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EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
 
Four qualified defined-benefit plans, one non-qualified defined-benefit plan, and seven defined-contribution retirement plans cover various employee groups of Alaska, Horizon and McGee Air Services.

The defined-benefit plans provide benefits based on an employee’s term of service and average compensation for a specified period of time before retirement. The qualified defined-benefit pension plans are closed to new entrants.
 
Accounting standards require recognition of the overfunded or underfunded status of an entity’s defined-benefit pension and other postretirement plan as an asset or liability in the consolidated financial statements and requires recognition of the funded status in AOCL.
 
Qualified Defined-Benefit Pension Plans

The Company’s four qualified defined-benefit pension plans are funded as required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. The defined-benefit plan assets consist primarily of marketable equity and fixed-income securities. The work groups covered by qualified defined-benefit pension plans include salaried employees, pilots, clerical, office, passenger service employees, mechanics and related craft employees. The Company uses a December 31 measurement date for these plans. All plans are closed to new entrants.

Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations:

The rates below vary by plan and related work group.
 20192018
Discount rates3.33% to 3.47%4.37% to 4.46%
Rate of compensation increases2.11% to 5.44%  2.11% to 3.50%  

Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost:

The rates below vary by plan and related work group.
 201920182017
Discount rates4.37% to 4.46%3.69% to 3.78%  4.29% to 4.50%  
Expected return on plan assets4.25% to 5.50%4.25% to 5.50%  5.50% to 6.00%  
Rate of compensation increases(a)
2.11% to 3.50%  2.11% to 16.51%  2.12% to 2.59%  
(a)Significant rate of compensation increase in 2018 is due to the new contract with our Mainline pilots, which was executed at the end of 2017.

The discount rates are determined using current interest rates earned on high-quality, long-term bonds with maturities that correspond with the estimated cash distributions from the pension plans. At December 31, 2019, the Company selected discount rates for each of the plans using a pool of higher-yielding bonds estimated to be more reflective of settlement rates, as management has taken steps to ultimately terminate or settle plans that are frozen and move toward freezing benefits in active plans in the future. In determining the expected return on plan assets, the Company assesses the current level of expected returns on risk-free investments (primarily government bonds), the historical level of the risk premium associated with the other asset classes in which the portfolio is invested and the expectations for future returns of each asset class. The expected return for each asset class is then weighted based on the target asset allocation to develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption for the portfolio.
Plan assets are invested in common commingled trust funds invested in equity and fixed income securities and in certain real estate assets. The target and actual asset allocation of the funds in the qualified defined-benefit plans, by asset category, are as follows: 
Salaried Plan(a)
All other plans
 Target20192018Target20192018
Asset category:  
Domestic equity securities2% - 12%  7 %6 %36% - 46%  41 %28 %
Non-U.S. equity securities0% - 5%  3 %3 %13% - 23%  18 %12 %
Fixed income securities85% - 95%  90 %91 %26% - 46%  35 %53 %
Real estate— %— %— %0% - 10%  6 %7 %
Plan assets100 %100 %100 %100 %
(a)As our Salaried Plan is frozen and fully funded, our investment strategies differ significantly from that of our other outstanding plans. Investments are in lower-risk securities, with earnings designed to maintain a fully-funded status.

The Company’s investment policy focuses on achieving maximum returns at a reasonable risk for pension assets over a full market cycle. The Company determines the strategic allocation between equities, fixed income and real estate based on current funded status and other characteristics of the plans. As the funded status improves, the Company increases the fixed income allocation of the portfolio and decreases the equity allocation. Actual asset allocations are reviewed regularly and periodically rebalanced as appropriate.

Plan assets invested in common commingled trust funds are fair valued using the net asset values of these funds to determine fair value as allowed using the practical expedient method outlined in the accounting standards. Fair value estimates for real estate are calculated using the present value of expected future cash flows based on independent appraisals, local market conditions and current and projected operating performance.

