fixed costs associated with these obligations:

a decrease in revenues results in a disproportionately greater percentage decrease in earnings;

we may not have sufficient liquidity to fund all of these fixed obligations if our revenues decline or costs increase; and

we may have to use our working capital to fund these fixed obligations instead of funding general corporate requirements, including capital expenditures.

These obligations also impact our ability to obtain additional financing, if needed, and our flexibility in the conduct of our business, and could materially adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

We will need to obtain sufficient financing or other capital to operate successfully.

Our business plan contemplates significant investments in modernizing our fleet. Significant capital resources will be required to execute this plan. We estimate that, based on our commitments as of June 30, 2017, our planned aggregate expenditures for aircraft purchase commitments and certain engines on a consolidated basis for calendar years 2017-2021 would be approximately $12.0 billion. Accordingly, we will need substantial financing or other capital resources to finance such aircraft. If we are unable to arrange financing for such aircraft at customary advance rates and on terms and conditions acceptable to us, we may need to use cash from operations or cash on hand to purchase such aircraft or may seek to negotiate deferrals for such aircraft with the aircraft manufacturers. Depending on numerous factors, many of which are out of our control, such as the state of the domestic and global economies, the capital and credit markets’ view of our prospects and the airline industry in general, and the general availability of debt and equity capital at the time we seek capital, the financing or other capital resources that we will need may not be available to us, or may be available only on onerous terms and conditions. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in obtaining financing or other needed sources of capital to operate successfully. An inability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have significant pension and other postretirement benefit funding obligations, which may adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

Our pension funding obligations are significant. The amount of these obligations will depend on the performance of investments held in trust by the pension plans, interest rates for determining liabilities and actuarial experience. Currently, our minimum funding obligation for our pension plans is subject to favorable temporary funding rules that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2017. Our minimum pension funding obligations are likely to increase materially beginning in 2019, when we will be required to make contributions

relating to the 2018 fiscal year. In addition, we may have significant obligations for other postretirement benefits, the ultimate amount of which depends on, among other things, the outcome of an adversary proceeding related to retiree medical and other postretirement benefits and life insurance obligations filed in the Chapter 11 Cases.

Any failure to comply with the covenants contained in our financing arrangements may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The terms of the $1.9 billion term loan facility and the $1.4 billion revolving credit facility provided for by the credit and guaranty agreement, entered into June 27, 2013 between AAG, American and certain lenders (as amended and restated on May 21, 2015 and as otherwise amended, the “2013 Credit Facilities”), the $1.6 billion term loan facility entered into on May 23, 2013 between American and AAG and certain lenders (as amended, the “2013 Citicorp Credit Facility”), the $750 million term loan facility and the $1.0 billion revolving credit facility entered into October 10, 2014 between AAG and American and certain lenders (as amended and restated on April 20, 2015 and as otherwise amended, the “2014 Credit Facilities”) and the Credit and Guaranty Agreement entered into on April 29, 2016, between AAG and American and certain lenders, which provides for a $1.0 billion term loan facility (the “2016 Term Loan Facility”) and a revolving credit facility that may be established in the future (the “2016 Revolving Credit Facility,” and together with the 2016 Term Loan Facility, the “2016 Credit Facilities”) require AAG and American to ensure that AAG and its restricted subsidiaries maintain consolidated unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and amounts available to be drawn under revolving credit facilities in an aggregate amount not less than $2.0 billion, and the 2013 Citicorp Credit Facility also requires AAG and the other obligors thereunder to hold not less than $750 million (subject to partial reductions upon certain reductions in the outstanding amount of the loan) of that amount in accounts subject to control agreements.

Our ability to comply with these liquidity covenants while paying the fixed costs associated with our contractual obligations and our other expenses, including significant pension and other postretirement funding obligations and cash transition costs associated with the Merger, will depend on our operating performance and cash flow, which are seasonal, as well as factors including fuel costs and general economic and political conditions.

In addition, our credit facilities and certain other financing arrangements include covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to pay dividends and make certain other payments, make certain investments, incur additional indebtedness, enter into certain affiliate transactions and engage in certain business activities, in each case subject to certain exceptions.

The factors affecting our liquidity (and our ability to comply with related liquidity and other covenants) will remain subject to significant fluctuations and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control. Any breach of our liquidity and other covenants or failure to timely pay our obligations could result in a variety of adverse consequences, including the acceleration of our indebtedness, the withholding of credit card proceeds by our credit card processors and the exercise of remedies by our creditors and lessors. In such a situation, we may not be able to fulfill our contractual obligations, repay the accelerated indebtedness, make required lease payments or otherwise cover our fixed costs.

If our financial condition worsens, provisions in our credit card processing and other commercial agreements may adversely affect our liquidity.

We have agreements with companies that process customer credit card transactions for the sale of air travel and other services. These agreements allow these processing companies, under certain conditions (including, with respect to certain agreements, the failure of American to maintain certain levels of liquidity) to hold an amount of our cash (a holdback) equal to some or all of the advance ticket sales that have been processed by that company,credit card processor, but for which we have not yet provided the air transportation. We are not currently required to maintain any holdbacks pursuant

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to these requirements. These holdback requirements can be modified at the discretion of the credit card processing companies upon the occurrence of specific events, including material adverse changes in our financial condition. An increase in the current holdbacks, up to and including 100% of relevant advanced ticket sales, could materially reduce our liquidity. Likewise, other of our commercial agreements contain provisions that allow other entities to impose less-favorable terms, including the acceleration of amounts due, in the event of material adverse changes in our financial condition.

Union disputes, employee strikes and other labor-related disruptions may adversely affect our operations.

Relations between air carriers and labor unions in the U.S. are governed by the Railway Labor Act (RLA). Under the RLA, collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) generally contain “amendable dates” rather than expiration dates, and the RLA requires that a carrier maintain the existing terms and conditions of employment following the amendable date through a multi-stage and usually lengthy series of bargaining processes overseen by the National Mediation Board (NMB). For the dates that the CBAs with our major work groups become amendable under the RLA, see Part I, Item 1. Business –“Employees and Labor Relations” in our 20152016 Form 10-K.

In the case of a CBA that is amendable under the RLA, if no agreement is reached during direct negotiations between the parties, either party may request that the NMB appoint a federal mediator. The RLA prescribes no timetable for the direct negotiation and mediation processes, and it is not unusual for those processes to last for many months or even several years. If no agreement is reached in mediation, the NMB in its discretion may declare that an impasse exists and proffer binding arbitration to the parties. Either party may decline to submit to arbitration, and if arbitration is rejected by either party, a 30-day “cooling off” period commences. During or after that period, a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) may be established, which examines the parties’ positions and recommends a solution. The PEB process lasts for 30 days and is followed by another 30-day “cooling off” period. At the end of a “cooling off” period, unless an agreement is reached or action is taken by Congress, the labor organization may exercise “self-help,” such as a strike, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

None of the unions representing our employees presently may lawfully engage in concerted refusals to work, such as strikes, slow-downs, sick-outs or other similar activity, against us. Nonetheless, there is a risk that disgruntled employees, either with or without union involvement, could engage in one or more concerted refusals to work that could individually or collectively harm the operation of our airline and impair our financial performance. See also Part I, Item 1. Business –“Employees “Employees and Labor Relations” in our 20152016 Form 10-K.

The inability to maintain labor costs at competitive levels would harm our financial performance.

Currently, we believe our labor costs are competitive relative to the other large network carriers. However, we cannot provide assurance that labor costs going forward will remain competitive because we are in negotiations for some of ournew agreements are amendable now and othersother agreements may become amendable, competitors may significantly reduce their labor costs or we may agree to higher-cost provisions in our current or future labor negotiations, such as the employee profit sharing program we instituted effective January 1, 2016.2016 and the mid-contract adjustment we provided to our flight attendants and pilots in 2017. As of December 31, 2015,2016, approximately 82%85% of our employees were represented for collective bargaining purposes by labor unions. Some of our unions have brought and may continue to bring grievances to binding arbitration, including those related to wages. Unions may also bring court actions and may seek to compel us to engage in bargaining processes where we believe we have no such obligation. If successful, there is a risk these judicial or arbitral avenues could create material additional costs that we did not anticipate.

Interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub airportskey facilities could have a material adverse impact on our operations.

We operate principally through hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. Substantially all of our flights either originate in or fly into one of these locations. A significant interruption or disruption in service at one of our hubs resulting from air traffic control (ATC) delays, weather conditions, natural disasters, growth constraints, relations with third-party service providers, failure of computer systems, facility disruptions at airport facilities or other key facilities used by us to manage our operations, labor relations, power supplies, fuel supplies, terrorist activities, or otherwise could result in the cancellation or delay of a significant portion of our flights and, as a result, could have a severe impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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If we are unable to obtain and maintain adequate facilities and infrastructure throughout our system and, at some airports, adequate slots, we may be unable to operate our existing flight schedule and to expand or change our route network in the future, which may have a material adverse impact on our operations.

In order to operate our existing and proposed flight schedule and, where appropriate,desirable, add service along new or existing routes, we must be able to maintain and/or obtain adequate gates, ticketing facilities,check-in counters, operations areas, operations control facilities and office space. As airports around the world become more congested, we willare not always be able to ensure that our plans for new service can be implemented in a commercially viable manner, given operating constraints at airports throughout our network, including due to inadequate facilities at desirable airports. Further, our operating costs at airports at which we operate, including our hubs, may increase significantly because of capital improvements at such airports that we may be required to fund, directly or indirectly. In some circumstances, such costs could be imposed by the relevant airport authority without our approval.

In addition, operations at fourthree major domestic airports, certain smaller domestic airports and certain foreign airports served by us are regulated by governmental entities through the use of slots or similar regulatory mechanisms which limit the rights of carriers to conduct operations at those airports. Each slot represents the authorization to land at or take off from the particular airport during a specified time period and may have other operational restrictions as well. In the U.S., the FAAFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently regulates the allocation of slots or slot exemptions at DCA and two New York City airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardiaLa Guardia Airport (LGA). In addition to slot restrictions, operations at LGA and DCA are also limited based on the stage length of the flight. Our operations at these airports generally require the allocation of slots or similar regulatory authority. Similarly, our operations at international airports in Beijing, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Paris, Tokyo and other airports outside the U.S. are regulated by local slot authorities pursuant to the International Air Transport Association’sAirline Trade Association (IATA) Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines and applicable local law. We currently have sufficient slots or analogous authorizations to operate our existing flights and we have generally, but not always, been able to obtain the rights to expand our operations and to change our schedules. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient slots or analogous authorizations in the future or as to the cost of acquiring such rights because, among other reasons, such allocations are often sought after by other airlines and are subject to changes in governmental policies. We cannot provide any assurance that regulatory changes regarding the allocation of slots or similar regulatory authority will not have a material adverse impact on our operations.

In connection with the settlement of litigation relating to the Merger brought by the DOJ and certain states, we entered into settlement agreements that provide for certain asset divestitures including 52 slot pairs at DCA, 17 slot pairs at LGA and gates and

related ground facilities necessary to operate those slot pairs, and two gates at each of Boston Logan International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Dallas Love Field Airport, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Miami International Airport. The settlement agreements also require us to maintain certain hub operations and continue to provide service to certain specified communities for limited periods of time. In addition, we entered into a related settlement with the DOT related to small community service from DCA. Further, as a consequence of the Merger clearance process in the EU, we made one pair of London Heathrow slots available for use by another carrier and, along with our JBA partners, we made one pair of London Heathrow slots available to competitors for use for up to six years in different markets.

Our ability to provide service can also be impaired at airports, such as Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and LAX,Los Angeles International Airport, where the airport gate and other facilities are inadequate to accommodate all of the service that we would like to provide, or airports such as Dallas Love Field Airport where we have no access to gates at all.

Any limitation on our ability to acquire or maintain adequate gates, ticketing facilities, operations areas, operations control facilities, slots (where applicable), or office space could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we encounter problems with any of our third-party regional operators or third-party service providers, our operations could be adversely affected by a resulting decline in revenue or negative public perception about our services.

A significant portion of our regional operations are conducted by third-party operators on our behalf, primarily under capacity purchase agreements. Due to our reliance on third parties to provide these essential services, we are subject to the risks of disruptions to their operations, which may result from many of the same risk factors disclosed in this report, such as the impact of adverse economic conditions, the inability of third parties to hire or retain necessary personnel, including in particular pilots, and other risk factors, such as an out-of-court or bankruptcy restructuring of any of our regional operators. Many of these third-party regional operators provide significant regional capacity that we would be unable to replace in a short period of time should that operator fail to perform its obligations to us. Volatility in fuel prices, disruptions to capital markets and adverse economic conditions in general have subjected certain of these third-party regional operators to significant financial pressures, which have in the past and may in the future lead to bankruptcies among these operators. For example, one of our significant third-party operators of regional capacity, Republic, Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic), commenced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case on February 25,in 2016. As part ofIn connection with Republic’s restructuringbankruptcy process, and with bankruptcy court approval, we entered into an amendment torestructured our contractual relationship with Republic that, among other things, providedand received an approximate 25% equity interest in Republic in consideration for the reductionour unsecured claim in the number of aircraft operated by Republic on our behalf to 76 E175 aircraft (a reduction of 20 E170 and nine E175 aircraft). In addition, we have reached a settlement with Republiccase which if approved by the bankruptcy court, would allowwas settled solely for an unsecured claim on behalf of Americanequity interest in the amount of $250 million, to compensate us for losses and damages that we incurred under the existing contract with Republic. It is not possible, at this point, however, to quantify the value of a recovery on such claim. We have taken various actions to mitigate the effects of this reduction in flying, including by adjusting our mainline schedule and seeking additional capacity from our wholly owned regional subsidiaries and other regional providers. We may also experience disruption to our regional operations if we terminate the capacity purchase agreement with one or more of our current operators and transition the services to another provider. As our regional segment provides revenues to us directly and indirectly (by providing flow traffic to our hubs), anyAny significant disruption to our regional operations would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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In addition, our reliance upon others to provide essential services on behalf of our operations may result in our relative inability to control the efficiency and timeliness of contract services. We have entered into agreements with contractors to provide various facilities and services required for our operations, including distribution and sale of airline seat inventory, provision of information technology and services, regional operations, aircraft maintenance, ground services and facilities, reservations and baggage handling. Similar agreements may be entered into in any new markets we decide to serve. These agreements are generally subject to termination after notice by the third-party service provider. We are also at risk should one of these service providers cease operations, and there is no guarantee that we could replace these providers on a timely basis with comparably priced providers, or at all. Volatility in fuel prices, disruptions to capital markets and adverse economic conditions in general have subjected certain of these third-party regional carriers to significant financial pressures, which have led to several bankruptcies among these carriers. Any material problems with the efficiency and timeliness of contract services, resulting from financial hardships or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We rely on third-party distribution channels and must manage effectively the costs, rights and functionality of these channels.

We rely on third-party distribution channels, including those provided by or through global distribution systems (GDSs) (e.g., Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport), conventional travel agents and online travel agents (OTAs) (e.g., Expedia, including its booking sites Orbitz and Travelocity, and The Priceline Group), to distribute a significant portion of our airline tickets, and we expect in the future to continue to rely on these channels and hope to expand their ability to distribute and collect revenues for ancillary products (e.g., fees for selective seating). These distribution channels are more expensive and at present have less functionality in respect of ancillary product offerings than those we operate ourselves, such as our call centers and our website. Certain of these distribution channels also effectively restrict the manner in which we distribute our products generally. To remain competitive, we will need to manage successfully our distribution costs and rights, increase our distribution flexibility and improve the functionality of third-party distribution channels, while maintaining an industry-competitive cost structure. These imperatives may affect our relationships with GDSs and OTAs, including as consolidation of OTAs continues or is proposed to continue.continue, and require us to make significant investments in potential new distribution technologies. Any inability to manage our third-party distribution costs, rights and functionality at a competitive level or any material diminishment or disruption in the distribution of our tickets could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business is subject to extensive government regulation, which may result in increases in our costs, disruptions to our operations, limits on our operating flexibility, reductions in the demand for air travel, and competitive disadvantages.

