UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
 
FORM 10-Q
 

    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 20212022
 
OR

    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 For the transition period from                      to                      

Commission File Number 1-8957

ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
 
Delaware91-1292054
(State of Incorporation)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
19300 International Boulevard,Seattle,WA98188
Telephone:(206)392-5040
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTicker SymbolName of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $0.01 par valueALKNew York Stock Exchange
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes   No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes No
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large accelerated filerAccelerated filer  Non-accelerated filer   
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company  Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.): Yes  No
 
The registrant has 125,232,721126,764,811 common shares, par value $0.01, outstanding at July 31, 2021.2022.

This document is also available on our website at http://investor.alaskaair.com.



ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 20212022

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

As used in this Form 10-Q, the terms “Air Group,” the “Company,” “our,” “we” and "us" refer to Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Alaska Airlines, Inc. and Horizon Air Industries, Inc. are referred to as “Alaska” and “Horizon” and together as our “airlines.”
 
2


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are those that predict or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or the Company’s present expectations.

You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our forward-looking statements are based on the information currently available to us and speak only as of the date on which this report was filed with the SEC. We expressly disclaim any obligation to issue any updates or revisions to our forward-looking statements, even if subsequent events cause our expectations to change regarding the matters discussed in those statements. For a discussion of our risk factors, see Item 1A. "Risk Factors” of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of those risks as you read this report.


3


PART I 
ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)
(in millions)(in millions)June 30, 2021December 31, 2020(in millions)June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
ASSETSASSETS  ASSETS  
Current AssetsCurrent Assets  Current Assets  
Cash and cash equivalentsCash and cash equivalents$1,025 $1,370 Cash and cash equivalents$778 $470 
Marketable securitiesMarketable securities2,926 1,976 Marketable securities2,647 2,646 
Total cash and marketable securitiesTotal cash and marketable securities3,951 3,346 Total cash and marketable securities3,425 3,116 
Receivables - netReceivables - net567 480 Receivables - net401 546 
Inventories and supplies - netInventories and supplies - net52 57 Inventories and supplies - net93 62 
Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assets201 123 
Prepaid expenses and other current assetsPrepaid expenses and other current assets313 196 
Total Current AssetsTotal Current Assets4,771 4,006 Total Current Assets4,232 3,920 
Property and EquipmentProperty and Equipment  Property and Equipment  
Aircraft and other flight equipmentAircraft and other flight equipment7,996 7,761 Aircraft and other flight equipment8,569 8,127 
Other property and equipmentOther property and equipment1,433 1,398 Other property and equipment1,532 1,489 
Deposits for future flight equipmentDeposits for future flight equipment402 583 Deposits for future flight equipment292 384 
9,831 9,742  10,393 10,000 
Less accumulated depreciation and amortizationLess accumulated depreciation and amortization3,703 3,531 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization3,922 3,862 
Total Property and Equipment - NetTotal Property and Equipment - Net6,128 6,211 Total Property and Equipment - Net6,471 6,138 
Other AssetsOther Assets
Operating lease assetsOperating lease assets1,375 1,400 Operating lease assets1,669 1,453 
Goodwill1,943 1,943 
Intangible assets - net103 107 
Goodwill and intangible assetsGoodwill and intangible assets2,041 2,044 
Other noncurrent assetsOther noncurrent assets336 379 Other noncurrent assets387 396 
Other Assets3,757 3,829 
Total Other AssetsTotal Other Assets4,097 3,893 
Total AssetsTotal Assets$14,656 $14,046 Total Assets$14,800 $13,951 


4


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)
(in millions, except share amounts)(in millions, except share amounts)June 30, 2021December 31, 2020(in millions, except share amounts)June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITYLIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  
Current LiabilitiesCurrent Liabilities  Current Liabilities  
Accounts payableAccounts payable$159 $108 Accounts payable$286 $200 
Accrued wages, vacation and payroll taxesAccrued wages, vacation and payroll taxes439 527 Accrued wages, vacation and payroll taxes416 457 
Air traffic liabilityAir traffic liability1,533 1,073 Air traffic liability1,778 1,163 
Other accrued liabilitiesOther accrued liabilities661 424 Other accrued liabilities794 625 
Deferred revenueDeferred revenue922 733 Deferred revenue1,012 912 
Current portion of operating lease liabilitiesCurrent portion of operating lease liabilities263 290 Current portion of operating lease liabilities274 268 
Current portion of long-term debtCurrent portion of long-term debt869 1,138 Current portion of long-term debt342 366 
Total Current LiabilitiesTotal Current Liabilities4,846 4,293 Total Current Liabilities4,902 3,991 
Long-Term Debt, Net of Current PortionLong-Term Debt, Net of Current Portion2,319 2,357 Long-Term Debt, Net of Current Portion1,961 2,173 
Noncurrent LiabilitiesNoncurrent Liabilities  Noncurrent Liabilities  
Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portionLong-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,222 1,268 Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,505 1,279 
Deferred income taxesDeferred income taxes439 407 Deferred income taxes552 578 
Deferred revenueDeferred revenue1,424 1,544 Deferred revenue1,429 1,446 
Obligation for pension and postretirement medical benefits660 665 
Obligation for pension and post-retirement medical benefitsObligation for pension and post-retirement medical benefits299 305 
Other liabilitiesOther liabilities422 524 Other liabilities353 378 
Total Noncurrent LiabilitiesTotal Noncurrent Liabilities4,138 3,986 
4,167 4,408 
Commitments and Contingencies00
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)Commitments and Contingencies (Note 7)00
Shareholders' EquityShareholders' Equity  Shareholders' Equity  
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, NaN issued or outstanding0 
Common stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2021 - 134,579,403 shares; 2020 - 133,567,534 shares, Outstanding: 2021 - 125,229,459 shares; 2020 - 124,217,590 shares1 
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, none issued or outstandingPreferred stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 5,000,000 shares, none issued or outstanding — 
Common stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2022 - 136,109,649 shares; 2021 - 135,255,808 shares, Outstanding: 2022 - 126,759,705 shares; 2021 - 125,905,864 sharesCommon stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized: 400,000,000 shares, Issued: 2022 - 136,109,649 shares; 2021 - 135,255,808 shares, Outstanding: 2022 - 126,759,705 shares; 2021 - 125,905,864 shares1 
Capital in excess of par valueCapital in excess of par value454 391 Capital in excess of par value542 494 
Treasury stock (common), at cost: 2021 - 9,349,944 shares; 2020 - 9,349,944 shares(674)(674)
Treasury stock (common), at cost: 2022 - 9,349,944 shares; 2021 - 9,349,944 sharesTreasury stock (common), at cost: 2022 - 9,349,944 shares; 2021 - 9,349,944 shares(674)(674)
Accumulated other comprehensive lossAccumulated other comprehensive loss(487)(494)Accumulated other comprehensive loss(308)(262)
Retained earningsRetained earnings4,030 3,764 Retained earnings4,238 4,242 
3,324 2,988  3,799 3,801 
Total Liabilities and Shareholders' EquityTotal Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity$14,656 $14,046 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity$14,800 $13,951 

5


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions, except per share amounts)(in millions, except per share amounts)2021202020212020(in millions, except per share amounts)2022202120222021
Operating RevenuesOperating Revenues    Operating Revenues    
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$1,352 $309 $2,011 $1,790 Passenger revenue$2,418 $1,352 $3,929 $2,011 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue118 73 212 182 Mileage Plan other revenue175 118 287 212 
Cargo and otherCargo and other57 39 101 85 Cargo and other65 57 123 101 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues1,527 421 2,324 2,057 Total Operating Revenues2,658 1,527 4,339 2,324 
Operating ExpensesOperating Expenses  Operating Expenses  
Wages and benefitsWages and benefits510 472 1,003 1,084 Wages and benefits639 510 1,245 1,003 
Variable incentive payVariable incentive pay34 16 67 23 Variable incentive pay56 34 92 67 
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(503)(362)(914)(362)Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (503) (914)
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses274 59 477 443 Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses776 274 1,123 477 
Aircraft maintenanceAircraft maintenance102 45 183 160 Aircraft maintenance104 102 239 183 
Aircraft rentAircraft rent62 74 124 155 Aircraft rent73 62 146 124 
Landing fees and other rentalsLanding fees and other rentals144 83 273 214 Landing fees and other rentals136 144 274 273 
Contracted servicesContracted services54 30 105 102 Contracted services82 54 160 105 
Selling expensesSelling expenses41 74 59 Selling expenses78 41 136 74 
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization98 107 195 215 Depreciation and amortization104 98 206 195 
Food and beverage serviceFood and beverage service35 58 56 Food and beverage service50 35 91 58 
Third-party regional carrier expenseThird-party regional carrier expense37 26 67 63 Third-party regional carrier expense50 37 92 67 
OtherOther117 78 222 221 Other177 117 329 222 
Special items - impairment charges and other(4)69 14 229 
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges146 (4)221 14 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(23)(12)Special items - restructuring charges (23) (12)
Special items - merger-related costs0 0 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses978 709 1,936 2,666 Total Operating Expenses2,471 978 4,354 1,936 
Operating Income (Loss)Operating Income (Loss)549 (288)388 (609)Operating Income (Loss)187 549 (15)388 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)  
Non-operating Income (Expense)Non-operating Income (Expense)  
Interest incomeInterest income6 13 16 Interest income11 18 13 
Interest expenseInterest expense(39)(17)(71)(30)Interest expense(26)(39)(53)(71)
Interest capitalizedInterest capitalized3 6 Interest capitalized3 5 
Other - netOther - net9 19 11 Other - net10 24 19 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(21)(3)(33)
Total Non-operating Income (Expense)Total Non-operating Income (Expense)(2)(21)(6)(33)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax528 (291)355 (608)Income (Loss) Before Income Tax185 528 (21)355 
Income tax expense (benefit)Income tax expense (benefit)131 (77)89 (162)Income tax expense (benefit)46 131 (17)89 
Net Income (Loss)Net Income (Loss)$397 $(214)$266 $(446)Net Income (Loss)$139 397 $(4)$266 
Basic Income (Loss) Per Share:$3.18 $(1.74)$2.13 $(3.62)
Diluted Income (Loss) Per Share:$3.13 $(1.74)$2.10 $(3.62)
Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share:Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share:$1.10 $3.18 $(0.03)$2.13 
Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share:Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share:$1.09 $3.13 $(0.03)$2.10 
Shares used for computation:Shares used for computation: Shares used for computation: 
BasicBasic124.977 123.296 124.640 123.058 Basic126.543 124.977 126.265 124.640 
DilutedDiluted126.825 123.296 126.388 123.058 Diluted127.795 126.825 126.265 126.388 

6


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS (unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)2021202020212020
Net Income (Loss)$397 $(214)$266 $(446)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):
Related to marketable securities:
Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period0 31 (11)30 
Reclassification of gain into Other - net nonoperating income(2)(6)(6)(9)
Income tax effect1 (6)4 (5)
Total(1)19 (13)16 
Related to employee benefit plans:
Reclassification of net pension expense into Wages and benefits and Other - net nonoperating income9 17 15 
Income tax effect(2)(2)(4)(4)
Total7 13 11 
Related to interest rate derivative instruments:
Unrealized holding gain (loss) arising during the period1 (2)9 (27)
Reclassification of loss into Aircraft rent0 0 
Income tax effect0 (2)
Total1 (1)7 (20)
Other Comprehensive Income7 24 7 
Comprehensive Income (Loss)$404 $(190)$273 $(439)
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)2022202120222021
Net Income (Loss)$139 $397 $(4)$266 
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
Marketable securities(20)(1)(60)(13)
Employee benefit plans 1 13 
Interest rate derivative instruments4 13 
        Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax$(16)$$(46)$
Total comprehensive income (loss), net$123 $404 $(50)$273 