Plan assets by fund category (in millions):
 20192018Fair Value Hierarchy
Fund type:  
U.S. equity market fund$773  $431  1  
Non-U.S. equity fund344  183  1  
Credit bond index fund1,009  1,135  1  
Plan assets in common commingled trusts$2,126  $1,749  
Real estate102  104  (a) 
Cash equivalents11  5  1  
Total plan assets$2,239  $1,858  

(a)In accordance with Subtopic 820-10, certain investments that are measured at net asset value per share (or its equivalent) have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.
The following table sets forth the status of the qualified defined-benefit pension plans (in millions):
 20192018
Projected benefit obligation (PBO)  
Beginning of year$2,225  $2,387  
Service cost42  48  
Interest cost89  79  
Actuarial (gain)/loss359  (191) 
Benefits paid(113) (98) 
End of year$2,602  $2,225  
Plan assets at fair value      
Beginning of year$1,858  $2,083  
Actual return on plan assets429  (127) 
Employer contributions65  —  
Benefits paid(113) (98) 
End of year$2,239  $1,858  
Unfunded status$(363) $(367) 
Percent funded86 %84 %
 
The accumulated benefit obligation for the combined qualified defined-benefit pension plans was $2.4 billion and $2.1 billion at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

The amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheets (in millions): 
 20192018
Accrued benefit liability-long term$412  $392  
Plan assets-long term (within Other noncurrent assets)(49) (25) 
Total liability recognized$363  $367  
 
The amounts not yet reflected in net periodic benefit cost and included in AOCL (in millions):
 20192018
Prior service credit$(6) $(8) 
Net loss595  607  
Amount recognized in AOCL (pretax)$589  $599  

The expected amortization of prior service credit and net loss from AOCL in 2020 is $1 million and $35 million for the qualified defined-benefit pension plans.
 
Net pension expense for the qualified defined-benefit plans included the following components (in millions): 
 201920182017
Service cost$42  $48  $39  
Interest cost89  79  74  
Expected return on assets(95) (107) (106) 
Amortization of prior service credit(1) (1) (1) 
Recognized actuarial loss37  33  26  
Net pension expense$72  $52  $32  
 
There are no current statutory funding requirements for the Company’s plans in 2020.
 
Future benefits expected to be paid over the next ten years under the qualified defined-benefit pension plans from the assets of those plans (in millions): 
Total  
2020$115  
2021118  
2022134  
2023137  
2024137  
2025– 2029800  
 
Nonqualified Defined-Benefit Pension Plan
 
Alaska also maintains an unfunded, noncontributory defined-benefit plan for certain elected officers. This plan uses a December 31 measurement date. The assumptions used to determine benefit obligations and the net period benefit cost for the nonqualified defined-benefit pension plan are similar to those used to calculate the qualified defined-benefit pension plan. The plan's unfunded status, PBO and accumulated benefit obligation are immaterial. The net pension expense in prior year and expected future expense is also immaterial.

Post-retirement Medical Benefits
 
The Company allows certain retirees to continue their medical, dental and vision benefits by paying all or a portion of the active employee plan premium until eligible for Medicare, currently age 65. This results in a subsidy to retirees, because the premiums received by the Company are less than the actual cost of the retirees’ claims. The accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation for this subsidy is unfunded. The accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation was $129 million and $82 million at December 31, 2019 and 2018. The net periodic benefit cost was not material in 2019 or 2018.

Defined-Contribution Plans

The seven defined-contribution plans are deferred compensation plans under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. All of these plans require Company contributions. Total expense for the defined-contribution plans was $132 million, $126 million and $103 million in 2019, 2018, and 2017.  

The Company also has a noncontributory, unfunded defined-contribution plan for certain elected officers of the Company who are ineligible for the nonqualified defined-benefit pension plan. Amounts recorded as liabilities under the plan are not material to the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Pilot Long-term Disability Benefits

Alaska maintains a long-term disability plan for its pilots. The long-term disability plan does not have a service requirement. Therefore, the liability is calculated based on estimated future benefit payments associated with pilots that were assumed to be disabled on a long-term basis as of December 31, 2019 and does not include any assumptions for future disability. The liability includes the discounted expected future benefit payments and medical costs.  The total liability was $45 million and $25 million, which was recorded net of a prefunded trust account of $6 million and $3 million, and included in long-term other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

Employee Incentive-Pay Plans
 
The Company has employee incentive plans that pay employees based on certain financial and operational metrics. These metrics are set and approved annually by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. The aggregate expense under these plans in 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $163 million, $147 million and $135 million. The incentive plans are summarized below.
 
•Performance-Based Pay (PBP) is a program that rewards the majority of Alaska and Horizon employees.  The program is based on various metrics that adjust periodically, including those related to Air Group profitability, safety, Mileage Plan™ and credit card growth, achievement of unit-cost goals and employee engagement as measured by brand strength.
•The Operational Performance Rewards Program entitles the majority of Alaska and Horizon employees to quarterly payouts of up to $450 per person if certain monthly operational and customer service objectives are met.