Airlines are subject to extensive domestic and international regulatory requirements. In the last several years, Congress has passed laws, and the DOT, the FAA, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security have issued a number of directives and other regulations, that affect the airline industry. These requirements impose substantial costs on us and restrict the ways we may conduct our business.

For example, the FAA from time to time issues directives and other regulations relating to the maintenance and operation of aircraft that require significant expenditures or operational restrictions. OurThese requirements can be issued with little or no notice, or can otherwise impact our ability to efficiently or fully utilize our aircraft. Additionally, our failure to timely comply with thesesuch requirements has in the past and may in the future result in fines and other enforcement actions by the FAA or other regulators. In the future, new regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on us and the industry.

DOT consumer rules that took effect in 2010 require procedures for customer handling during long onboard delays, further regulate airline interactions with passengers through the reservations process, at the airport, and onboard the aircraft, and require disclosures concerning airline fares and ancillary fees such as baggage fees. The DOT has been aggressively investigating alleged violations of these rules. Other DOT rules apply to post-ticket purchase price increases and an expansion of tarmac delay regulations to international airlines.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act mandates the federalization of certain airport security procedures and imposes additional security requirements on airports and airlines, most of which are funded by a per-ticket tax on passengers and a tax on airlines. Present and potential future security requirements can have the effect of imposing costs and inconvenience on travelers, potentially reducing the demand for air travel.

The results of our operations, demand for air travel, and the manner in which we conduct business each may be affected by changes in law and future actions taken by governmental agencies, including:

 

changes in law which affect the services that can be offered by airlines in particular markets and at particular airports, or the types of fees that can be charged to passengers;

 

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the granting and timing of certain governmental approvals (including antitrust or foreign government approvals) needed for codesharing alliances, joint businesses and other arrangements with other airlines;

 

restrictions on competitive practices (for example, court orders, or agency regulations or orders, that would curtail an airline’s ability to respond to a competitor);

 

the adoption of new passenger security standards or regulations that impact customer service standards (for example, a “passenger bill of rights”);

 

restrictions on airport operations, such as restrictions on the use of slots at airports or the auction or reallocation of slot rights currently held by us; and

 

the adoption of more restrictive locally-imposed noise restrictions.

Each additional regulation or other form of regulatory oversight increases costs and adds greater complexity to airline operations and, in some cases, may reduce the demand for air travel. There can be no assurance that our compliance with new rules, anticipated rules or other forms of regulatory oversight will not have a material adverse effect on us.

Any significant reduction in air traffic capacity at and in the airspace serving key airports in the U.S. or overseas could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the United States National Airspace System (the ATC systemsystem) is not successfully managing the growing demand for U.S. air travel. ATC towers are frequently understaffed in certain of our hubs, and airAir traffic controllers rely on outdated procedures and technologies that are routinely overwhelm the systemoverwhelmed and compel airlines to fly inefficient indirect routes.routes or take significant delays on the ground. The ATC system’s inability to handle existing travel demand has led government agencies to implement short-term capacity constraints during peak travel periods or adverse weather conditions in certain markets, resulting in delays and disruptions of air traffic. The outdated technologies also cause the ATC to be less resilient in the event of a failure. For example, in 2014 the ATC systems in Chicago took weeks to recover following a fire in the ATC tower at Chicago O’Hare International Airport,ORD, which resulted in thousands of cancelled flights.

On February 14, 2012,The FAA has embarked on transforming the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 was signed. The law provides funding fornational airspace system, to include migration from the FAA to rebuild its ATCcurrent radar-based air traffic control system including switching from radar to a GPS-based system. It isThis ATC modernization, generally referred to as “NextGen,” has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, and it remains uncertain when any improvementsthe full array of benefits expected from ATC modernization will be available to the efficiency ofpublic and the ATC system will take effect.airlines. Failure to update the ATC system in a timely manner and the substantial funding requirements that may be imposed on airlines of a modernized ATC system may have a material adverse effect on our business.

We support legislative efforts that would establish a nimble not-for-profit entity better suited to manage the long-term investments in technology and provide a governance structure needed to successfully implement NextGen and improve the operation of the air traffic control system.

The ability of U.S. airlines to operateOur operating authority in international routesmarkets is subject to change because the applicable arrangementsaviation agreements between the U.S. and the respective countries or governmental authorities, such as the EU, and in some cases, fares and schedules require the approval of the DOT and/or the relevant foreign governments. Moreover, alliances with international carriers may be subject to the jurisdiction and regulations of various foreign agencies. Bilateral and multilateral agreements among the U.S. and various foreign governments may be amended from timeof countries we serve are subject to time and appropriate slots or facilities may not be made available.periodic renegotiation. We currently operate a number of international routes under government arrangements that limit the number of airlines permitted to operate on the route, the capacity of the airlines providing services on the route, or the number of airlines allowed access to particular airports. If an open skies policy were to be adopted for any of these routes, such an event could have a material adverse impact on us and could result in the impairment of material amounts of our related tangible and intangible assets. In addition, competition from revenue-sharing joint ventures, JBAs, and other alliance arrangements by and among other airlines could impair the value of our business and assets on the open skies routes. For example, the open skies air services agreement between the U.S. and the EU, which took effect in March 2008, provides airlines from the U.S. and EU member states open access to each other’s markets, with freedom of pricing and unlimited rights to fly from the U.S. to any airport in the EU, including London Heathrow Airport.Airport (LHR). As a result of the agreement, we face increased competition in these markets, including London Heathrow Airport.LHR. Changes in U.S. or foreign government aviation policies could result in the alteration or termination of such agreements, diminish the value of route authorities, slots or other assets located abroad, or otherwise adversely affect our international operations. The U.S. government has negotiated “open skies” agreements with many countries, which allow unrestricted route authority access between the U.S. and the foreign markets. While the U.S. has worked to increase the number of countries with which open skies agreements are in effect, a number of markets important to us, including China, do not have open skies agreements.

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The airline industry is heavily taxed.

The airline industry is subject to extensive government fees and taxation that negatively impact our revenue.revenue and profitability. The U.S. airline industry is one of the most heavily taxed of all industries. These fees and taxes have grown significantly in the past decade for domestic flights, and various U.S. fees and taxes also are assessed on international flights. For example, as permitted by federal legislation, most major U.S. airports impose a passenger facility charge per passenger on us. In addition, the governments of foreign countries in which we operate impose on U.S. airlines, including us, various fees and taxes, and these assessments have been increasing in number and amount in recent years. Moreover, we are obligated to collect a federal excise tax, commonly referred to as the “ticket tax,” on domestic and international air transportation. We collect the excise tax, along with certain other U.S. and foreign taxes and user fees on air transportation (such as passenger security fees), and pass along the collected amounts to the appropriate governmental agencies. Although these taxes and fees are not operating expenses, they represent an additional cost to our customers. There are continuing efforts in Congress and in other countries to raise different portions of the various taxes, fees, and charges imposed on airlines and their passengers.passengers, and we may not be able to recover all of these charges from our customers. Increases in such taxes, fees and charges could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Under DOT regulations, all governmental taxes and fees must be included in the prices we quote or advertise to our customers. Due to the competitive revenue environment, many increases in these fees and taxes have been absorbed by the airline industry rather than being passed on to the customer. Further increases in fees and taxes may reduce demand for air travel, and thus our revenues.

Changes to our business model that are designed to increase revenues may not be successful and may cause operational difficulties or decreased demand.