7


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (unaudited)
(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2020124.217 $1 $391 $(674)$(494)$3,764 $2,988 
Net loss — — — — (131)(131)
Other comprehensive income — — — — 
Stock-based compensation — 12 — — — 12 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued under stock plans0.225 — (2)— — — (2)
Balances at March 31, 2021124.442 $1 $409 $(674)$(494)$3,633 $2,875 
Net income— — — — — 397 397 
Other comprehensive income— — — — — 
Stock-based compensation0.009 — 13 — — — 13 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan0.716 — 23 — — — 23 
Stock issued under stock plans0.062 — — — — 
Balances at June 30, 2021125.2291454(674)(487)4,030 3,324 
(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2021125.906 $1 $494 $(674)$(262)$4,242 $3,801 
Net income (loss) — — — — (143)(143)
Other comprehensive income (loss) — — — (30)— (30)
Stock-based compensation — 13 — — — 13 
Stock issued under stock plans0.182 — (4)— — — (4)
Balances at March 31, 2022126.088 $1 $503 $(674)$(292)$4,099 $3,637 
Net income (loss)— — — — — 139 139 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — (16)— (16)
Stock-based compensation0.017 — — — — 
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan0.643 — 30 — — — 30 
Stock issued under stock plans0.012 — — — — — — 
Balances at June 30, 2022126.760 $1 $542 $(674)$(308)$4,238 $3,799 

(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2019123.000 $1 $305 $(643)$(465)$5,133 $4,331 
Net loss— — — — — (232)(232)
Other comprehensive loss— — — — (17)— (17)
Common stock repurchase(0.538)— — (31)— — (31)
Stock-based compensation— — — — — 
Cash dividend declared
($0.375 per share)
— — — — (45)(45)
Stock issued under stock plans0.123 — — — — — 
Balance at March 31, 2020122.585 $1 $314 $(674)$(482)$4,856 $4,015 
Net loss— — — — — (214)(214)
Other comprehensive income— — — — 24 — 24 
Stock-based compensation— — — — — 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan1.000 — 27 — — — 27 
Stock issued under stock plans0.054 — — — — 
Balances at June 30, 2020123.639 $1 $350 $(674)$(458)$4,642 $3,861 
(in millions)Common Stock OutstandingCommon StockCapital in Excess of Par ValueTreasury StockAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Retained EarningsTotal
Balances at December 31, 2020124.217 $1 $391 $(674)$(494)$3,764 $2,988 
Net income (loss)— — — — — (131)(131)
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — — — — 
Stock-based compensation— — 12 — — — 12 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued under stock plans0.225 — (2)— — — (2)
Balance at March 31, 2021124.442 $1 $409 $(674)$(494)$3,633 $2,875 
Net income (loss)— — — — — 397 397 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — — — 
Stock-based compensation0.009 — 13 — — — 13 
CARES Act warrant issuance— — — — — 
Stock issued for employee stock purchase plan0.716 — 23 — — — 23 
Stock issued under stock plans0.062 — — — — 
Balances at June 30, 2021125.229 $1 $454 $(674)$(487)$4,030 $3,324 

8



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)
Six Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020(in millions)20222021
Cash flows from operating activities:Cash flows from operating activities:  Cash flows from operating activities:  
Net Income (Loss)Net Income (Loss)$266 $(446)Net Income (Loss)$(4)$266 
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:  
Adjustments to reconcile net gain (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:Adjustments to reconcile net gain (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:  
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization195 215 Depreciation and amortization206 195 
Stock-based compensation and otherStock-based compensation and other24 Stock-based compensation and other20 24 
Special items - impairment charges and other14 229 
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges221 14 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(12)Special items - restructuring charges (12)
Changes in certain assets and liabilities:Changes in certain assets and liabilities:Changes in certain assets and liabilities:
Changes in deferred tax provisionChanges in deferred tax provision33 (98)Changes in deferred tax provision(14)33 
Increase in accounts receivableIncrease in accounts receivable(115)(86)
Increase in air traffic liabilityIncrease in air traffic liability460 231 Increase in air traffic liability615 460 
Increase in deferred revenueIncrease in deferred revenue69 84 Increase in deferred revenue83 69 
Federal income tax refundFederal income tax refund260 — 
Other - netOther - net(42)99 Other - net(37)44 
Net cash provided by operating activitiesNet cash provided by operating activities1,007 321 Net cash provided by operating activities1,235 1,007 
Cash flows from investing activities:Cash flows from investing activities:  Cash flows from investing activities:  
Property and equipment additions:Property and equipment additions:  Property and equipment additions:  
Aircraft and aircraft purchase depositsAircraft and aircraft purchase deposits(30)(58)Aircraft and aircraft purchase deposits(509)(30)
Other flight equipmentOther flight equipment(38)(43)Other flight equipment(69)(38)
Other property and equipmentOther property and equipment(34)(67)Other property and equipment(54)(34)
Total property and equipment additions, including capitalized interestTotal property and equipment additions, including capitalized interest(102)(168)Total property and equipment additions, including capitalized interest(632)(102)
Purchases of marketable securitiesPurchases of marketable securities(2,524)(1,004)Purchases of marketable securities(1,410)(2,524)
Sales and maturities of marketable securitiesSales and maturities of marketable securities1,561 1,038 Sales and maturities of marketable securities1,323 1,561 
Other investing activitiesOther investing activities(5)10 Other investing activities(2)(5)
Net cash used in investing activitiesNet cash used in investing activities(1,070)(124)Net cash used in investing activities(721)(1,070)
Cash flows from financing activities:Cash flows from financing activities:  Cash flows from financing activities:  
Proceeds from issuance of debtProceeds from issuance of debt363 1,265 Proceeds from issuance of debt 363 
Common stock repurchases0 (31)
Dividends paid0 (45)
Long-term debt paymentsLong-term debt payments(681)(125)Long-term debt payments(239)(681)
Other financing activitiesOther financing activities37 27 Other financing activities33 37 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities(281)1,091 
Net cash used in financing activitiesNet cash used in financing activities(206)(281)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cashNet increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(344)1,288 Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash308 (344)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of periodCash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period1,386 232 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period494 1,386 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the periodCash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,042 $1,520 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$802 $1,042 
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest (net of amount capitalized)$61 $25 
Income taxes0 
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period
Cash and cash equivalents$1,025 $1,509 
Restricted cash included in Prepaid expenses, assets held-for-sale, and other current assets17 11 
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$1,042 $1,520 
9


Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)20222021
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest (net of amount capitalized)$35 $61 
Income taxes — 
Non-cash transactions:
Right-of-use assets acquired through operating leases378 77 
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period
Cash and cash equivalents778 1,025 
Restricted cash included in Prepaid expenses and other current assets24 17 
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of the period$802 $1,042 



10


NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

NOTE 1. GENERAL AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and Basis of Presentation
 
The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Air Group, or the Company, and its primary subsidiaries, Alaska and Horizon. The condensed consolidated financial statements also include McGee Air Services (McGee), a ground services subsidiary of Alaska. The Company conducts substantially all of its operations through these subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for interim financial information. Consistent with these requirements, this Form 10-Q does not include all the information required by GAAP for complete financial statements. It should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021. In the opinion of management, all adjustments have been made that are necessary to fairly present the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 20212022 and the results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 20212022 and 2020.2021. Such adjustments were of a normal recurring nature.

In preparing these statements, the Company is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, including impairment charges. Due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company's business, these estimates and assumptions require more judgment than they would otherwise given the uncertainty of the future demand for air travel, among other considerations. Further, due to seasonal variations in the demand for air travel, the volatility of aircraft fuel prices, changes in global economic conditions, changes in the competitive environment, and other factors, operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 20212022 are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the entire year.

NOTE 2. COVID-19 PANDEMICFLEET TRANSITION

In the first quarter of 2022, the Company announced plans to accelerate the transition of mainline operations to an all-Boeing 737 fleet. It also announced new plans to transition its regional operations to an all-Embraer fleet, retiring the Q400 fleet. Under these plans, Alaska will accelerate the retirement of its Airbus A320 aircraft, with all expected to exit the fleet by early 2023. Alaska also operates A321neo aircraft, and is evaluating options to remove them from its fleet by the end of 2023, subject to agreement with counterparties. The Company operated 29 A320 and ten A321neo aircraft as of June 30, 2022. Horizon plans to retire its Q400 fleet, which includes 25 owned and seven leased aircraft in operation at June 30, 2022, in early 2023.

Valuation of long-lived assets

The public health and economic crisis resulting fromCompany reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes indicate that the outbreaktotal carrying amount of COVID-19 inan asset or asset group may not be recoverable. During the first quarter of 2020 continues2022, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $70 million related to have a significant impactthe Q400 fleet, reflecting the amount by which carrying value exceeded fair value of the owned Q400 aircraft as of March 31, 2022. This amount was recorded within the "Special items - fleet transition and related charges" line in the consolidated statement of operations. Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements in our Quarterly Report on the Company. Although the relaxation of restrictions by state and local governments and the rollout of vaccination programs have allowedForm 10-Q for the return of demand, passenger enplanements remain below pre-pandemic levels. As a result, the Company continues to fly less capacity than it had pre-pandemic.three months ended March 31, 2022 for additional details.

Beginning in 2020,In the second quarter, the Company implemented various cost-saving initiatives, including permanently parkingadjusted useful lives and depreciation schedules for Airbus and Q400 capitalized leasehold improvements, spare engines, inventory, and other fixed assets, as well as the amortization schedules for the right of use assets and aircraft restructuringrent expenses. These accelerated schedules are based on the workforce through early-outdates the aircraft are expected to be removed from operating service and incentive leave programs,were effective beginning this quarter. Incremental costs associated with the accelerated schedules are recognized within the "Special items - fleet transition and obtaining funding available under programs offered byrelated charges" line item.

The Company has estimated future lease return costs for the U.S. Departmentleased Airbus aircraft. Costs of returning leased aircraft begin accruing when the costs are probable and reasonably estimable, and are recognized over the remaining operating life of the Treasury (the Treasury). As demand has improvedaircraft. These estimates are based on the time remaining on the lease, planned aircraft usage, and lease terms. These estimates may change as actual amounts due to any lessor upon return may not be known with certainty until lease termination. In the business has grown back towards pre-pandemic flying levels, these programs have been adjusted to meetsecond quarter, all lease return costs were recorded within the needs"Special items - fleet transition and related charges" line in the consolidated statement of the airline. The impactsoperations.

A summary of these programsspecial charges for fleet transition activities is included below for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 are described below.

Lease Return Costs

2022. The Company removed 40 leased Aircraft from operating service in 2020, and recorded an estimate of the expected future lease return costs for the aircraft. Lease return costs include the write off of associated maintenance deposits, as the Company no longer expects to perform maintenance events covered by those deposits. The total net charge recorded in 2020 for aircraft that were parked amounted to $209 million. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company recorded an additional $18 million in incremental costs associated with leased aircraft that have been retired and removed from the operating fleet but not yet returned to the lessor, which was classified as Special items - impairment charges andare one-time in nature, while the other on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. In the second quarter, expected costsspecial charges continue to return leased aircraft was reduced by $4 million. The lease return cost estimates are based on the Company's best estimate of costs to return aircraft as of the date of this filing.

