Financial Instruments and Risk Management

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Financial Instruments and Risk Management

Financial Instruments and Risk Management

As part of the Company’s risk management program, the Company from time to time uses a variety of financial instruments to reduce its exposure to fluctuations in the price of jet fuel and in interest rates. The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading purposes.

The Company may be exposed to credit losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to these financial instruments. The Company periodically reviews and seeks to mitigate exposure to the financial deterioration and nonperformance of any counterparty by monitoring the absolute exposure levels, each counterparty's credit ratings and the historical performance of the counterparties relating to hedge transactions. The credit exposure related to these financial instruments is limited to the fair value of contracts in a net receivable position at the reporting date. The Company also maintains security agreements that require the Company to post collateral if the value of selected instruments falls below specified mark-to-market thresholds. The Company records financial derivative instruments at fair value, which includes an evaluation of each counterparty's credit risk. As of September 30, 2019, the Company did not hold any derivatives with requirements to post collateral.

Fuel Derivative Instruments

From time to time, the Company may enter into fuel derivative contracts in order to mitigate the risk of future volatility in fuel prices. The Company's fuel derivative contracts, if any, generally consist of United States Gulf Coast jet fuel swaps ("jet fuel swaps") and United States Gulf Coast jet fuel options ("jet fuel options"). Both jet fuel swaps and jet fuel options are used at times to protect the refining price risk between the price of crude oil and the price of refined jet fuel, and to manage the risk of increasing fuel prices. Fair value of the instruments is determined using standard option valuation models.

The Company accounts for any fuel derivative contracts at fair value and recognizes them in the condensed balance sheets in prepaid expenses and other current assets or other current liabilities. The Company did not enter into any fuel derivative instruments during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, and did not have any outstanding fuel derivatives as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018. Historically, the Company has not elected hedge accounting on any fuel derivative instruments entered into and, as a result, changes in the fair value of fuel derivative contracts, if any, were recorded in aircraft fuel expense.

Interest Rate Swaps

From time to time, the Company may enter into interest rate swaps to fix the benchmark interest rate component of interest payments or for other reasons. These instruments limit the Company's exposure to changes in the benchmark interest rate in the period from the trade date through the date of maturity. Interest rate swaps may be designated as cash flow hedges. The Company generally accounts for interest rate swaps at fair value and recognizes them in the balance sheet in prepaid expenses and other current assets or other current liabilities with changes in fair value recorded within AOCI. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company did not have any outstanding interest rate swaps.

Realized gains and losses from cash flow hedges are recorded in the condensed statements of cash flows as a component of cash flows from operating activities. Subsequent to the issuance of each debt instrument, amounts remaining in AOCI are amortized over the life of the fixed-rate debt instrument. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, there were no unrealized gains or losses recorded within AOCI related to these instruments as they settled in 2015. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company reclassified interest rate swap losses of $57 thousand and $157 thousand, net of tax of $17 thousand and $63 thousand, respectively, into earnings. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company reclassified interest rate swap losses of $52 thousand and $172 thousand, net of tax of $27 thousand and $66 thousand, respectively, into earnings. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, $1.0 million and $1.1 million, net of tax, respectively, remained in AOCI, related to these instruments.