We have a number of measures designedrecently instituted, and intend to institute in the future, changes to our business model to increase revenuerevenues and offset costs. These measures include premium economy service, basic economy service and charging separately for services that had previously been included within the price of a ticket and increasing other pre-existing fees. We may introduce additional initiatives in the future; however, as time goes on, we expect that it will be more difficult to identify and implement additional initiatives. We cannot assure you that these measures or any future initiatives will be successful in increasing our revenues. Additionally, the implementation of these initiatives may create logistical challenges that could harm the operational performance of our airline. Also, any new and increased fees might reduce the demand for air travel on our airline or across the industry in general, particularly if weakened economic conditions make our customers more sensitive to increased travel costs or provide a significant competitive advantage to other carriers that determine not to institute similar charges.

The loss of key personnel upon whom we depend to operate our business or the inability to attract additional qualified personnel could adversely affect our business.

We believe that our future success will depend in large part on our ability to retain or attract highly qualified management, technical and other personnel. We may not be successful in retaining key personnel or in attracting other highly qualified personnel. Any inability to retain or attract significant numbers of qualified management and other personnel would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be adversely affected by conflicts overseas or terrorist attacks; the travel industry continues to face ongoing security concerns.

Acts of terrorism or fear of such attacks, including elevated national threat warnings, wars or other military conflicts, may depress air travel, particularly on international routes, and cause declines in revenues and increases in costs. The attacks of September 11, 2001 and continuing terrorist threats, attacks and attempted attacks materially impacted and continue to impact air travel. Increased security procedures introduced at airports since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and any other such measures that may be introduced in the future generate higher operating costs for airlines. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act mandated improved flight deck security, deployment of federal air marshals on board flights, improved airport perimeter access security, airline crew security training, enhanced security screening of passengers, baggage, cargo, mail, employees and vendors, enhanced training and qualifications of

security screening personnel, additional provision of passenger data to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and enhanced background checks. A concurrent increase in airport security charges and procedures, such as restrictions on carry-on baggage, has also had and may continue to have a disproportionate impact on short-haul travel, which constitutes a significant portion of our flying and revenue. Implementation of and compliance with increasingly-complex security and customs requirements will continue to result in increased costs for us and our passengers, and have caused and likely will continue to cause periodic service disruptions and delays. We have at times found it necessary or desirable to make

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significant expenditures to comply with security-related requirements while seeking to reduce their impact on our customers, such as expenditures for automated security screening lines at airports. As a result of competitive pressure, and the need to improve security screening throughput to support the pace of our operations, it is unlikely that we will be able to capture all security-related costs through increased fares. In addition, we cannot forecast what new security requirements may be imposed in the future, or their impact on our business.

We operate a global business with international operations that are subject to economic and political instability and have been, and in the future may continue to be, adversely affected by numerous events, circumstances or government actions beyond our control.

We operate a global business with operations outside of the U.S. from which we derived approximately 30% of our operating revenues in 2015, as measured and reported to the DOT. Our current international activities and prospects have been and in the future could be adversely affected by reversals or delays in the opening of foreign markets, increased competition in international markets, the performance of our alliance, joint business and codeshare partners in a given market, exchange controls or other restrictions on repatriation of funds, currency and political risks (including changes in exchange rates and currency devaluations), environmental regulation, increases in taxes and fees and changes in international government regulation of our operations, including the inability to obtain or retain needed route authorities and/or slots. In particular, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, exchange controls and other restrictions on the repatriation of funds, have significantly affected and may continue to significantly affect our operating performance, liquidity and the value of any cash held outside the U.S. in local currency.

Generally, fluctuations in foreign currencies, including devaluations, cannot be predicted by us and can significantly affect the value of our assets located outside the United States. These conditions, as well as any further delays, devaluations or imposition of more stringent repatriation restrictions, may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The United Kingdom held a referendum onin June 23, 2016 regarding its membership in the EU in which a majority of the United Kingdom electorate voted in favor of the British government taking the necessary action for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. In March 2017, the United Kingdom served notice of its decision to withdraw to the EU, formally initiating the withdrawal process. Serving this notice began the two-year period for the United Kingdom to negotiate the terms for its withdrawal from the EU. At this time, it is not certain what steps will need to be taken to facilitate the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU or the length of time, expected to be measured in years, that this may take.EU. The implications of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the EU are similarly unclear at present because it is unclear what relationship the United Kingdom will have with the EU after withdrawal. We face risks associated with the uncertainty following the referendum and the consequences that may flow from the decision to exit the EU. Among other things, the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU could adversely affect European or worldwide economic or market conditions and could contribute to further instability in global financial markets. In addition, the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU could lead to legal and regulatory uncertainty and potentially divergent treaties, laws and regulations as the United Kingdom determines which EU treaties, laws and regulations to replace or replicate, including those governing aviation, labor, environmental, data protection/privacy, competition and other matters applicable to the provision of air transportation services by us or our alliance, joint business or code sharecodeshare partners. The impact on our business of any treaties, laws and regulations that replace the existing EU counterparts cannot be predicted. Any of these effects, and others we cannot anticipate, could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to many forms of environmental and noise regulation and may incur substantial costs as a result.

We are subject to increasingly stringent federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations and ordinances relating to the protection of the environment and noise reduction, including those relating to emissions to the air, discharges to surface and subsurface waters, safe drinking water, and the management of hazardous substances, oils and waste materials. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations can require significant expenditures, and violations can lead to significant fines and penalties.

In June 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued revised underground storage tank regulations that could affect airport fuel hydrant systems, as certain of those systems may need to be modified in order to comply with applicable portions of the revised regulations. Additionally, on June 4, 2015, the EPA reissued the Multi-Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Industrial Activities. Among other revisions, the reissued permit incorporates the EPA’s previously issued Airport Deicing Effluent Limitation Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards. In addition, California adopted a revised State Industrial General Permit for Stormwater Discharges on April 1, 2014, which became effective July 1, 2015. This permit places additional reporting and monitoring requirements on permittees and requires implementation of mandatory best management practices. While the cost of compliance with these requirements is not expected to be significant, we will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of these requirements on airport operations. In addition to the EPA and state regulations, several U.S. airport authorities are actively engaged in efforts to limit discharges of de-icing fluid to the environment, often by requiring airlines to participate in the building or reconfiguring of airport de-icing facilities. Such efforts are likely to impose additional costs and restrictions on airlines using those airports. We do not believe, however, that such environmental developments will have a material impact on our capital expenditures or otherwise materially adversely affect our operations, operating costs or competitive position.

We are also subject to other environmental laws and regulations, including those that require us to investigate and remediate soil or groundwater to meet certain remediation standards. Under federal law, generators of waste materials, and current and former owners or operators of facilities, can be subject to liability for investigation and remediation costs at locations that have been identified as requiring response actions. Liability under these laws may be strict, joint and several, meaning that we could be liable for the costs of cleaning up environmental contamination regardless of fault or the amount of wasteswaste directly attributable to us. We have liability for investigation and remediation costs at various sites, although such costs currently are currently not expected to have a material adverse effect on our business.

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We have various leases and agreements with respect to real property, tanks and pipelines with airports and other operators. Under these leases and agreements, we have agreed to indemnify the lessor or operator against environmental liabilities associated with the real property or operations described under the agreement, in some cases even if we are not the party responsible for the initial event that caused the environmental damage. We also participate in leases with other airlines in fuel consortiums and fuel committees at airports, where such indemnities are generally joint and several among the participating airlines.

Governmental authorities in several U.S. and foreign cities are also considering, or have already implemented, aircraft noise reduction programs, including the imposition of nighttime curfews and limitations on daytime take-offstake offs and landings. We have been able to accommodate local noise restrictions imposed to date, but our operations could be adversely affected if locally-imposed regulations become more restrictive or widespread.

