Condensed Statement of Changes in Partners' Capital - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	AB Holding Units held by AB to fund long-term incentive compensation plans	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	General Partner	Limited Partner
Balance, beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2017		$ (15,174)	$ (33,463)	$ 1,411	$ 1,590,776
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	$ 182,517			187	182,330
Cash distributions to Unitholders				(219)	(214,451)
Retirement of AB Holding Units					(100,330)
Issuance of AB Holding Units to fund long-term incentive compensation plan awards					74,916
Exercise of compensatory options to buy AB Holding Units					10,802
Other			133		(133)
Change in AB Holding Units held by AB to fund long-term incentive compensation plans		(15,719)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax			(5,235)
Changes in employee benefit related items, net of tax			277
Balance, end of period at Sep. 30, 2018	1,488,657	(30,893)	(38,288)	1,392	1,556,446
Balance, beginning of period at Jun. 30, 2018		(31,718)	(37,320)	1,386	1,601,958
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	65,900			68	65,832
Cash distributions to Unitholders				(62)	(60,544)
Retirement of AB Holding Units					(60,626)
Issuance of AB Holding Units to fund long-term incentive compensation plan awards					7,337
Exercise of compensatory options to buy AB Holding Units					2,489
Other			0		0
Change in AB Holding Units held by AB to fund long-term incentive compensation plans		825
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax			(1,265)
Changes in employee benefit related items, net of tax			297
Balance, end of period at Sep. 30, 2018	1,488,657	(30,893)	(38,288)	1,392	1,556,446
Balance, beginning of period at Dec. 31, 2018	1,490,057	(27,759)	(39,461)	1,385	1,555,892
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	158,541			166	158,375
Cash distributions to Unitholders				(169)	(162,026)
Retirement of AB Holding Units					(92,412)
Issuance of AB Holding Units to fund long-term incentive compensation plan awards	60,921				60,921
Exercise of compensatory options to buy AB Holding Units					9,642
Other			0		0
Change in AB Holding Units held by AB to fund long-term incentive compensation plans		(6,157)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax			(4,279)
Changes in employee benefit related items, net of tax			484
Balance, end of period at Sep. 30, 2019	1,454,602	(33,916)	(43,256)	1,382	1,530,392
Balance, beginning of period at Jun. 30, 2019		(35,746)	(39,130)	1,375	1,542,918
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	59,828			63	59,765
Cash distributions to Unitholders				(56)	(53,971)
Retirement of AB Holding Units					(19,029)
Issuance of AB Holding Units to fund long-term incentive compensation plan awards					18
Exercise of compensatory options to buy AB Holding Units					691
Other			0		0
Change in AB Holding Units held by AB to fund long-term incentive compensation plans		1,830
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax			(4,393)
Changes in employee benefit related items, net of tax			267
Balance, end of period at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 1,454,602	$ (33,916)	$ (43,256)	$ 1,382	$ 1,530,392