In the second quarter of 2021, the Company initiated a plan to reactivate up to twelve previously parked Airbus aircraft to support the Company's plans for restoring capacity to 100% of pre-pandemic levels by no later than summer 2022. These reactivations create flexibility as management seeks to return capacity, mitigating against both staffing and supply chain risks that could constrain Alaska or Horizon's available capacity. Management's plans to return to 100% of pre-pandemic levels by no later than summer 2022 arebe recorded consistent with previous plans, but some recovery has been accelerated into the second half of 2021 in response to the strong demand recovery that took place in the second quarter.The first of these reactivated aircraft are expected to reenter revenue service beginning in the third quarter of 2021, with all reactivated by the second quarter of 2022. The Company currently anticipates these aircraft will be removed from operating service beginning in late 2022 through the end
10


of 2023. At this time, the Company does not anticipate material changes to estimated lease return costs previously recorded, as leases for aircraft returning to service generally expire within a near term window.

Workforce restructuring

The Company continues to expect that demand will be below pre-pandemic levels through the end of 2021, but management will continue rebuilding capacity to 2019 levels. The Company reduced its workforce in 2020 to better align with the expected size of the business. To mitigate the need for involuntary furloughs, various early-out and voluntary leave programs were made available to all frontline work groups, in addition to incentive leave programs made available to Alaska pilots and mechanics. Through these programs, over 600 employees took permanent early-outs and over 3,300 employees took voluntary or incentive leaves. As of June 30, 2021, approximately 1,800 employees remain on a voluntary leave program. The Company expects all employees on leave to return to work by October 2021.

In 2020, as a result of these programs, the Company recorded $220 million in wage expense for those pilots and mechanics on incentive leaves, ongoing medical benefit coverage and lump-sum termination payments. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company refined capacity expectations and training schedules, and delayed certain recalls to a future period beyond what was anticipated in the accrual at December 31, 2020, resulting in additional expense of $11 million. In the second quarter, demand improved at an accelerated pace, and the Company issued recall notices to all pilots on incentive leave for return-to-work by October 2021. As a result, $23 million of incentive leave accrual was reversed and recognized as a benefit within Special items - restructuring charges in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the three months ended June 30, 2021. In total, the Company has recorded a net benefit from these adjustments of $12 million during the six months ended June 30, 2021.

The table below presents a roll forward of the outstanding voluntary leave liability (in millions):
Six Months Ended
June 30, 2021
Total voluntary leave liability balance at January 1$127 
Cash payments(79)
Charges and adjustments(12)
Total voluntary leave liability balance at June 30$36

The outstanding accrual is based on the Company's best estimate of capacity expectations and training schedules for 2021, as of the date of this filing. The Company will make the majority of the remaining cash payments associated with this liability in 2021. The balance is reflected in accrued wages, benefits and payroll taxes on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

CARES Act Funding

During the first quarter of 2021, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee finalized agreements with the Treasury through an extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, made available under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (PSP 2). Under PSP 2 and the supporting agreements, Alaska and Horizon received total funds of approximately $539 million in the first quarter of 2021. In April 2021, Alaska and Horizon received an additional $80 million in funds made available under PSP 2.

Also in April 2021, Alaska, Horizon and McGee finalized additional agreements with the Treasury under a third round of the PSP, made available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PSP 3). Under PSP 3 and the supporting agreements, Alaska, Horizon, and McGee received total funds of $585 million in the second quarter of 2021.

Of the amounts received during the six months ended June 30, 2021, $311 million represented unsecured debt and was recorded at par, and $16 million represented warrants recorded at fair value using the Black-Scholes model. Both were recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. The remaining $892 million was recorded as grant proceeds. These amounts are inclusive of additional funding of $8 million made available to McGee under the first installment of the PSP program (PSP 1). The grant is recorded as an offset to wages, salaries and benefits as eligible expenses are incurred. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recognized $914 million of the PSP grant proceeds as a wage offset. Included within this $914 million is approximately $21 million for employee retention credits as provided for in the CARES Act. The Company does not expect to record any additional wage offset in 2021.

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Total funds contracted fromschedules described above. The majority of remaining special charges associated with the Treasury underfleet transition will be recorded in 2022, with additional amounts to be recorded in 2023. The Company will continue to evaluate the three Payroll Support Programs are allocatedneed for further impairment or adjustments for owned and leased long-lived assets as follows (in millions):
GrantsLoansWarrantsTotal Proceeds
PSP 1$757 $293 $$1,059 
PSP 2457 160 626 
PSP 3431 147 585 
Total$1,645 $600 $25 $2,270 
fleet decisions evolve.

Funds are exclusively used for payment of employee salaries, wages and benefits. Upon receipt of the funds issued under PSP 3, certain conditions and restrictions were extended. These conditions include, but are not limited to, refraining from conducting involuntary furloughs or reducing employee pay rates through September 30, 2021 and placing limits on executive compensation and severance through April 1, 2023. Alaska Air Group also agreed to continue the suspension of dividends and share repurchases until September 30, 2022.
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
(in millions)AirbusQ400TotalAirbusQ400Total
Impairment of long-lived assets$— $— $ $— $70 $70 
Accelerated aircraft ownership expenses40 43 40 43 
Lease return costs and other expenses103 — 103 108 — 108 
Total special items - fleet transition and related charges$143 $3 $146 $148 $73 $221 


NOTE 3. REVENUE

Ticket revenue is recorded as Passenger revenue, and represents the primary source of the Company's revenue. Also included in Passenger revenue areis passenger ancillary revenuesrevenue such as bag fees, on-board food and beverage, ticket change fees, and certain revenue from the frequent flyer program. In 2020, the Company eliminated ticket change fees indefinitely from its main cabin and first class fares. Mileage Plan other revenue includes brand and marketing revenue from ourthe co-branded credit card and other partners and certain interline frequent flyer revenue, net of commissions. Cargo and other revenue includes freight and mail revenue, and to a lesser extent, other ancillary revenue products such as lounge membership and certain commissions.

In the first quarter of 2022, the Company amended its Mileage Plan co-branded credit card agreement with Bank of America. The amendment extended the term of the agreement into 2030 and resulted in modifications to the separately identifiable performance obligations.

The Company disaggregates revenue by segment in Note 9. The level of detail within the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations, segment disclosures, and in this footnote depict the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and how cash flows are affected by economic and other factors.

Passenger Ticket and Ancillary Services Revenue

Passenger revenue recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20212020202120202022202120222021
Passenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage and net of taxes and fees$1,114 $222 $1,639 $1,435 
Passenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage, net of taxes and feesPassenger ticket revenue, including ticket breakage, net of taxes and fees$2,052 $1,114 $3,284 $1,639 
Passenger ancillary revenuePassenger ancillary revenue84 31 134 147 Passenger ancillary revenue119 84 210 134 
Mileage Plan passenger revenueMileage Plan passenger revenue154 56 238 208 Mileage Plan passenger revenue247 154 435 238 
Total Passenger revenueTotal Passenger revenue$1,352 $309 $2,011 $1,790 Total Passenger revenue$2,418 $1,352 $3,929 $2,011 

Mileage Plan™Plan Loyalty Program

Mileage Plan™Plan revenue included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20212020202120202022202120222021
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$154 $56 $238 $208 Passenger revenue$247 $154 $435 $238 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue118 73 212 182 Mileage Plan other revenue175 118 287 212 
Total Mileage Plan revenueTotal Mileage Plan revenue$272 $129 $450 $390 Total Mileage Plan revenue$422 $272 $722 $450 

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Cargo and Other

Cargo and other revenue included in the condensed consolidated statements of operations (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20212020202120202022202120222021
Cargo revenueCargo revenue$34 $28 $61 $52 Cargo revenue$36 $34 $65 $61 
Other revenueOther revenue23 11 40 33 Other revenue29 23 58 40 
Total Cargo and other revenueTotal Cargo and other revenue$57 $39 $101 $85 Total Cargo and other revenue$65 $57 $123 $101 

Air Traffic Liability and Deferred Revenue

Passenger ticket and ancillary services liabilities

The Company recognized Passenger revenue of $132 million and $36 million and net refunds from the prior year-end air traffic liability balance for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, and 2020,$522 million and $175 million and $484 million for the six months ended June 30, 20212022 and 2020.2021.

Given the increase in demand for air travel from the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance bookings and associated cash receipts have significantly increased in relation to prior year. The Company also experienced increased revenue recognition from credits redeemed for travel, for which the remaining balance is included in the air traffic liability balance, and total $387 million, net of breakage. In April 2021, the Company announced updated expiration terms for these credits, extending to December 31, 2021 for possible travel through November 30, 2022.

Mileage PlanTM assets and liabilities

The Company records a receivable for amounts due from the bankaffinity card partner and from other partners as mileage credits are sold until the payments are collected. The Company had $61$76 million of such receivables as of June 30, 20212022 and $48$64 million as of December 31, 2020. As demand for air travel continues to increase unpredictably, the timing of recognition of mileage credits may differ from current assumptions.2021.

The table below presents a roll forward of the total frequent flyer liability (in millions):
Six Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
2021202020222021
Total Deferred Revenue balance at January 1$2,277 $1,990 
Total Deferred revenue balance at January 1Total Deferred revenue balance at January 1$2,358 $2,277 
Travel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenueTravel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenue(238)(208)Travel miles and companion certificate redemption - Passenger revenue(409)(238)
Miles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenueMiles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenue(17)(21)Miles redeemed on partner airlines - Other revenue(26)(17)
Increase in liability for mileage credits issuedIncrease in liability for mileage credits issued324 313 Increase in liability for mileage credits issued518 324 
Total Deferred Revenue balance at June 30$2,346 $2,074 
Total Deferred revenue balance at June 30Total Deferred revenue balance at June 30$2,441 $2,346 
NOTE 4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

In determining fair value, there is a three-level hierarchy based on the reliability of the inputs used. Level 1 refers to fair values based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 refers to fair values estimated using significant other observable inputs and Level 3 refers to fair values estimated using significant unobservable inputs.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments on a Recurring Basis

As of June 30, 2021,2022, total cost basis for all marketable securities was $2.9 billion. There were no significant differences between the cost basis and$2.7 billion, compared to a total fair value of $2.6 billion. The decline in value is primarily due to changes in interest rates. Management does not believe any individual classunrealized losses are the result of marketable securities.expected credit losses based on its evaluation of available information as of June 30, 2022.
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Fair values of financial instruments on the condensed consolidated balance sheet (in millions):
June 30, 2021December 31, 2020June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
Level 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2TotalLevel 1Level 2Total
AssetsAssetsAssets
Marketable securitiesMarketable securitiesMarketable securities
U.S. government and agency securitiesU.S. government and agency securities$298 $0 $298 $407 $$407 U.S. government and agency securities$522 $ $522 $331 $— $331 
Equity mutual fundsEquity mutual funds5 0 5 Equity mutual funds5  5 — 
Foreign government bondsForeign government bonds0 31 31 20 20 Foreign government bonds 28 28 — 38 38 
Asset-backed securitiesAsset-backed securities0 330 330 224 224 Asset-backed securities 278 278 — 311 311 
Mortgage-backed securitiesMortgage-backed securities0 253 253 290 290 Mortgage-backed securities 218 218 — 232 232 
Corporate notes and bondsCorporate notes and bonds0 1,943 1,943 978 978 Corporate notes and bonds 1,549 1,549 — 1,663 1,663 
Municipal securitiesMunicipal securities0 66 66 50 50 Municipal securities 47 47 — 65 65 
Total Marketable securitiesTotal Marketable securities303 2,623 2,926 414 1,562 1,976 Total Marketable securities527 2,120 2,647 337 2,309 2,646 
Derivative instrumentsDerivative instrumentsDerivative instruments
Fuel hedge - call optionsFuel hedge - call options0 92 92 15 15 Fuel hedge - call options 175 175 — 81 81 
Interest rate swap agreementsInterest rate swap agreements 9 9 — — — 
Total AssetsTotal Assets$303 $2,715 $3,018 $414 $1,577 $1,991 Total Assets$527 $2,304 $2,831 $337 $2,390 $2,727 
LiabilitiesLiabilitiesLiabilities
Derivative instrumentsDerivative instrumentsDerivative instruments
Interest rate swap agreementsInterest rate swap agreements0 (16)(16)(25)(25)Interest rate swap agreements   — (9)(9)
Total LiabilitiesTotal Liabilities$0 $(16)$(16)$$(25)$(25)Total Liabilities$ $ $ $— $(9)$(9)

The Company uses both the market and income approach to determine the fair value of marketable securities. U.S. government securities and equity mutual funds are Level 1 as the fair value is based on quoted prices in active markets. Foreign government bonds, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate notes and bonds, and municipal securities are Level 2 as the fair value is based on standard valuation models that are calculated based on observable inputs such as quoted interest rates, yield curves, credit ratings of the security and other observable market information.