We are subject to risks associated with climate change, including increased regulation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

There is increasing global regulatory focus on climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For example, the EU has established the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to regulate GHG emissions in the EU. The EU adopted a directive in 2008 under which each EU member state is required to extend the ETS to aviation operations. This directive would have required us, beginning in 2012, to annually submit emission allowances in order to operate flights to and from airports in the European Economic Area (EEA), including flights between the U.S. and EU member states. However, in an effort to allow theOctober 2016, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) time to propose an alternate scheme to manage global aviation emissions, in April 2013, the EU suspended for one year the ETS’ application to flights entering and departing the EEA, limiting its application, for flights flown in 2012, to intra-EEA flights only. In October 2013, the ICAO Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the development through ICAO of a global, market-based scheme for aviation GHG emissions, to be finalized in 2016 and implemented in 2020. Subsequently, the EU amended the ETS so that the monitoring, reporting and submission of allowances for aviation GHG emissions will continue to be limited to only intra-EEA flights through 2016, at which time the EU will evaluate the progress made by ICAO and determine what, if any, measures to take related to aviation GHG emissions from 2017 onwards. The U.S. enacted legislation in November 2012 which encourages the DOT to seek an international solution through ICAO and that will allow the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to prohibit U.S. airlines from participating in the ETS.

In October 2016, ICAO passed a resolution adopting the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which is a global, market-based emissions offset program to encourage carbon-neutral growth beyond 2020. The CORSIA was supported by the board of Airlines For America (the principal USU.S. airline trade association) and IATA (the principal international airline trade association), and by American and many other U.S. and foreign airlines. The CORSIA will increase operating costs for American and most other airlines, including other U.S. airlines that operate internationally, but the implementation of a global program, as compared to regional emission reduction schemes, should help to ensure that these costs will be more predictable and more evenly applied to American and its competitors. The CORSIA is expected to be implemented in phases, beginning in 2021. Certain details still need to be developed and the impact of the CORSIA cannot be fully predicted. Although the EU has not detailed its future plans for the EU ETS, it is expected that the adoption of the CORSIA by ICAO will generally stave off a proliferation of regional schemes like EU ETS, and other environmental taxes. While we do not anticipate any significant emissions allowance expenditures in 2016, beyond 20162017, compliance with the CORSIA ETS or similar emissions-related requirements could significantly increase our operating costs.costs beyond 2017. Further, the potential impact of the CORSIA ETS or other emissions-related requirements on our costs will ultimately depend on a number of factors, including baseline emissions, the price of emission allowances or offsets and the number of future flights subject to such emissions-related requirements. These costs have not been completely defined and could fluctuate.

In addition, in December 2015, at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (UNFCCC’s COP21), over 190 countries, including the United States, reached an agreement (the Paris Agreement) to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. While the United States has since announced that it will withdraw from the Paris Agreement and there is no express reference to aviation in this internationalthat agreement, to the extent the United States and other countries implement thisthat agreement or impose other climate change regulations, either with respect to the aviation industry or with respect to related industries such as the aviation fuel industry, it could have an adverse direct or indirect effect on our business.

Within the U.S., there isThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued an increasing trend toward regulating GHG emissions directly under the Clean Air Act (CAA). In response to a 2012 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the EPA announced in June 2015 a proposed endangerment finding that aircraft engine GHG emissions cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. A public hearing regarding the proposed endangerment finding was held in August 2015. If thewelfare, which is a precursor to EPA finalizes the endangerment finding, the EPA is obligated under the CAA to setregulation of aircraft engine GHG emission standards. It is anticipated that any such standards established by the EPA would closely align with emission standards currently being developed by ICAO. In February 2016, the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection recommended that ICAO adopt carbon dioxide certification standards that would apply to new type aircraft certified beginning in 2020, and would be phased in for newly manufactured existing aircraft type designs starting in 2023.

In addition, several states have adopted or are considering initiatives to regulate emissions of GHGs, primarily through the planned development of GHG emissions inventories and/or regional GHG cap and trade programs. Depending on the scope of such regulation, certain of our facilities and operations, or the operations of our suppliers, may be subject to additional operating and other permit requirements, likely resulting in increased operating costs.

These regulatory efforts, both internationally and in the U.S. at the federal and state levels, are still developing, and we cannot yet determine what the final regulatory programs or their impact will be in the U.S., the EU or in other areas in which we do business. However, such climate change-related regulatory activity in the future may adversely affect our business and financial results by requiring us to reduce our emissions, purchase allowances or otherwise pay for our emissions. Such activity may also impact us indirectly by increasing our operating costs, including fuel costs.

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We rely heavily on technology and automated systems to operate our business, and any failure of these technologies or systems could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are highly dependent on existing and emerging technology and automated systems to operate our business and achieve low operating costs.business. These technologies and systems include our computerized airline reservation system, flight operations systems, financial planning, management and accounting systems, telecommunications systems, website, maintenance systems and check-in kiosks. In order for our operations to work efficiently, our website and reservation system must be able to accommodate a high volume of traffic, maintain secure information and deliver flight information, as well as issue electronic tickets and process critical financial information in a timely manner. Substantially all of our tickets are issued to passengers as electronic tickets. We depend on our reservation system, which is hosted and maintained under a long-term contract by a third-party service provider, to be able to issue, track and accept these electronic tickets. If our automated systems are not functioning or if our third-party service providers were to fail to adequately provide technical support, system maintenance or timely software upgrades for any one of our key existing systems, we could experience service disruptions or delays, which could harm our business and result in the loss of important data, increase our expenses and decrease our revenues. In the event that one or more of our primary technology or systems vendors goes into bankruptcy, ceases operations or fails to perform as promised, replacement services may not be readily available on a timely basis, at competitive rates or at all, and any transition time to a new system may be significant.

Our automated systems cannot be completely protected against other events that are beyond our control, including natural disasters, power failures, terrorist attacks, cyber-attacks, data theft, equipment and software failures, computer viruses or telecommunications failures. Substantial or sustained system failures could cause service delays or failures and result in our customers purchasing tickets from other airlines. We cannot assure you that our security measures, change control procedures or disaster recovery plans are adequate to prevent disruptions or delays. Disruption in or changes to these systems could result in a disruption to our business and the loss of important data. Any of the foregoing could result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face challenges in integrating our computer, communications and other technology systems.

Among the principal risks of integrating our businesses and operations are the risks relating to integrating various computer, communications and other technology systems that will be necessary to operate US Airways and American as a single airline and to achieve cost synergies by eliminating redundancies in the businesses. While we have to date successfully integrated several of our systems, including our customer reservations system and our pilot and fleet scheduling system, we still have to complete several additional important system integration projects. The integration of these systems in a number of prior airline mergers has taken longer, been more disruptive and cost more than originally forecast. The implementation process to integrate these various systems will involve a number of risks that could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. New systems will replace multiple legacy systems and the related implementation will be a complex and time-consuming project involving substantial expenditures for implementation consultants, system hardware, software and implementation activities, as well as the transformation of business and financial processes.

As with any large project, there will be many factors that may materially affect the schedule, cost and execution of the integration of our computer, communications and other technology systems. These factors include, among others: problems during the design, implementation and testing phases; systems delays and/or malfunctions; the risk that suppliers and contractors will not perform as required under their contracts; the diversion of management attention from daily operations to the project; reworks due to unanticipated changes in business processes; challenges in simultaneously activating new systems throughout our global network; difficulty in training employees in the operations of new systems; the risk of security breach or disruption; and other unexpected events beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our security measures, change control procedures or disaster recovery plans will be adequate to prevent disruptions or delays.delays in connection with systems integration or replacement. Disruptions in or changes to these systems could result in a disruption to our business and the loss of important data. Any of the foregoing could result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are at risk of losses and adverse publicity stemming from any public incident, accident involving any of our personnel or aircraft or the personnel or aircraft of our regional or codeshare operators.

