Fair Value Measurements and Other Investments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Fair Value Measurements and Other Investments

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 nine months ended September 30, 2017.

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



	Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2017
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Short-term investments ^(1) (2):
Money market funds	$	170	$	170	$	—	$	—
Corporate obligations	2,320		—		2,320		—
Bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits	2,738		—		2,738		—
Repurchase agreements	200		—		200		—
	5,428		170		5,258		—
Restricted cash and short-term investments ⁽¹⁾	393		104		289		—
Total	$	5,821	$	274	$	5,547	$	—


⁽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 $1.2 billion of bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits and $341 million of corporate obligations.

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, 2017				December 31, 2016
	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current maturities	$	24,684	$	25,681	$	24,344	$	24,983

Other Investments

We have an approximate 25% ownership interest in Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic), which we received in the second quarter of 2017 in consideration for our unsecured claim in Republic’s bankruptcy case. This ownership interest is accounted for under the equity method and our portion of Republic’s financial results is recognized within other, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Additionally, in the third quarter of 2017, we acquired 2.7% of the outstanding shares of China Southern Airlines Company Limited for $203 million. Since our subscription agreement restricts the sale or transfer of these shares for three years, we account for this investment under the cost method.

American Airlines, Inc. [Member]

Fair Value Measurements and Other Investments

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 nine months ended September 30, 2017.

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



	Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2017
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Short-term investments ^(1) (2):
Money market funds	$	169	$	169	$	—	$	—
Corporate obligations	2,320		—		2,320		—
Bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits	2,736		—		2,736		—
Repurchase agreements	200		—		200		—
	5,425		169		5,256		—
Restricted cash and short-term investments ⁽¹⁾	393		104		289		—
Total	$	5,818	$	273	$	5,545	$	—


⁽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 $1.2 billion of bank notes/certificates of deposit/time deposits and $341 million of corporate obligations.

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, 2017				December 31, 2016
	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Long-term debt, including current maturities	$	22,912	$	23,839	$	22,577	$	23,181

Other Investments

American has an approximate 25% ownership interest in Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic), which it received in the second quarter of 2017 in consideration for its unsecured claim in Republic’s bankruptcy case. This ownership interest is accounted for under the equity method and American's portion of Republic’s financial results is recognized within other, net on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Additionally, in the third quarter of 2017, American acquired 2.7% of the outstanding shares of China Southern Airlines Company Limited for $203 million. Since American's subscription agreement restricts the sale or transfer of these shares for three years, American accounts for this investment under the cost method.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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