The Company uses the market approach and the income approach to determine the fair value of derivative instruments. The fair value for fuel hedge call options is determined utilizing an option pricing model based on inputs that are readily available in active markets or can be derived from information available in active markets. In addition, the fair value considers the exposure to credit losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties. Interest rate swap agreements are Level 2 as the fair value of these contracts are determined based on the difference between the fixed interest rate in the agreements and the observable LIBOR-based interest forward rates at period end multiplied by the total notional value.

Activity and Maturities for Marketable Securities

Unrealized losses from marketable securities are primarily attributable to changes in interest rates. Management does not believe any unrealized losses are the result of expected credit losses based on its evaluation of available information as of June 30, 2021.

Maturities for marketable securities (in millions):
June 30, 2021Cost BasisFair Value
June 30, 2022June 30, 2022Cost BasisFair Value
Due in one year or lessDue in one year or less$1,538 $1,539 Due in one year or less$803 $799 
Due after one year through five yearsDue after one year through five years1,280 1,294 Due after one year through five years1,895 1,818 
Due after five years through 10 years88 88 
Due after five yearsDue after five years27 24 
TotalTotal$2,906 $2,921 Total$2,725 $2,641 

As of June 30, 2022, $6 million of total marketable securities do not have a maturity date and are therefore excluded from the total fair value of maturities for marketable securities above.

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Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

The Company uses the following methods and assumptions to determine the fair value of financial instruments that are not recognized at fair value as described below.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash: Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, such as money market funds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit. They are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

The Company's restricted cash balances are primarily used to guarantee various letters of credit, self-insurance programs or other contractual rights. Restricted cash consists of highly liquid securities with original maturities of three months or less. They are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

Debt: To estimate the fair value of all fixed-rate debt as of June 30, 2021,2022, the Company uses the income approach by discounting cash flows or estimation using quoted market prices, utilizing borrowing rates for comparable debt over the remaining life of the outstanding debt. The estimated fair value of the fixed-rate Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificate (EETC) debt is Level 2, as it is estimated using observable inputs, while the estimated fair value of $780$721 million of other fixed-rate debt, including PSP notes payable, is classified as Level 3, as it is not actively traded and is valued using discounted cash flows which is an unobservable input.

Fixed-rate debt on the condensed consolidated balance sheet and the estimated fair value of long-term fixed-rate debt is as follows (in millions):
June 30, 2021December 31, 2020June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
Total fixed-rate debtTotal fixed-rate debt$1,896 $1,662 Total fixed-rate debt$1,731 $1,821 
Estimated fair valueEstimated fair value$2,019 $1,778 Estimated fair value$1,711 $1,919 

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

Certain assets and liabilities are recognized or disclosed at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, including property, plant and equipment, operating lease assets, goodwill, and intangible assets. These assets are subject to fair valuation when there is evidence of impairment. No material impairments wereRefer to Note 2 for discussion regarding impairment charges recorded during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.2022.

NOTE 5. LONG-TERM DEBT
 
Long-term debt obligations on the condensed consolidated balance sheet (in millions):
June 30, 2021December 31, 2020 June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029$180 $198 Fixed-rate notes payable due through 2029$129 $163 
Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2031Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2031600 290 Fixed-rate PSP notes payable due through 2031600 600 
Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 2027Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 20271,116 1,174 Fixed-rate EETC payable due through 2025 & 20271,002 1,058 
Variable-rate notes payable due through 2029Variable-rate notes payable due through 20291,315 1,866 Variable-rate notes payable due through 2029589 738 
Less debt issuance costs and unamortized debt discount(23)(33)
Less debt issuance costsLess debt issuance costs(17)(20)
Total debtTotal debt3,188 3,495 Total debt2,303 2,539 
Less current portionLess current portion869 1,138 Less current portion342 366 
Long-term debt, less current portionLong-term debt, less current portion$2,319 $2,357 Long-term debt, less current portion$1,961 $2,173 
Weighted-average fixed-interest rateWeighted-average fixed-interest rate3.7 %4.3 %Weighted-average fixed-interest rate3.6 %3.7 %
Weighted-average variable-interest rateWeighted-average variable-interest rate1.6 %1.9 %Weighted-average variable-interest rate2.8 %1.3 %

Approximately $562$372 million of the Company's total variable-rate notes payable are effectively fixed via interest rate swaps at June 30, 2021,2022, resulting in an effective weighted-average interest rate for the full debt portfolio of 3.1%3.4%.

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company issued $363 million of debt, comprised of $311 million of unsecured loans from the PSP and $54 million in proceeds from issuance of debt. Debt proceeds were offset by $681 million in debt
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payments. Included within totalDuring the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company made scheduled debt payments is the full repayment of the $135$222 million loan from the U.S. Treasury made available under the CARES Act and the $363prepayments of $17 million outstanding balance on two credit facilities.

The $600 million PSP notes are unsecured senior termfor loans with a 10-year term, bearing an interest rate of 1% in years 1 through 5, and an interest rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 2% in years 6 through 10. The PSP notes are prepayable at par without penalty.

CARES Act

In 2020, the Company finalized an agreement with the Treasury to obtain up to $1.9 billion via a secured term loan facility. Obligations under the loan agreement were secured by assets related to and revenues generated by, Alaska's Mileage PlanTM frequent flyer program, as well as by 30 aircraft and 15 spare engines. In 2020, the Company drew $135 million under the agreement, which was used for certain general corporate purposes and operating expenses in accordance with the terms and conditions of the loan agreement and the applicable provisions of the CARES Act. The full balance was repaid in the second quarter of 2021. In accordance with the related agreement, the facility terminated at the time of payment.Q400 aircraft.

Debt Maturity

At June 30, 20212022, long-term debt principal payments for the next five years and thereafter are as follows (in millions):
Total Total
Remainder of 2021$227 
2022796 
Remainder of 2022Remainder of 2022$146 
20232023334 2023329 
20242024240 2024235 
20252025261 2025256 
20262026176 
ThereafterThereafter1,353 Thereafter1,178 
TotalTotal$3,211 Total$2,320 

Bank Lines of Credit
 
The CompanyAlaska has 3 credit facilities with availability totaling $486 million as of June 30, 2021, resulting from the second quarter 2021 repayment of $363 million.2022. One of the credit facilities for $150 million expires in March 20222025 and is secured by certain accounts receivable, spare engines, spare parts and ground service equipment. TheA second credit facility for $250 million expires in June 2024 and is secured by aircraft. These twoBoth facilities have variable interest rates based on LIBOR plus a specified margin. A third credit facility for $86 million expires in June 20222023 and is secured by aircraft.

The CompanyAlaska has secured letters of credit against the third facility, but has no plans to borrow using either of the other two facilities. All credit facilities have a requirement to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash and marketable securities balance of $500 million. The CompanyAlaska was in compliance with this covenant at June 30, 2021.2022.

NOTE 6. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Net periodic benefit costs for qualified defined-benefit plans include the following (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
2021202020212020 2022202120222021
Service costService cost$13 $13 $26 $26 Service cost$11 $13 $22 $26 
Pension expense included in Wages and benefitsPension expense included in Wages and benefits13 13 26 26 Pension expense included in Wages and benefits11 13 22 26 
Interest costInterest cost14 19 28 38 Interest cost16 14 32 28 
Expected return on assetsExpected return on assets(30)(27)(61)(55)Expected return on assets(32)(30)(64)(61)
Recognized actuarial lossRecognized actuarial loss9 18 17 Recognized actuarial loss2 4 18 
Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)$(7)$0 $(15)$Pension expense included in Nonoperating Income (Expense)$(14)$(7)$(28)$(15)

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NOTE 7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Future minimum payments for commitments as of June 30, 20212022 (in millions):
Aircraft Commitments(a)
Capacity Purchase Agreements (b)
Aircraft Commitments(a)
Capacity Purchase Agreements (b)
Remainder of 2021$107 $82 
20221,458 173 
Remainder of 2022Remainder of 2022$834 $92 
202320231,207 178 20231,932 188 
20242024291 183 2024388 194 
2025202576 188 2025124 201 
20262026113 203 
ThereafterThereafter12 877 Thereafter275 815 
TotalTotal$3,151 $1,681 Total$3,666 $1,693 
(a)Includes non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines, aircraft maintenance and parts management. Option deliveries are excluded from minimum commitments until exercise.
(b)Includes all non-aircraft lease costs associated with capacity purchase agreements.

Aircraft Commitments
 
Aircraft purchase commitments include non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines. AsIn the second quarter of June 30, 2021, Alaska had commitments2022, Horizon amended its aircraft purchase agreement with Embraer, adding 8 firm E175 deliveries between 2023 and 2026 and 13 options to purchase 63 B737-9 MAXadditional aircraft with contracted deliveries between 20212024 and 2024.2025. The aircraft covered by the second quarter amendment may be assigned by Horizon to another entity. Horizon intends to take delivery of and operate all 8 firm E175 aircraft.

Details are outlined in the table below. Future minimum contractual payments for these aircraft reflect the expected delivery timing, but are also subject to change. Horizon also has commitments to purchase 12 E175 aircraft with deliveries between 2022 and 2025. Alaska has cancelable purchase commitments for 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft with deliveries from 2024 through 2027. In addition, Alaska has options to purchase 39 B737-9 MAX aircraft, and Horizon has options to purchase 21 E175 aircraft. The cancelable purchase commitments and option payments are not reflected in the table above.
Firm OrdersOptionsTotal
Aircraft Type2022-20262024-20262022 - 2026
Boeing 737-81010
Boeing 737-9441155
Boeing 737-1064147
Embraer E175201333
   Total8065145

Contingencies

The Company is a party to routine litigation matters incidental to its business and with respect to which no material liability is expected. Liabilities for litigation related contingencies are recorded when a loss is determined to be probable and estimable.

In 2015, three flight attendants filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Virgin America flight attendants for damages based on alleged violations of California and City of San Francisco wage and hour laws. The court certified a class of approximately 1,800 flight attendants in November 2016. The Company believes the claims in this case are without factual and legal merit.

In July 2018, the Court granted in part Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, finding Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines, aspursued numerous appeal paths following a successor-in-interest to Virgin America, responsible for various damages and penalties sought by the class members. On February 4, 2019 the Court entered final judgmentfederal district court order against Virgin America and Alaska Airlines in the amount ofawarding plaintiffs approximately $78 million. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines. In February 2021, anmillion, including approximately $25 million in penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). An appellate court reversed portions of the lower court decision and significantly reduced the judgment.PAGA penalties and total judgment value. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the Company’s appeal for a conclusive ruling that the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as applied to airlines. The determination ofdecision leaves open the possibility that other states in the Ninth Circuit judicial district may attempt to apply similar laws to airlines.