If our personnel or one of our aircraft, or personnel of, or an aircraft that is operated under our brand by, one of our regional operators or an aircraft that is operated by an airline with which we have a marketing alliance, joint business or codeshare relationship, were to be involved in ana public incident, accident incident or catastrophe, we could be exposed to significant tortreputational harm and potential legal liability. The insurance we carry may be inapplicable or inadequate to cover damages arising from any future accidents may be inadequate.such incident, accident or catastrophe. In the event that our insurance is inapplicable or not adequate, we may be forced to bear substantial losses from an incident or accident. In addition, any such incident, accident incident or catastrophe involving anour personnel or one of our aircraft operated by us, operated under our brand by one(or personnel and aircraft of our regional operators or operated by one ofand our codeshare partnerspartners) could create aan adverse public perception, that our aircraft or those of our regional operators or codeshare partners are not safe or reliable, which could harm our reputation, result in air travelers being reluctant to fly on our aircraft or those of our regional operators or codeshare partners, and adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Delays in scheduled aircraft deliveries or other loss of anticipated fleet capacity, and failure of new aircraft to perform as expected, may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The success of our business depends on, among other things, effectively managing the number and types of aircraft we operate. In many cases, the aircraft we intend to operate are not yet in our fleet, but we have contractual commitments to purchase or lease them. If for any reason we were unable to accept or secure deliveries of new aircraft on contractually scheduled delivery dates, this could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our failure to integrate newly purchased aircraft into our fleet as planned might require us to seek extensions of the terms for some leased aircraft or otherwise delay the exit of certain aircraft from our fleet. Such unanticipated extensions or delays may require us to operate existing aircraft beyond the point at which it is economically optimal to retire them, resulting in increased maintenance costs. If new aircraft orders are not filled on a timely basis, we could face higher operating costs than planned. In addition, if the aircraft we receive do not meet expected performance or quality standards, including with respect to fuel efficiency and reliability, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted.

We depend on a limited number of suppliers for aircraft, aircraft engines and parts.

We depend on a limited number of suppliers for aircraft, aircraft engines and many aircraft and engine parts. As a result, we are vulnerable to any problems associated with the supply of those aircraft, parts and engines, including design defects, mechanical problems, contractual performance by the suppliers, or adverse perception by the public that would result in customer avoidance or in actions by the FAA resulting in an inability to operate our aircraft.

Our business has been and will continue to be affected by many changing economic and other conditions beyond our control, including global events that affect travel behavior, and our results of operations could be volatile and fluctuate due to seasonality.

Our business, results of operations and financial condition hashave been and will continue to be affected by many changing economic and other conditions beyond our control, including, among others:

 

actual or potential changes in international, national, regional and local economic, business and financial conditions, including recession, inflation, higher interest rates, wars, terrorist attacks orand political instability;

 

changes in consumer preferences, perceptions, spending patterns orand demographic trends;

 

changes in the competitive environment due to industry consolidation, changes in airline alliance affiliations, and other factors;

 

actual or potential disruptions to the ATC systems;

 

increases in costs of safety, security, and environmental measures;

 

outbreaks of diseases that affect travel behavior; and

 

weather and natural disasters.

In particular, an outbreak of a contagious disease such as the Ebola virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, H1N1 influenza virus, avian flu, Zika virus or any other similar illness, if it were to become associated with air travel or persist for an extended period, could materially affect the airline industry and us by reducing revenues and adversely impacting our operations and passengers’ travel behavior. As a result of these or other conditions beyond our control, our results of operations could be volatile and subject to rapid and unexpected change. In addition, due to generally weaker demand for air travel during the winter, our revenues in the first and fourth quarters of the year could be weaker than revenues in the second and third quarters of the year.

A higher than normal number of pilot retirements, more stringent duty time regulations, increased flight hour requirements for commercial airline pilots and other factors have caused a shortage of pilots which could materially adversely affect our business.

We currently have a higher than normal number of pilots eligible for retirement. Among other things, the extension of pilot careers facilitated by the FAA’s 2007 modification of the mandatory retirement age from age 60 to age 65 has now been fully implemented, resulting in large numbers of pilots in the industry approaching the revised mandatory retirement age. Further, in July 2013, the FAA issued regulations that increased the flight hours required for pilots working for airlines certificated under Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. In addition, on January 4, 2014, more stringent pilot flight

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and duty time requirements under Part 117 of the Federal Aviation Regulations took effect. These and other factors, including reductions in the number of military pilots being trained by the U.S. armed forces and available as commercial pilots upon their retirement from military service, have contributed to a shortage of qualified, entry-level pilots and increased compensation costs, particularly for our regional subsidiaries and our other regional partners who have paidare being required by market conditions to pay significantly increased wages and large signing bonuses to their pilots.pilots in an attempt to achieve desired staffing levels. The foregoing factors have also led to increased competition from large, mainline carriers to hire pilots to replace retiring pilots. We believe that this industry-wide pilot shortage is becoming an increasing problem for airlines in the United States. Our regional partners have recently been unable to hire adequate numbers of pilots to meet their needs, resulting in a reduction in the number of flights offered, disruptions, increased costs of operations, financial difficulties and other adverse effects, and these circumstances may become more severe in the future and thereby cause a material adverse effect on our business.

Increases in insurance costs or reductions in insurance coverage may adversely impact our operations and financial results.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 led to a significant increase in insurance premiums and a decrease in the insurance coverage available to commercial air carriers. Accordingly, our insurance costs increased significantly, and our ability to continue to obtain insurance even at current prices remains uncertain. If we are unable to maintain adequate insurance coverage, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, severe disruptions in the domestic and global financial markets could adversely impact the claims-payingclaims paying ability of some insurers. Future downgrades in the ratings of enough insurers could adversely impact both the availability of appropriate insurance coverage and its cost. Because of competitive pressures in our industry, our ability to pass along additional insurance costs to passengers is limited. As a result, further increases in insurance costs or reductions in available insurance coverage could have an adverse impact on our financial results.

We may be a party to litigation in the normal course of business or otherwise, which could affect our financial position and liquidity.

From time to time, we are a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings, claims and government inspections or investigations and other legal matters, both inside and outside the United States, arising in the ordinary course of our business or otherwise. We are currently involved in various legal proceedings and claims that have not yet been fully resolved, and additional claims may arise in the future. Legal proceedings can be complex and take many months, or even years, to reach resolution, with the final outcome depending on a number of variables, some of which are not within our control. Litigation is subject to significant uncertainty and may be expensive, time-consuming, and disruptive to our operations. Although we will vigorously defend ourselves in such legal proceedings, their ultimate resolution and potential financial and other impacts on us are uncertain. For these and other reasons, we may choose to settle legal proceedings and claims, regardless of their actual merit. If a legal proceeding is resolved against us, it could result in significant compensatory damages, and in certain circumstances punitive or trebled damages, disgorgement of revenue or profits, remedial corporate measures or injunctive relief imposed on us. If our existing insurance does not cover the amount or types of damages awarded, or if other resolution or actions taken as a result of the legal proceeding were to restrain our ability to operate or market our services, our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In addition, legal proceedings, and any adverse resolution thereof, can result in adverse publicity and damage to our reputation, which could adversely impact our business. Additional information regarding certain legal matters in which we are involved can be found in Part II, Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

Our ability to utilize our NOL Carryforwards may be limited.

Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), a corporation is generally allowed a deduction for NOLsnet operating losses (NOLs) carried over from prior taxable years (NOL Carryforwards). As of December 31, 2015,2016, we had available NOL Carryforwards of approximately $8.0$10.5 billion for regular federal income tax purposes which will expire, if unused, beginning in 2022, and approximately $4.0$3.7 billion for state income tax purposes which will expire, if unused, between 20162017 and 2034. As of December 31, 2015, the amount of NOL Carryforwards for state income tax purposes that will expire, if unused, in 2016 is $136 million. Following the filing of our 2015 annual tax return in the third quarter of 2016, federal NOLs, substantially all of which are expected to be available to reduce

future federal taxable income in 2016 and future years, increased by $2.5 billion. The increase in the federal NOLs is attributable to the election to take bonus depreciation on eligible assets (primarily aircraft) in the 2015 federal income tax return.2036. Our NOL Carryforwards are subject to adjustment on audit by the Internal Revenue Service and the respective state taxing authorities.

