2.2.0.25falsefalse006120 - Disclosure - Employee Benefit Planstruefalsefalse1falsefalseUSDfalsefalse1/1/2010 - 12/31/2010
USD ($)
USD ($) / shares
$c00020http://www.sec.gov/CIK0000948846duration2010-01-01T00:00:002010-12-31T00:00:00u000Standardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso42170u002Dividehttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso4217http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0u001Standardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0USDUSD$2true0aai_NotesToFinancialStatementsAbstractaaifalsenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherxbrli:stringItemTypestringNo definition available.falsefalse3false0us-gaap_ScheduleOfDefinedBenefitPlansDisclosuresTextBlockus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00<div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Note 12 – Employee Benefit Plans</font></div><div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></font> </div><div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">All employees, except pilots and mechanics, are eligible to participate in our consolidated 401(k) plan, a defined contribution benefit plan that qualifies under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Participants may contribute up to 15 percent of their base salary to the plan. Our contributions to the plan are discretionary. The amount of our contributions to the plan expensed in 2010, 2009, and 2008 was approximately $1.6 million, $1.4 million, and $1.4 million, respectively.</font></div><div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></font> </div><div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Effective August 1, 2001, the AirTran Airways Pilot Savings and Investment Plan (Pilot Savings Plan) was established. This plan is designed to qualify under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eligible employees may contribute up to the IRS maximum allowed. We do not match pilot contributions to this Pilot Savings Plan. Effective on August 1, 2001, we also established the Pilot-Only Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DC Plan) which qualifies under Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our contributions were 10.5 percent of compensation, as defined, during 2010, 2009, and 2008. We expensed $18.4 million, $17.3 million, and $15.7 million in contributions to the DC Plan during 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively. We established an Employee Stock Purchase Plan in 1995. Under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan as currently in effect, employees who complete 12 months of service are eligible to make periodic purchases of our common stock at up to a 15 percent discount from the market value on the offering date. We are authorized to issue up to 4 million shares of common stock under this plan. During 2010, 2009, and 2008, the employees purchased approximately 205,000, 227,000, and 376,000 shares, respectively, at an average price of $5.45, $4.85, and $3.65 per share, respectively.</font></div><div style="TEXT-INDENT: 0pt; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-LEFT: 0pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0pt" align="left"><br /><font style="DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">We provide postemployment defined benefits to certain eligible employees. At December 31, 2010, the liability for the accumulated postemployment benefit obligations under the plans was $2.9 million, and unrecognized prior service costs and net actuarial gains were $2.6 million. Benefit expense under the plans was $0.6 million, $1.0 million and $1.1 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The plans have no assets and benefit payments are funded from operations and in all periods presented are not material.</font></div>Note 12 – Employee Benefit Plans All employees, except pilots and mechanics, are eligible to participate in our consolidated 401(k) plan, a definedfalsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherus-types:textBlockItemTypestringThis element may be used to capture the entire disclosure for an employer that sponsors one or more defined benefit pension plans or one or more other defined benefit postretirement plans, of certain information, separately for pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans including the entity's schedule of fair value of plan assets for defined benefit or other postretirement plans.Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 132R
-Paragraph 5, 6, 7
Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 132R
-Paragraph 5
-Subparagraph d
Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 158
-Paragraph 4, 7, 16, 20, 21
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