The final total judgment amount has not been completeddetermined by the lower court as of the date of this filing. Based on the facts and circumstances available, the Company believes the range of potential loss to be between $0 and $22 million, and holds an accrual for $22 million in Other accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines.

The Company is seeking an appellate court ruling that the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as appliedanalyzing a range of potential options to national airlines pursuant to the U.S. Constitutionbalance new compliance obligations with operational and federal law and for other employment law and improper class certification reasons. The Company remains confident that a higher court will respect the federal preemption principles that were enacted to shield inter-state common carriers from a patchworklabor considerations. Some or all of state and local wage and hour regulations such as those at issue in this case and agree with the Company's other bases for appeal.

The Company is involved in other litigation around the application of state and local employment laws, like many air carriers. Our defenses are similar to those identified above, including that the state and local laws are preempted by federal law and are unconstitutional because they impede interstate commerce. None of these additional disputes are material.

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these solutions may have an adverse impact on the Company’s operations and financial position due in part to the unresolved conflicts between the laws and federal regulations applicable to airlines.

NOTE 8. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

Common Stock Repurchase

In August 2015, the Board of Directors authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program. As of June 30, 2021, theThe Company has repurchased 7.6 million shares for $544 million under this program. In March 2020, subject to restrictions under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act, the Company suspended the share repurchase program indefinitely.
CARES Act Warrant Issuances
As additional taxpayer protection required under PSP programs, during the six months ended June 30, 2021Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the CARES Act, the Company granted the Treasury a total of 539,5081,455,438 warrants to purchase Alaska Air Group (ALK)ALK common stock. Thestock in 2020 and 2021. An additional 427,080 warrants were issued in conjunction with a draw on the CARES Act Loan in 2020. These warrants are non-voting, freely transferable, may be settled as net shares or in cash at Alaska'sthe Company's option, and have a five-year term.
Additionally, in conjunction with the October 2020 draw on the CARES Act Loan, the Company granted the Treasury 427,080 warrants to purchase ALK common stock. The value of the warrants was estimated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, and the relativemodel. The total fair value of theall outstanding warrants of $6was $30 million, was recorded in stockholders' equity.equity at issuance.
Total warrants outstanding are as follows as of June 30, 2021:2022:
Number of shares of ALK common stockStrike PriceNumber of warrants outstandingStrike Price
PSP 1PSP 1928,127 31.61PSP 1928,127 31.61
CARES Act loan warrantsCARES Act loan warrants427,080 31.61CARES Act loan warrants427,080 31.61
PSP 2PSP 2305,499 52.25PSP 2305,499 52.25
PSP 3PSP 3221,812 66.39PSP 3221,812 66.39
Total1,882,518 
Outstanding June 30, 2022Outstanding June 30, 20221,882,518 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss
ComponentsA roll forward of the amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax (in millions):
June 30, 2021December 31, 2020
Related to marketable securities$10 $23 
Related to employee benefit plans(485)(498)
Related to interest rate derivatives(12)(19)
Total$(487)$(494)
, is shown below for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022:
Marketable SecuritiesEmployee Benefit PlanInterest Rate DerivativesTotal
Balance at March 31, 2022, net of tax effect of $93$(44)$(251)$$(292)
Reclassifications into earnings, net of tax impact of $1— — 
Change in value, net of tax impact of $4(22)— (18)
Balance at June 30, 2022, net of tax effect of $98$(64)$(251)$7 $(308)
Balance at December 31, 2021, net of tax effect of $83$(4)$(252)$(6)$(262)
Reclassifications into earnings, net of tax impact of $1— 
Change in value, net of tax impact of $14(64)— 13 (51)
Balance at June 30, 2022, net of tax effect of $98$(64)$(251)$7 $(308)

Earnings (Loss) Per Share (EPS)

EPS is calculated by dividing net income by the average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding assuming the exercise of in-the-money stock options, and restricted stock units, and warrants, using the treasury-stock method. Loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the average number of basic shares outstanding. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021, anti-dilutive shares excluded from the calculation of EPS were not material.

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NOTE 9. OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

Alaska Air Group has two operating airlines – Alaska and Horizon. Each is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration. Alaska has CPAs for regional capacity with Horizon as well as withand SkyWest, under which Alaska receives all passenger revenues.

Under U.S. GAAP, operating segments are defined as components of a business for which there is discrete financial information that is regularly assessed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) in making resource allocation decisions. Financial performance for the operating airlines and CPAs is managed and reviewed by the Company's CODM as part of three reportable operating segments:
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Mainline - includes scheduled air transportation on Alaska's Boeing or Airbus jet aircraft for passengers and cargo throughout the U.S., and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Costa Rica.Belize.
Regional - includes Horizon's and other third-party carriers’ scheduled air transportation for passengers across a shorter distance network within the U.S. and Canada under a CPA. This segment includes the actual revenues and expenses associated with regional flying, as well as an allocation of corporate overhead incurred by Air Group on behalf of the regional operations.
Horizon - includes the capacity sold to Alaska under CPA. Expenses include those typically borne by regional airlines such as crew costs, ownership costs and maintenance costs.

The CODM makes resource allocation decisions for these reporting segments based on flight profitability data, aircraft type, route economics and other financial information.

The "Consolidating and Other" column reflects Air Group parent company activity, McGee Air Services, consolidating entries and other immaterial business units of the company. The “Air Group Adjusted” column represents a non-GAAP measure that is used by the Company's CODM to evaluate performance and allocate resources. Adjustments are further explained below in reconciling to consolidated GAAP results.

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Operating segment information is as follows (in millions):
Three Months Ended June 30, 2021Three Months Ended June 30, 2022
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating Revenues   Operating Revenues   
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$1,072 $280 $$$1,352 $$1,352 Passenger revenues$2,028 $390 $— $— $2,418 $— $2,418 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues111 (111)CPA revenues— — 101 (101)— — — 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue102 16 118 118 Mileage Plan other revenue159 16 — — 175 — 175 
Cargo and otherCargo and other55 57 57 Cargo and other64 — — 65 — 65 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues1,229 296 111 (109)1,527 1,527 Total Operating Revenues2,251 406 101 (100)2,658 — 2,658 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel984 286 91 (127)1,234 (530)704 Operating expenses, excluding fuel1,262 289 98 (100)1,549 146 1,695 
Economic fuel253 66 320 (46)274 
Fuel expenseFuel expense617 119 — — 736 40 776 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses1,237 352 91 (126)1,554 (576)978 Total Operating Expenses1,879 408 98 (100)2,285 186 2,471 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income
Interest expense(34)(5)(39)(39)
Interest capitalized
Other - net
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(16)(5)(21)(21)
Non-operating Income (Expense)Non-operating Income (Expense)— (5)— (2)— (2)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$(24)$(56)$15 $17 $(48)$576 $528 Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$375 $(2)$(2)$— $371 $(186)$185 
Pretax MarginPretax Margin14.0 %7.0 %
Three Months Ended June 30, 2020Three Months Ended June 30, 2021
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating RevenuesOperating Revenues
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$225 $84 $$$309 $$309 Passenger revenues$1,072 $280 $— $— $1,352 $— $1,352 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues81 (81)CPA revenues— — 111 (111)— — — 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue56 17 73 73 Mileage Plan other revenue102 16 — — 118 — 118 
Cargo and otherCargo and other39 39 39 Cargo and other55 — — 57 — 57 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues320 101 81 (81)421 421 Total Operating Revenues1,229 296 111 (109)1,527 — 1,527 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel746 210 68 (82)942 (292)650 Operating expenses, excluding fuel984 286 91 (127)1,234 (530)704 
Economic fuel45 20 65 (6)59 
Fuel expenseFuel expense253 66 — 320 (46)274 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses791 230 68 (82)1,007 (298)709 Total Operating Expenses1,237 352 91 (126)1,554 (576)978 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income11 (4)
Interest expense(18)(5)(17)(17)
Interest capitalized
Other - net
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(5)(3)(3)
Non-operating Income (Expense)Non-operating Income (Expense)(16)— (5)— (21)— (21)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$(471)$(129)$$$(589)$298 $(291)Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$(24)$(56)$15 $17 $(48)$576 $528 
Pretax MarginPretax Margin(3.1)%34.6 %


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Six Months Ended June 30, 2021Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating Revenues   Operating Revenues   
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$1,578 $433 $$$2,011 $$2,011 Passenger revenues$3,271 $658 $— $— $3,929 $— $3,929 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues215 (215)CPA revenues— — 195 (195)— — — 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue182 30 212 212 Mileage Plan other revenue259 28 — — 287 — 287 
Cargo and otherCargo and other99 101 101 Cargo and other121 — — 123 — 123 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues1,859 463 215 (213)2,324 2,324 Total Operating Revenues3,651 686 195 (193)4,339 — 4,339 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel1,877 551 179 (236)2,371 (912)1,459 Operating expenses, excluding fuel2,456 551 197 (194)3,010 221 3,231 
Economic fuel427 118 545 (68)477 
Fuel expenseFuel expense998 192 — — 1,190 (67)1,123 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses2,304 669 179 (236)2,916 (980)1,936 Total Operating Expenses3,454 743 197 (194)4,200 154 4,354 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income13 13 13 
Interest expense(61)(10)(71)(71)
Interest capitalized
Other - net19 19 19 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)(23)(10)(33)(33)
Non-operating Income (Expense)Non-operating Income (Expense)— (10)— (6)— (6)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$(468)$(206)$26 $23 $(625)$980 $355 Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$201 $(57)$(12)$$133 $(154)$(21)
Pretax MarginPretax Margin3.1 %(0.5)%
Six Months Ended June 30, 2020Six Months Ended June 30, 2021
MainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
ConsolidatedMainlineRegionalHorizon
Consolidating & Other(a)
Air Group Adjusted(b)
Special Items(c)
Consolidated
Operating RevenuesOperating RevenuesOperating Revenues
Passenger revenuesPassenger revenues$1,459 $331 $$$1,790 $$1,790 Passenger revenues$1,578 $433 $— $— $2,011 $— $2,011 
CPA revenuesCPA revenues186 (186)CPA revenues— — 215 (215)— — — 
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue154 28 182 182 Mileage Plan other revenue182 30 — — 212 — 212 
Cargo and otherCargo and other83 85 85 Cargo and other99 — — 101 — 101 
Total Operating RevenuesTotal Operating Revenues1,696 359 186 (184)2,057 2,057 Total Operating Revenues1,859 463 215 (213)2,324 — 2,324 
Operating ExpensesOperating ExpensesOperating Expenses
Operating expenses, excluding fuelOperating expenses, excluding fuel1,905 479 160 (192)2,352 (129)2,223 Operating expenses, excluding fuel1,877 551 179 (236)2,371 (912)1,459 
Economic fuel358 82 440 443 
Fuel expenseFuel expense427 118 — — 545 (68)477 
Total Operating ExpensesTotal Operating Expenses2,263 561 160 (192)2,792 (126)2,666 Total Operating Expenses2,304 669 179 (236)2,916 (980)1,936 
Nonoperating Income (Expense)
Interest income25 (9)16 16 
Interest expense(30)(10)10 (30)(30)
Interest capitalized
Other - net12 (1)11 11 
Total Nonoperating Income (Expense)11 (10)
Non-operating Income (Expense)Non-operating Income (Expense)(23)— (10)— (33)— (33)
Income (Loss) Before Income TaxIncome (Loss) Before Income Tax$(556)$(202)$16 $$(734)$126 $(608)Income (Loss) Before Income Tax$(468)$(206)$26 $23 $(625)$980 $355 
Pretax MarginPretax Margin(26.9)%15.3 %

(a)Includes consolidating entries, Air Group parent company, McGee Air Services, and other immaterial business units.
(b)The Air Group Adjusted column represents the financial information that is reviewed by management to assess performance of operations and determine capital allocation and excludes certain charges. See Note A in the accompanying pages for further information.
(c)Includes Payroll Support Program grant wage offsets, special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments.