A corporation’s ability to deduct its federal NOL Carryforwards and to utilize certain other available tax attributes can be substantially constrained under the general annual limitation rules of Section 382 of the Code (Section 382) if it undergoes an “ownership change” as defined in Section 382 (generally where cumulative stock ownership changes among material stockholders exceed 50 percent during a rolling three-year period). We experienced an ownership change in connection with our emergence from the Chapter 11 Cases and US Airways Group experienced an ownership change in connection with the Merger. The general limitation rules for a debtor in a bankruptcy case are liberalized where the ownership change

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occurs upon emergence from bankruptcy. We elected to be covered by certain special rules for federal income tax purposes that permitted approximately $9.0 billion (with $6.6$8.9 billion of unlimited NOL still remaining at December 31, 2015)2016) of our federal NOL Carryforwards to be utilized without regard to the annual limitation generally imposed by Section 382. If the special rules are determined not to apply, our ability to utilize such federal NOL Carryforwards may be subject to limitation. Substantially all of our remaining federal NOL Carryforwards (attributable to US Airways Group and its subsidiaries) are subject to limitation under Section 382 as a result of the Merger; however, our ability to utilize such NOL Carryforwards is not anticipated to be effectively constrained as a result of such limitation. Similar limitations may apply for state income tax purposes.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, an ownership change subsequent to our emergence from the Chapter 11 Cases may severely limit or effectively eliminate our ability to utilize our NOL Carryforwards and other tax attributes. To reduce the risk of a potential adverse effect on our ability to utilize our NOL Carryforwards, our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Certificate of Incorporation) contains transfer restrictions applicable to certain substantial stockholders. These restrictions may adversely affect the ability of certain holders of AAG common stock to dispose of or acquire shares of AAG common stock. Although the purpose of these transfer restrictions is to prevent an ownership change from occurring, no assurance can be given that such an ownership change will not occur even with these restrictions in which case our ability to utilize our NOL Carryforwards and other tax attributes could be severely limited or effectively eliminated.place.

Our ability to use our NOL Carryforwards also will depend on the amount of taxable income generated in future periods. The NOL Carryforwards may expire before we can generate sufficient taxable income to use them.

We have a significant amount of goodwill, which is testedassessed for impairment at least annually. In addition, we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets or long-lived assets, causing us to record material impairment charges.

Goodwill is not amortized, but is testedassessed for impairment at least annually. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, we are required to testassess our indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if conditions indicate that an impairment may have occurred. In addition, we are required to testassess certain of our other long-lived assets for impairment if conditions indicate that an impairment may have occurred.

Future impairment of goodwill or other long-lived assets could be recorded in results of operations as a result of changes in assumptions, estimates, or circumstances, some of which are beyond our control. Factors which could result in an impairment could include, but are not limited to: (i) reduced passenger demand as a result of domestic or global economic conditions; (ii) higher prices for jet fuel; (iii) lower fares or passenger yields as a result of increased competition or lower demand; (iv) a significant increase in future capital expenditure commitments; and (v) significant disruptions to our operations as a result of both internal and external events such as terrorist activities, actual or threatened war, labor actions by employees, or further industry regulation. There can be no assurance that a material impairment charge of goodwill or tangible or intangible assets will be avoided. The value of our aircraft could be impacted in future periods by changes in supply and demand for these aircraft. Such changes in supply and demand for certain aircraft types could result from grounding of aircraft by us or other airlines. An impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Relating to AAG’s Common Stock

The price of ourAAG common stock has recently been and may in the future be volatile.

The market price of AAG common stock may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

 

AAG’s operating and financial results failing to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors;

 

changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;

 

material announcements by us or our competitors;

 

movements in fuel prices;

expectations regarding our capital deployment program, including our share repurchase program and any future dividend payments that may be declared by our Board of Directors;

 

new regulatory pronouncements and changes in regulatory guidelines;

 

general and industry-specific economic conditions;

 

the success or failure of AAG’s integration efforts;

 

changes in our key personnel;

 

distributions of shares of AAG common stock pursuant to the Plan, including distributions from the disputed claims reserve established under the plan of reorganization upon the resolution of the underlying claims;

 

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public sales of a substantial number of shares of AAG common stock or issuances of AAG common stock upon the exercise or conversion of convertible securities, options, warrants, restricted stock unit awards, stock appreciation rights, or similar rights;

 

increases or decreases in reported holdings by insiders or other significant stockholders;

 

fluctuations in trading volume; and

 

changes in market values of airline companies as well as general market conditions.

We cannot guarantee that we will repurchase our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase programs or continue to pay dividends on our common stock or that our capital deployment program will enhance long-term stockholder value. Our capital deployment program could increase the volatility of the price of our common stock and diminish our cash reserves.

Since July 2014, as part of our capital deployment program, our Board of Directors has approved severalsix share repurchase programs aggregating $9.0$11.0 billion of authorityauthority. As of which, as of SeptemberJune 30, 2016, $555 million2017, $1.0 billion remained unused under a repurchase programsprogram that expireexpires on December 31, 2017.2018. Share repurchases under our share repurchase programs may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades or accelerated share repurchase transactions. These share repurchase programs do not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares or to repurchase any specific number of shares for any fixed period, and may be suspended at any time at our discretion. The timing and amount of repurchases, if any, will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The repurchase programs may be limited, suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

Although our Board of Directors commenced declaring quarterly cash dividends in July 2014 as part of our capital deployment program, any future dividends that may be declared and paid from time to time will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. We are not obligated to continue a dividend for any fixed period, and payment of dividends may be suspended at any time at our discretion. We will continue to retain future earnings to develop our business, as opportunities arise, and evaluate on a quarterly basis the amount and timing of future dividends based on our operating results, financial condition, capital requirements and general business conditions. The amount and timing of any future dividends may vary, and the payment of any dividend does not assure that we will be able to pay dividends in the future.

In addition, repurchases of AAG common stock pursuant to our share repurchase programs and any future dividends could affect our stock price and increase its volatility. The existence of a share repurchase program and any future dividends could cause our stock price to be higher than it would otherwise be and could potentially reduce the market liquidity for our stock. Additionally, our share repurchase programs and any future dividends will diminish our cash reserves, which may impact our ability to finance future growth and to pursue possible future strategic opportunities and acquisitions. Further, our share repurchase programs may fluctuate such that our cash flow may be insufficient to fully cover our share repurchases. Although our share repurchase programs are intended to enhance long-term stockholder value, there is no assurance that it will do so because the market price of our common stock may decline below the levels at which we repurchased shares of stock and short-term stock price fluctuations could reduce the program’s effectiveness.

Certain provisions of AAG’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws make it difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our Board of Directors and may discourage takeover attempts that some of our stockholders might consider beneficial.

Certain provisions of our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Certificate of Incorporation) and Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (Bylaws) may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control if our Board of Directors determines that such changes in control are not in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders. These provisions include, among other things, the following:

 

advance notice procedures for stockholder proposals to be considered at stockholders’ meetings;

the ability of our Board of Directors to fill vacancies on the board;

 

a prohibition against stockholders taking action by written consent;

 

a prohibition against stockholders calling special meetings of stockholders;

 

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a requirement that holders of at least 80% of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote in the election of directors approve any amendment of our Bylaws submitted to stockholders for approval; and

 

super-majority voting requirements to modify or amend specified provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation.

These provisions are not intended to prevent a takeover, but are intended to protect and maximize the value of the interests of our stockholders. While these provisions have the effect of encouraging persons seeking to acquire control of our company to negotiate with our Board of Directors, they could enable our Board of Directors to prevent a transaction that some, or a majority, of our stockholders might believe to be in their best interest and, in that case, may prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors. In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits business combinations with interested stockholders. Interested stockholders do not include stockholders whose acquisition of our securities is approved by the Board of Directors prior to the investment under Section 203.

AAG’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws include provisions that limit voting and acquisition and disposition of our equity interests.

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws include certain provisions that limit voting and ownership and disposition of our equity interests, including AAG common stock and convertible notes.interests. These restrictions may adversely affect the ability of certain holders of AAG common stock and our other equity interests to vote such interests and adversely affect the ability of persons to acquire shares of AAG common stock and our other equity interests.

In order to protect AAG’s NOL Carryforwards and certain other tax attributes, AAG’s Certificate of Incorporation includes certain limitations on acquisitions and dispositions of AAG’s common stock, which may limit the liquidity of our common stock.

