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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

14.    Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments

Leases

The Company is committed to making rental payments under non-cancellable operating leases covering various facilities and equipment. Future minimum lease payments required under non-cancellable operating leases as of December 31, 2013 are as follows:

 

(in $ millions)    Amount  

2014

     13   

2015

     10   

2016

     8   

2017

     6   

2018

     5   

Thereafter

     19   
  

 

 

 
     61   
  

 

 

 

During the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the Company incurred total rental expenses of $18 million, $18 million and $19 million, respectively, primarily related to leases of office facilities.

Commitments under capital leases amounted to $107 million as of December 31, 2013, primarily related to information technology equipment.

Purchase Commitments

In the ordinary course of business, the Company makes various commitments to purchase goods and services from specific suppliers, including those related to capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had approximately $126 million of outstanding purchase commitments, primarily relating to service contracts for information technology, of which $46 million relates to the twelve months ending December 31, 2014. These purchase obligations extend through 2017.

Contingencies

Company Litigation

The Company is involved in various claims, legal proceedings and governmental inquiries related to contract disputes, business practices, intellectual property and other commercial, employment and tax matters. The Company believes it has adequately accrued for such matters as appropriate or, for matters not requiring accrual, believes they will not have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows based on information currently available. However, litigation is inherently unpredictable and although the Company believes its accruals are adequate and/or that it has valid defenses in these matters, unfavorable resolutions could occur, which could have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations or cash flows in a particular reporting period.

On March 12, 2013, the Company entered into an agreement to resolve its outstanding litigation with American Airlines and entered into a new long-term distribution agreement. This agreement was approved by the court overseeing the American Airlines bankruptcy proceedings on April 23, 2013.

In connection with the completion of the Company’s comprehensive refinancing, on April 15, 2013, the holders of the Company’s Senior Notes and Senior Subordinated Notes agreed to waive and release all claims asserted and related to the Company’s 2011 debt restructuring. On April 16, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY dismissed all claims and counterclaims relating to the litigation with prejudice.

 

Standard Guarantees/Indemnification

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into numerous agreements that contain standard guarantees and indemnities whereby the Company indemnifies another party for breaches of representations and warranties. In addition, many of these parties are also indemnified against any third-party claim resulting from the transaction that is contemplated in the underlying agreement. Such guarantees or indemnifications are granted under various agreements, including those governing (i) purchases, sales or outsourcing of assets or businesses, (ii) leases of real estate, (iii) licensing of trademarks, (iv) use of derivatives, and (v) issuances of debt securities. The guarantees or indemnifications issued are for the benefit of the (i) buyers in sale agreements and sellers in purchase agreements, (ii) landlords in lease contracts, (iii) licensees of the Company’s trademarks, (iv) financial institutions in derivative contracts, and (v) underwriters in debt security issuances. While some of these guarantees extend only for the duration of the underlying agreement, many survive the expiration of the term of the agreement or extend into perpetuity (unless subject to a legal statute of limitations). There are no specific limitations on the maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these guarantees, nor is the Company able to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments to be made under these guarantees, as the triggering events are not subject to predictability and there is little or no history of claims against the Company under such arrangements. With respect to certain of the aforementioned guarantees, such as indemnifications of landlords against third-party claims for the use of real estate property leased by the Company, the Company maintains insurance coverage that mitigates any potential payments to be made.