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Total assets were as follows (in millions):
June 30, 2021December 31, 2020June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
MainlineMainline$19,920 $19,754 Mainline$20,312 $19,258 
HorizonHorizon1,251 1,170 Horizon1,125 1,212 
Consolidating & OtherConsolidating & Other(6,515)(6,878)Consolidating & Other(6,637)(6,519)
ConsolidatedConsolidated$14,656 $14,046 Consolidated$14,800 $13,951 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
OVERVIEW
 
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is intended to help the reader understand our company, segment operations and the present business environment. MD&A is provided as a supplement to – and should be read in conjunction with – our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. All statements in the following discussion that are not statements of historical information or descriptions of current accounting policy are forward-looking statements. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of the risks referred to in this report’s introductory cautionary note and the risks mentioned in "Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021. This overview summarizes the MD&A, which includes the following sections:
 
Second Quarter Review—highlights from the second quarter of 20212022 outlining some of the major events that happenedoccurred during the period and how they affected our financial performance.
 
Results of Operations—an in-depth analysis of our revenuesrevenue by segment and our expenses from a consolidated perspective for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021.2022. To the extent material to the understanding of segment profitability, we more fully describe the segment expenses per financial statement line item. Financial and statistical data is also included here. This section includes forward-looking statements regarding our view of the remainder of 2021.2022. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources—an overview of our financial position, analysis of cash flows, and relevant contractual obligations and commitments.

SECOND QUARTER REVIEW

Business Recovery and Financial OutlookSecond Quarter Results

SecondWe recorded consolidated pretax income for the second quarter 2021 results indicate we have reached a turning point in our recovery from the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the pandemic we shared plans2022 under GAAP of $185 million, compared to return capacity in a prudent manner, only when demand supported doing so. We also established structural cost removal targets that have positioned the airline well for returning to profitability in recovery. With the strong returnconsolidated pretax income of demand$528 million in the second quarter of 2021. On an adjusted basis, we reported an adjusted netconsolidated pretax income for the quarter of $371 million, compared to consolidated pretax loss that was significantly better than previous quarterly losses, and we currently expect double-digit adjusted pre-tax profit marginsof $48 million in the third quarter.same period of 2021. Our airlines faced challenges early in the second quarter as we ramped staffing to meet historic levels of demand. By June, we stabilized the operation and returned reliability to our standard, resulting in industry-leading on-time performance for the month. Despite these operational difficulties, we generated record quarterly revenue of $2.7 billion, driven by yield strength and record load factors for each month of the quarter, as well as strong revenue growth from our Mileage Plan program.

InAs we ramp capacity back to 2019 levels, we have experienced increases to non-fuel operating expenses. Costs have also been impacted by inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints. Non-fuel operating expense, excluding special items, rose 26% over the prior year period, driven by a combination of increased departure-related costs on 16% more capacity flown and higher wages and training costs as we hire new employees. Second quarter fuel prices were at historically high levels. Although our hedging program provided a benefit of $88 million for the quarter, total fuel cost exceeded 2021 levels due primarily to a 98% increase in economic price per gallon. We also incurred special charges of $146 million in the second half of 2021, we remain committed to returning capacity in a deliberate manner to match the return of leisure and business demand in the markets we serve. We also continue to return to 2019 capacity levels no later than the summerquarter of 2022 though we have increasedrelated to our near-term flying expectations as we ramp towards that target. To support this plan and prepare for growth beyond 2022,fleet transition, compared to a special benefit of $503 million recorded in the second quarter of 2021 we exercised options for 13 Boeing 737-9 MAX with deliveries in 2023 and 2024, and nine E175 to be operated by Horizon Air with deliveries in 2022 and 2023. In addition, we expanded our long-term capacity agreement with SkyWest by eight aircraft beginning in 2022.

Our guidance for 2021 compares against 2019 as we believe it provides a more meaningful indication of the pace and quality of recovery to pre-pandemic levels. For the third quarter, we are planning for capacity to be approximately 17% to 20% below the same period in 2019, coupled with increased passenger counts as leisure travel continues through the summer months and business travel rebuilds as workplaces reopen. As we continue to be disciplined with returning capacity and optimizing the aircraft gauge for flown routes, we anticipate third quarter load factors to range between 82% and 85%.

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The guidance we have provided and our outlook more broadly are sensitive to health trends, exposure to variants of the COVID-19 virus, and regulations and restrictions imposed by state, local and federal authorities. Our plans will be responsive to emerging information and the guidance we have provided above is subject to greater uncertainty than we have historically experienced. Our people continue to focus on keeping costs low, running a great operation, and welcoming guests back to travel with Next-Level Care to ensure they are safe and comfortable when they fly. These competitive advantages we have cultivated over many years will continue to serve us well in 2021 and beyond, and we are confident that we are prepared to meet the challenges ahead and that we will emergeprimarily from the pandemic a stronger and more resilient airline.

Sustainability Updates

As we move beyond the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have shifted our focus back to our 2025 strategic plan, which was announced in 2019. During the second quarter, we continued to make strides towards our goals of increasing our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as expanding our sustainability efforts. As part of these commitments, we announced a partnership with Boeing on the 737-9 MAX ecoDemonstrator program, aimed at testing advanced technologies to enhance the safety and sustainability of air travel. In the second quarter we also announced we are the first airline to implement network optimization software, Flyways, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize air traffic and enable more fuel-efficient flight paths for aggregate savings of fuel, carbon emissions and time.

As a reflection of the importance of the commitments made, we continue to tie a portion of long-term executive compensation to achievement of diversity goals. Additionally, we have incorporated a carbon emission target into our company-wide performance-based pay program, for which we currently expect to meet the targeted goal.

Financial Overview

Our consolidated pre-tax income for the second quarter of 2021 was $528 million, compared to a pre-tax loss of $291 million in the second quarter of 2020. The $819 million improvement is primarily driven by an increase of $1.1 billion in operating revenue and $141 million of increasedPayroll Support Program grant wage offsets provided by extensions of the PSP of the CARES Act. These improvements were offset by a $292 million increase in non-fuel operating costs, excluding special items, and a $215 million increase in fuel expense as the operation ramps up to meet increased demand.offsets.

See “Results of Operations” below for further discussion of changes in revenuesrevenue and operating expenses as compared to 2021, and our reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. A glossary of financial terms can be found at the end of this Item 2.

Environmental, Social and Governance Updates

In order to achieve our long-term target of zero carbon emissions by 2040, the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will play a crucial role. During the quarter, we signed an agreement with Aemetis to purchase 13 million gallons of SAF to be delivered over the seven year term of the agreement. Subsequent to quarter end, we announced a partnership with Microsoft and Twelve, a carbon transformation company, to advance the use of SAF within the commercial airline industry.

Delivering on our diversity, equity and inclusion goals is critical to our long-term success. As a reflection of our commitment to these goals, we have tied a portion of long-term executive compensation to achievement of diversity goals. Additionally, we
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have incorporated a carbon emissions target into our company-wide Performance Based Pay Plan, which is currently tracking to target achievement.

Labor Update

In April 2022, Alaska's dispatchers represented by the Transport Workers Union ratified an agreement that includes increased pay with added steps to ensure wage rates remain competitive, enhanced benefits, and streamlined training. In May 2022, Horizon's mechanics represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association ratified an agreement that includes increased pay and license premiums. In June 2022, Alaska reached a tentative agreement with employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers; voting will be completed in the third quarter.

Alaska is actively negotiating for a new contract with its mainline pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, whose contract became amendable in April 2020.

Outlook

For the third quarter and remainder of the year, we remain committed to best positioning our airlines for long-term sustainable growth. We have moderated our capacity plans for the remainder of the year to stabilize our operation, improve our training throughput and execute on our fleet transition plans. As a result, we now anticipate our capacity for the third quarter to be down 5% to 8% versus 2019, with full year capacity down 8% to 9%. Lower capacity, coupled with pressures from wages and training costs, has shifted our expectation for third quarter CASMex to be up 16% to 19% over 2019. Continued strength in the demand environment is expected to generate revenue 16% to 19% over 2019 levels. For the full year, we continue to anticipate adjusted pretax margins will range between 6% and 9%.

Although our operations have stabilized, ongoing industry-wide labor shortages and supply chain delays could have a material impact on our results moving forward. Our plans will continue to be responsive to emerging information and the guidance we have provided above is subject to greater uncertainty than we have historically experienced. As we leverage our network, Mileage Plan program, and fleet for growth, our people are focused on keeping costs low and running a strong operation. These are competitive advantages we have cultivated over many years that will continue to serve us well in 2022 and beyond.


RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

ADJUSTED (NON-GAAP) RESULTS AND PER-SHARE AMOUNTS

We believe disclosure of earnings excluding the impact of aircraft fuel, the Payroll Support Program grant wage offset and other special items mark-to-market gains or losses or other individual special revenues or expenses is useful information to investors because:

By excluding fuel expense and certain specialother items, (includingsuch as the Payroll Support Program grant wage offset impairment and restructuring charges and merger-related costs)other special items, from our unit metrics, we believe that we have better visibility into the results of operations as we focus on cost-reduction initiatives emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our industry is highly competitive and is characterized by high fixed costs, so even a small reduction in non-fuel operating costs can lead to a significant improvement in operating results. In addition, we believe that all domestic carriers are similarly impacted by changes in jet fuel costs over the long run, so it is important for management (and thus investors) to understand the impact of (and trends in) company-specific cost drivers, such as productivity, airport costs, maintenance costs, etc., which are more controllable by management.

Cost per ASM (CASM) excluding fuel and certain specialother items, such as the Payroll Support Program grant wage offset impairment and restructuring charges and merger-related costs,other special items, is one of the most important measures used by management and by the Air Groupour Board of Directors in assessing quarterly and annual cost performance.

Adjusted income before income tax (and other items as specified in our plan documents) is an important metric for the employee annual cash incentive plan, which covers the majority of employees within the Air Group organization.

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CASM excluding fuel and certain specialother items is a measure commonly used by industry analysts and we believe it is an important metric by which they have historically compared our airline to others in the industry. The measure is also the subject of frequent questions from investors.

Adjusted income before income tax (and other items as specified in our plan documents) is an important metric for the employee annual incentive plan, which covers the majority of employees within the Alaska Air Group organization.

Disclosure of the individual impact of certain noted items provides investors the ability to measure and monitor performance both with and without these special items. We believe that disclosing the impact of these items as noted above
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is important because it provides information on significant items that are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Industry analysts and investors consistently measure our performance without these items for better comparability between periods and among other airlines.

Although we disclose our unit revenues,revenue, we do not, (nornor are we able to)to, evaluate unit revenuesrevenue excluding the impact that changes in fuel costs have had on ticket prices. Fuel expense represents a large percentage of our total operating expenses. Fluctuations in fuel prices often drive changes in unit revenuesrevenue in the mid-to-long term. Although we believe it is useful to evaluate non-fuel unit costs for the reasons noted above, we would caution readers of these financial statements not to place undue reliance on unit costs excluding fuel as a measure or predictor of future profitability because of the significant impact of fuel costs on our business.