To reduce the risk of a potential adverse effect on our ability to use our NOL Carryforwards and certain other tax attributes for federal income tax purposes, our Certificate of Incorporation contains certain restrictions on the acquisition and disposition of AAG common stock by substantial stockholders. These restrictions may adversely affect the ability of certain holders of AAG common stock to dispose of or acquire shares of AAG common stock. Although the purpose of these transfer restrictions is to prevent an “ownership change” (as defined in Section 382) from occurring, no assurance can be given that an ownership change will not occur even with these restrictions in place.

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

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

The following table displays information with respect to our purchases of shares of AAG common stock during the three months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

 

Period

  Total number of
shares purchased
   Average
price paid
per share
   Total number of shares
purchased as part of
publicly announced
plan or program
   Maximum dollar value of
shares that may be
purchased under the plan or  program

(in millions)
 

July 2016

   11,231,052    $32.48     11,231,052    $806  

August 2016

   3,222,480    $35.97     3,222,480    $690  

September 2016

   3,727,813    $36.25     3,727,813    $555  

            Period             

  Total number
of shares purchased
  Average price
paid per share
  Total number of shares
purchased as part of publicly

announced plan or program
  Maximum dollar value of shares
that may be purchased under

the plan or program
(in millions)

  April 2017

  5,150,821  $43.31  5,150,821  $1,265

  May 2017

  2,942,746  $45.19  2,942,746  $1,132

  June 2017

  1,904,230  $49.33  1,904,230  $1,038
ITEM 6.EXHIBITS

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

The exhibits listed in the Exhibit Index following the signature pages to this report are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this report.

Exhibits required to be filed by Item 601 of Regulation S-K: Where the amount of securities authorized to be issued under any of our long-term debt agreements does not exceed 10 percent of our assets, pursuant to paragraph (b)(4) of Item 601 ofRegulation S-K, in lieu of filing such as an exhibit, we hereby agree to furnish to the Commission upon request a copy of any agreement with respect to such long-term debt.

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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.

 

American Airlines Group Inc.

Date: October 20, 2016

By:

/s/ Derek J. Kerr

  

American Airlines Group Inc.
Date: July 28, 2017By:/s/ Derek J. Kerr

  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Derek J. Kerr
  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Duly Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer)

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.

 

  American Airlines, Inc.

Date: October 20, 2016

July 28, 2017
 

By:

 

By:

/s/ Derek J. Kerr

  

Derek J. Kerr

  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

  

(Duly Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer)

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

4.110.1#  

Pass Through TrustForm of Letter Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2014,April 25, 2017, by and between American Airlines Group Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trusteeeach of Robert D. Isom, Jr., Elise Eberwein, Stephen L. Johnson and Derek J. Kerr (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.110.1 to American’sAAG’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 17, 2014May 1, 2017 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.2  10.2  

Trust Supplement No. 2016-2B, dated as of July 8, 2016, between American Airlines, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee, to the Pass Through Trust Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.3

Amended and Restated Intercreditor Agreement (2016-2), dated as of July 8, 2016, among Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee of the American Airlines Pass Through Trust 2016-2AA, as Trustee of the American Airlines Pass Through Trust 2016-2A and as Trustee of the American Airlines Pass Through Trust 2016-2B, KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, as Class AA Liquidity Provider, Class A Liquidity Provider and Class B Liquidity Provider, and Wilmington Trust Company, as Subordination Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.4

Deposit Agreement (Class B), dated as of July 8, 2016, between Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Escrow Agent, and Citibank, N.A., as Depositary (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.5

Escrow and Paying Agent Agreement (Class B), dated as of July 8, 2016, among Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Escrow Agent, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., as the initial purchaser, Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity, but solely as Pass Through Trustee for and on behalf of American Airlines Pass Through Trust 2016-2B, and Wilmington Trust Company, as Paying Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.6

Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 8, 2016, among American Airlines, Inc., Wilmington Trust Company, as Pass Through Trustee under each of the Pass Through Trust Agreements, Wilmington Trust Company, as Subordination Agent, Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Escrow Agent, and Wilmington Trust Company, as Paying Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

4.7

Form of Participation Agreement (Participation Agreement among American Airlines, Inc., Wilmington Trust Company, as Pass Through Trustee under each of the Pass Through Trust Agreements, Wilmington Trust Company, as Subordination Agent, Wilmington Trust Company, as Loan Trustee, and Wilmington Trust Company, in its individual capacity as set forth therein) (included in Exhibit B to Exhibit 4.6).

4.8

Form of First Amendment to Participation Agreement (First Amendment to Participation Agreement among American Airlines, Inc., Wilmington Trust Company, as Pass Through Trustee under each of the Pass Through Trust Agreements, Wilmington Trust Company, as Subordination Agent, Wilmington Trust Company, as Loan Trustee, and Wilmington Trust Company, in its individual capacity as set forth therein) (included in Exhibit D to Exhibit 4.6).

4.9

Form of Indenture and Security Agreement (Indenture and Security Agreement between American Airlines, Inc., and Wilmington Trust Company, as Loan Trustee) (included in Exhibit C to Exhibit 4.6).

4.10

Form of First Amendment to Indenture and Security Agreement (First Amendment to Indenture and Security Agreement between American Airlines, Inc., and Wilmington Trust Company, as Loan Trustee) (included in Exhibit E to Exhibit 4.6).

4.11

Form of Pass Through Trust Certificate, Series 2016-2B (included in Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.2).

4.12

Revolving Credit Agreement (2016-2B), dated as of July 8, 2016, between Wilmington Trust Company, as Subordination Agent, as agent and trustee for the trustee of the American Airlines Pass Through Trust 2016-2B, as Borrower, and KfW IPEX Bank GmbH, as liquidity Provider (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.12 to American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 12, 2016 (Commission File No. 1-2691)).

10.1

SecondThird Amendment to the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated September 22,as of June 14, 2016, amending the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of April 20, 2015, among American Airlines, Inc., American Airlines Group Inc., the lenders from time to time party thereto, Citibank N.A., as administrative agent, and certain other parties thereto.

Exhibit
Number

Description

10.2

Supplemental Agreement No. 5, dated as of August 8, 2016, to Purchase Agreement No. 03735 dated as of February 1, 2013, between American Airlines, Inc. and The Boeing Company.*

10.3

Supplemental Agreement No. 7, dated as of August 8, 2016, to Purchase Agreement No. 3219 dated as of October 15, 2008, between American Airlines, Inc. and The Boeing Company.*

10.410.3*  

Amendment No. 8,9, dated as of July 18, 2016,April 24, 2017, to the Amended and Restated Airbus A350 XWB Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 2, 2007, by and between American Airlines, Inc. and Airbus S.A.S.*

10.510.4*  

TransitionThird Amended and SeparationRestated Letter Agreement No. 9, dated as of April 24, 2017 to the Amended and Restated Airbus A350 XWB Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 29, 2016, among J. Scott Kirby, American Airlines Group Inc.October 2, 2007, by and between American Airlines, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to AAG and American’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 29, 2016 (Commission File Nos. 1-8400 and 1-2691)).Airbus S.A.S.

10.5*

Supplemental Agreement No. 9, dated as of April 24, 2017, to Purchase Agreement No. 3219 dated as of October 15, 2008, by and between American Airlines, Inc. and The Boeing Company.

10.6*

Supplemental Agreement No. 10, dated as of May 11, 2017, to Purchase Agreement No. 3219 dated as of October 15, 2008, by and between American Airlines, Inc. and The Boeing Company.

12.1  

Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges of American Airlines Group Inc. for the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

12.2  

Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges of American Airlines, Inc. for the ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 2016.2017.

31.1  

Certification of AAG Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).

31.2  

Certification of AAG Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).

31.3  

Certification of American Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).

31.4  

Certification of American Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a).

32.1  

AAG Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) and section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of section 1350, chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code).

32.2  

American Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) and section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of section 1350, chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code).

101  

Interactive data files pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T.

 

*

Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to certain portions of this agreement.

#

Indicates management contract or compensatory plan.

 

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