Although we are presenting these non-GAAP amounts for the reasons above, investors and other readers should not necessarily conclude that these amounts are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature.
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OPERATING STATISTICS SUMMARY (unaudited)
Below are operating statistics we use to measure operating performance. We often refer to unit revenuesrevenue and adjusted unit costs, which are non-GAAP measures.
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20212020Change20212020Change20222021Change20222021Change
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a)
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)8,7121,485486.7%13,37910,41728.4%Revenue passengers (000)11,0058,71226.3%19,70013,37947.2%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"10,3341,654524.8%15,72712,31027.8%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"13,74610,33433.0%24,33215,72754.7%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"13,4134,307211.4%23,81019,61221.4%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"15,61113,41316.4%29,39423,81023.5%
Load factorLoad factor77.0%38.4%38.6 pts66.1%62.8%3.3 ptsLoad factor88.1%77.0%11.1 pts82.8%66.1%16.7 pts
YieldYield13.09¢18.68¢(29.9)%12.79¢14.54¢(12.0)%Yield17.59¢13.09¢34.4%16.15¢12.79¢26.3%
RASMRASM11.38¢9.77¢16.5%9.76¢10.49¢(7.0)%RASM17.03¢11.38¢49.6%14.76¢9.76¢51.2%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
9.20¢21.87¢(57.9)%9.95¢12.00¢(17.1)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
9.92¢9.20¢7.8%10.24¢9.95¢2.9%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.90$1.2058.3%$1.85$1.774.5%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$3.76$1.9097.9%$3.23$1.8574.6%
Fuel gallons (000,000)Fuel gallons (000,000)16854211.1%29424818.5%Fuel gallons (000,000)19616816.7%36829425.2%
ASMs per fuel gallonASMs per fuel gallon79.879.8—%81.079.12.4%ASMs per fuel gallon79.679.8(0.3)%79.981.0(1.4)%
Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)19,00115,83620.0%18,07119,115(5.5)%Average full-time equivalent employees (FTEs)22,60319,00119.0%22,09218,07122.3%
Mainline Operating Statistics:Mainline Operating Statistics:Mainline Operating Statistics:
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)6,151905579.7%9,3027,58022.7%Revenue passengers (000)8,3216,15135.3%14,8879,30260.0%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"8,9661,276602.7%13,55510,85824.8%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"12,4608,96639.0%21,97213,55562.1%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"11,6113,363245.3%20,46417,06020.0%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"14,05211,61121.0%26,43920,46429.2%
Load factorLoad factor77.2%37.9%39.3 pts66.2%63.6%2.6 ptsLoad factor88.7%77.2%11.5 pts83.1%66.2%16.9 pts
YieldYield11.96¢17.63¢(32.2)%11.64¢13.44¢(13.4)%Yield16.28¢11.96¢36.1%14.89¢11.64¢27.9%
RASMRASM10.59¢9.52¢11.2%9.09¢9.94¢(8.6)%RASM16.02¢10.59¢51.3%13.81¢9.09¢51.9%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
8.48¢22.19¢(61.8)%9.17¢11.17¢(17.9)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items(b)
8.98¢8.48¢5.9%9.29¢9.17¢1.3%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$1.88$1.2056.7%$1.84$1.783.4%
Economic fuel cost per gallon(b)
$3.74$1.8898.9%$3.21$1.8474.4%
Fuel gallons (000,000)Fuel gallons (000,000)13538255.3%23320115.9%Fuel gallons (000,000)16513522.2%31123333.5%
ASMs per fuel gallonASMs per fuel gallon86.088.5(2.8)%87.884.93.4%ASMs per fuel gallon85.286.0(0.9)%85.087.8(3.2)%
Average FTEsAverage FTEs14,02112,34013.6%13,24714,579(9.1)%Average FTEs17,31514,02123.5%16,82513,24727.0%
Aircraft utilizationAircraft utilization9.95.676.8%9.28.84.5%Aircraft utilization10.19.92.0%9.89.26.5%
Average aircraft stage lengthAverage aircraft stage length1,3201,14415.4%1,3131,2703.4%Average aircraft stage length1,3631,3203.3%1,3491,3132.7%
Operating fleet(d)
Operating fleet(d)
202225(23) a/c202225(23) a/c
Operating fleet(d)
23320231 a/c23320231 a/c
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Regional Operating Statistics:(c)
Revenue passengers (000)Revenue passengers (000)2,562580341.7%4,0772,83743.7%Revenue passengers (000)2,6852,5624.8%4,8134,07718.1%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"RPMs (000,000) "traffic"1,367378261.6%2,1721,45249.6%RPMs (000,000) "traffic"1,2851,367(6.0)%2,3602,1728.7%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"ASMs (000,000) "capacity"1,80294590.7%3,3462,55231.1%ASMs (000,000) "capacity"1,5591,802(13.5)%2,9553,346(11.7)%
Load factorLoad factor75.9%40.0%35.9 pts64.9%56.9%8.0 ptsLoad factor82.4%75.9%6.5 pts79.9%64.9%15.0 pts
YieldYield20.48¢22.12¢(7.4)%19.95¢22.80¢(12.5)%Yield30.35¢20.48¢48.2%27.88¢19.95¢39.7%
RASMRASM16.41¢10.63¢54.4%13.84¢14.07¢(1.6)%RASM26.04¢16.41¢58.7%23.21¢13.84¢67.7%
Operating fleet9494— a/c9494— a/c
Operating fleet(d)
Operating fleet(d)
1049410 a/c1049410 a/c
(a)Except for FTEs, data includes information related to third-party regional capacity purchase flying arrangements.
(b)See reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to the most directly related GAAP measure in the accompanying pages.
(c)Data presented includes information related to flights operated by Horizon and third-party carriers.
(d)Excludes all aircraft removed from operating service, as well as new aircraft which have not yet entered operating service.






25


Given the unusual nature of 2021 and 2020, we believe that some analysis of specific financial and operational results compared to 2019 provides meaningful insight. The table below includes comparative results from 20212022 to 2019.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OPERATING STATISTICS - 2019 RESULTS (unaudited)
Alaska Air Group, Inc.
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20212019Change20212019Change
Passenger revenue$1,352 $2,111 (36)%$2,011 $3,827 (47)%
Mileage plan other revenue118 118 — %212 228 (7)%
Cargo and other57 59 (3)%101 109 (7)%
Total operating revenues$1,527 $2,288 (33)%$2,324 $4,164 (44)%
Operating expense, excluding fuel and special items$1,234 $1,414 (13)%$2,371 $2,819 (16)%
Economic fuel274 502 (45)%477 922 (48)%
Special items(530)8NM(912)34NM
Total operating expenses$978 $1,924 (49)%$1,936 $3,775 (49)%
Total nonoperating expense(21)(13)62 %(33)(32)%
Income (loss) before income tax$528 $351 50 %$355 $357 (1)%
Consolidated Operating Statistics(a):
Revenue passengers (000)8,71212,026(28)%13,37922,442(40)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"10,33414,638(29)%15,72727,087(42)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"13,41316,980(21)%23,81032,487(27)%
Load Factor77.0%86.2%(9.2) pts66.1%83.4%(17.3) pts
Yield13.09¢14.43¢(9)%12.79¢14.13¢(9)%
RASM11.38¢13.48¢(16)%9.76¢12.82¢(24)%
CASMex9.20¢8.33¢10 %9.95¢8.68¢15 %
FTEs19,00121,921(13)%18,07121,876(17)%

(a)2019 comparative operating statistics have been recalculated using the information presented above, and as filed in our second quarter 2019 Form 10-Q.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OPERATING STATISTICS - 2022 Compared to 2019 (unaudited)
Alaska Air Group, Inc.
Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
20222019Change20222019Change
Passenger revenue$2,418 $2,111 15%$3,929 $3,827 3%
Mileage plan other revenue175 118 48%287 228 26%
Cargo and other65 59 10%123 109 13%
Total operating revenue$2,658 $2,288 16%$4,339 $4,164 4%
Operating expense, excluding fuel and special items$1,549 $1,414 10%$3,010 $2,819 7%
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses776 502 55%1,123 922 22%
Special items146 8NM221 34NM
Total operating expenses$2,471 $1,924 28%$4,354 $3,775 15%
Total non-operating expense(2)(13)(85)%(6)(32)(81)%
Income (loss) before income tax$185 $351 (47)%$(21)$357 (106)%
Consolidated Operating Statistics:
Revenue passengers (000)11,00512,026(8)%19,70022,442(12)%
RPMs (000,000) "traffic"13,74614,638(6)%24,33227,087(10)%
ASMs (000,000) "capacity"15,61116,980(8)%29,39432,487(10)%
Load Factor88.1%86.2%1.9 pts82.8%83.4%(0.6) pts
Yield17.59¢14.43¢22%16.15¢14.13¢14%
RASM17.03¢13.48¢26%14.76¢12.82¢15%
CASMex9.92¢8.33¢19%10.24¢8.68¢18%
FTEs22,60321,9213%22,09221,8761%






















26


COMPARISON OF THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 20212022 TO THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 20202021

Our consolidated net income for the three months ended June 30, 20212022 was $397$139 million, or $3.13$1.09 per share, compared to a consolidated net lossincome of $214$397 million, or $1.74$3.13 per share, for the three months ended June 30, 2020.2021.

Excluding the impact of the Payroll Support Program grant wage offset, special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments, our adjusted net lossincome for the second quarter of 20212022 was $38$280 million, or $0.30$2.19 per share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $439$38 million, or $3.57$0.30 per share, in the second quarter of 2020.2021. The following tables reconciletable reconciles our adjusted net lossincome per share (EPS) to amounts as reported in accordance with GAAP:
Three Months Ended June 30, Three Months Ended June 30,
20212020 20222021
(in millions, except per share amounts)(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS
GAAP net income (loss) per share$397 $3.13 $(214)$(1.74)
GAAP net income per shareGAAP net income per share$139 $1.09 $397 $3.13 
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(503)(3.97)(362)(2.94)Payroll Support Program grant wage offset  (503)(3.97)
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(46)(0.36)(6)(0.05)Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments40 0.31 (46)(0.36)
Special items - impairment charges and other(4)(0.03)69 0.56 
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges146 1.14 (4)(0.03)
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(23)(0.18)— — Special items - restructuring charges  (23)(0.18)
Special items - merger-related costs  0.01 
Income tax effect of reconciling items aboveIncome tax effect of reconciling items above141 1.11 73 0.59 Income tax effect of reconciling items above(45)(0.35)141 1.11 
Non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share$(38)$(0.30)$(439)$(3.57)
Non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) per shareNon-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) per share$280 $2.19 $(38)$(0.30)

CASM excluding fuel and special items reconciliation is summarized below:
Three Months Ended June 30, Three Months Ended June 30,
(in cents)(in cents)20212020% Change(in cents)20222021% Change
Consolidated:Consolidated:Consolidated:
CASMCASM7.29 ¢16.46 ¢(56)%CASM15.84 ¢7.29 ¢117 %
Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(3.75)(8.40)(55)%Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (3.75)NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses2.04 1.37 49 %Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses4.98 2.04 144 %
Special items - impairment charges and other(0.03)1.60 (102)%
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges0.94 (0.03)NM
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(0.17)— NMSpecial items - restructuring charges (0.17)NM
Special items - merger-related costs 0.02 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special itemsCASM excluding fuel and special items9.20 ¢21.87 ¢(58)%CASM excluding fuel and special items9.92 ¢9.20 ¢%
Mainline:Mainline:Mainline:
CASMCASM6.24 ¢15.79 ¢(60)%CASM15.06 ¢6.24 ¢141 %
Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(3.79)(9.69)(61)%Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (3.79)NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and lossesAircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.78 1.16 53 %Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses5.06 1.78 184 %
Special items - impairment charges and other(0.03)2.11 (101)%
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges1.02 (0.03)NM
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(0.20)— NMSpecial items - restructuring charges (0.20)NM
Special items - merger-related costs 0.02 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special itemsCASM excluding fuel and special items8.48 ¢22.19 ¢(62)%CASM excluding fuel and special items8.98 ¢8.48 ¢%

27


OPERATING REVENUESREVENUE

Total operating revenuesrevenue increased $1.1 billion, or 74%, during the second quarter of 20212022 compared to the same period in 2020.2021. The changes are summarized in the following table:
Three Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$1,352 $309 338 %Passenger revenue$2,418 $1,352 79 %
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue118 73 62 %Mileage Plan other revenue175 118 48 %
Cargo and otherCargo and other57 39 46 %Cargo and other65 57 14 %
Total operating revenues$1,527 $421 263 %
Total operating revenueTotal operating revenue$2,658 $1,527 74 %

Passenger Revenuerevenue

On a consolidated basis, Passenger revenue for the second quarter of 20212022 increased by $1.0$1.1 billion, primarilyor 79%, driven by a significant33% increase in passenger traffic. Intraffic and a 34% improvement in ticket yields. Record setting demand for air travel and constrained capacity industry wide enabled record load factors in each month of the second quarter of 2020, we experienced a near complete loss2022. Higher revenue on improved Mileage Plan award redemptions and from our alliance partners following the relaxing of demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. As recovery has taken hold, including wide availability of the vaccine and removal ofinternational travel restrictions throughout the markets we serve, demand for air travel has increased exponentially driven primarily by leisure travelers.also contributed meaningfully to revenue growth as compared to 2021.

Mileage Plan other revenue

On a consolidated basis, Mileage Plan other revenue for the second quarter of 2022 increased by $45$57 million, or 62%, as compared to the same prior-year period,48%. The change is largely due to an increase in commissions from our bank card partners driven by increased consumer spending and improved economics from our new co-branded credit card acquisitions. Performance ofagreement. Second quarter Mileage Plan other revenues outpaced all other revenue sources, and resulted inincludes a one-time $20 million adjustment recorded as a result of finalizing accounting conclusions for the best performance of the program ever in the second quarter of 2021.new agreement.

Cargo and other

On a consolidated basis, Cargo and other revenue for the second quarter of 20212022 increased by $18$8 million, or 46%, as compared to14%. Other ancillary revenue was the same prior-year period. Theprimary driver of the year-over-year increase, is primarilyconsistent with the return in demand for travel. Incremental freight revenue also contributed, due to the returngreater use of all three freighters back to fullbelly capacity which grew on an increase in the second quarter of 2021, coupled with increased belly cargo activity as we increase scheduled departures.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Total operating expenses increased $269 million,$1.5 billion, or 38%153%, compared to the second quarter of 2020.2021. We believe it is useful to summarize operating expenses as follows, which is consistent with the way expenses are reported internally and evaluated by management:
Three Months Ended June 30, Three Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
Fuel expenseFuel expense$274 $59 364 %Fuel expense$776 $274 183 %
Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special itemsNon-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items1,234 942 31 %Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items1,549 1,234 26 %
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(503)(362)39 %Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (503)NM
Special items - impairment charges and other(4)69 (106)%
Special items - fleet transition and related chargesSpecial items - fleet transition and related charges146 (4)NM
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(23)— NMSpecial items - restructuring charges (23)NM
Special items - merger-related costs (100)%
Total operating expensesTotal operating expenses$978 $709 38 %Total operating expenses$2,471 $978 153 %

Fuel Expenseexpense

Aircraft fuel expense includes raw fuel expense (as defined below) plus the effect of mark-to-market adjustments to our fuel hedge portfolio as the value of that portfolio increases and decreases. Our aircraft fuel expense can be volatile because it includes these gains or losses in the value of the underlying instrument as crude oil prices and refining margins increase or decrease. Raw fuel expense is defined as the price that we generally pay at the airport, or the “into-plane” price, including taxes and fees. Raw fuel prices are impacted by world oil prices and refining costs, which can vary by region in the U.S. Raw fuel expense approximates cash paid to suppliers and does not reflect the effect of our fuel hedges.
28



Aircraft fuel expense increased $215$502 million, or 183%, compared to the second quarter of 2020.2021. The elements of the change are illustrated in the following table:
Three Months Ended June 30,Three Months Ended June 30,
2021202020222021
(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal
Raw or "into-plane" fuel costRaw or "into-plane" fuel cost$330 $1.96 $60 $1.11 Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost$824 $4.20 $330 $1.96 
(Gain)/loss on settled hedges(Gain)/loss on settled hedges(10)(0.06)0.09 (Gain)/loss on settled hedges(88)(0.44)(10)(0.06)
Consolidated economic fuel expenseConsolidated economic fuel expense320 1.90 $65 $1.20 Consolidated economic fuel expense$736 $3.76 $320 $1.90 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(46)(0.27)(6)(0.11)Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments40 0.20 (46)(0.27)
GAAP fuel expenseGAAP fuel expense$274 $1.63 $59 $1.09 GAAP fuel expense$776 $3.96 $274 $1.63 
Fuel gallonsFuel gallons168 54 Fuel gallons196 168 

Raw fuel expense increased 150% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the second quarter of 2021, due to significantly higher per gallon for the three months ended June 30, 2021costs and increased fuel consumption. Raw fuel expense per gallon increased by approximately 77%114% due to higher West Coast jet fuel prices. West Coast jet fuel prices are impacted by both the price of crude oil and refining margins associated with the conversion of crude oil to jet fuel. The increase in raw fuel price per gallon during the second quarter of 2021 was primarily driven by a 24% increase in crudeCrude oil prices. This is coupledprices have risen 62% while refining margins have risen exponentially compared to 2021. Fuel gallons consumed increased 17%, consistent with an increase in consumption of 114 million gallons, on an increase in scheduled departures.rising capacity.

We also evaluate economic fuel expense, which we define as raw fuel expense adjusted for the cash we receive from or pay to, hedge counterparties for hedges that settle during the period and for the premium expense that we paid for those contracts. A key difference between aircraft fuel expense and economic fuel expense is the timing of gain or loss recognition on our hedge portfolio. When we refer to economicEconomic fuel expense, we include includes gains and losses only when they are realized for those contracts that were settled during the period based on their original contract terms. We believe this is the best measure of the effect that fuel prices are currently having on our business as it most closely approximates the net cash outflow associated with purchasing fuel for our operations. Accordingly, many industry analysts evaluate our results using this measure, and it is the basis for most internal management reporting and incentive pay plans.

Gains recognized for hedges that settled during the second quarter were $10$88 million in 2021,2022, compared to lossesgains of $5$10 million in the same period in 2020.2021. These amounts represent cash received from hedges at settlement, offset by cash paid in prior periods for premium expense.


Non-fuel Expensesexpenses

The table below provides the reconciliation of the operating expense line items, excluding fuel, the Payroll Support Program grant wage offset and other special items. Significant operating expense variances from 20202021 are more fully described below.
Three Months Ended June 30, Three Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
Wages and benefitsWages and benefits$510 $472 %Wages and benefits$639 $510 25 %
Variable incentive payVariable incentive pay34 16 113 %Variable incentive pay56 34 65 %
Aircraft maintenanceAircraft maintenance102 45 127 %Aircraft maintenance104 102 %
Aircraft rentAircraft rent62 74 (16)%Aircraft rent73 62 18 %
Landing fees and other rentalsLanding fees and other rentals144 83 73 %Landing fees and other rentals136 144 (6)%
Contracted servicesContracted services54 30 80 %Contracted services82 54 52 %
Selling expensesSelling expenses41 925 %Selling expenses78 41 90 %
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization98 107 (8)%Depreciation and amortization104 98 %
Food and beverage serviceFood and beverage service35 400 %Food and beverage service50 35 43 %
Third-party regional carrier expenseThird-party regional carrier expense37 26 42 %Third-party regional carrier expense50 37 35 %
OtherOther117 78 50 %Other177 117 51 %
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special itemsTotal non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$1,234 $942 31 %Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$1,549 $1,234 26 %


29


Wages and Benefitsbenefits

Wages and benefits increased duringby $129 million, or 25%, in the second quarter of 2021 by $38 million, or 8%, compared to 2020.2022. The primary components of Wages and benefits are shown in the following table:
Three Months Ended June 30, Three Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
WagesWages$386 $350 10 %Wages$486 $386 26 %
Pension - Defined benefit plans service costPension - Defined benefit plans service cost13 13 — %Pension - Defined benefit plans service cost12 13 (8)%
Defined contribution plansDefined contribution plans26 30 (13)%Defined contribution plans39 26 50 %
Medical and other benefitsMedical and other benefits59 54 %Medical and other benefits66 59 12 %
Payroll taxesPayroll taxes26 25 %Payroll taxes36 26 38 %
Total wages and benefitsTotal wages and benefits$510 $472 %Total wages and benefits$639 $510 25 %

Wages increased $36$100 million, or 10%26%, on a 20% increaseprimarily driven by 19% growth in FTEs.FTEs as Alaska and Horizon hire to support the ramp up in operations, as well as higher wage rates. Increased wages as compared toexpense for defined contribution plans, payroll taxes, and medical and other benefits are consistent with the prior period are primarily the result of leaves of absence taken and reductionchange in executive pay and hours for management employees in 2020 which were not repeated in 2021.

Defined contribution plan expense decreased 13% as compared to 2020 as a result of a one-time adjustment recorded in the second quarter of 2021 for employer contributions to those participating in incentive leave programs.wages.

Variable Incentive Payincentive pay

Variable incentive pay expense increased $18by $22 million, duringor 65%, in the second quarter of 2021 compared2022. The increase is primarily due to the same period in 2020 on increased expectation of achievement of key financial and operational metrics.that higher payouts will be achieved under the 2022 Performance Based Pay Plan.

Aircraft Maintenance

Aircraft maintenance expense increased by $57 million during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. This is primarily due to a significant increase in utilization of aircraft as we return to capacity, resulting in increased engine events, heavy checks and power-by-the-hour expense.

Aircraft Rentrent

Aircraft rent expense decreasedincreased by $12$11 million, or 16%18%, duringin the second quarter of 2021 compared2022. Increased expense is due to the same period in 2020 primarily the resultdelivery of the full impairment taken on certaineight leased AirbusBoeing 737-9 aircraft in 2020.and ten leased E175 aircraft operated by SkyWest since June 30, 2021.

Landing fees and other rentals

Landing fees and other rentals increaseddecreased by $61$8 million, or 73%6%, duringin the second quarter of 20212022. The decrease compared to the same period in 2020 primarily2021 is due to a significant increase in departures. Increased departure-related costs werefavorable resolution for certain pandemic period airport accruals, coupled by rate increases at many of our hub airports, includingwith decreased airport rates as compared to the renegotiated lease at our largest airport hub Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.prior year.

Contracted Servicesservices

Contracted services increased by $24$28 million, or 80%52%, duringin the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 20202022, driven primarily by increased departures and passengers, as compared to the prior-year period as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.coupled with higher rates charged by vendor partners.

Selling Expenseexpense

Selling expense increased by $37 million, duringor 90%, in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020,2022, driven primarily driven by a significantan increase in distribution costs and credit card commissions incurred with the overall revenue recovery.

Food and beverage service

Food and beverage service increased by $15 million, or 43%, in the second quarter of 2022, consistent with a 26% increase in revenue passengers. Additional on-board offerings coupled with increased charges for transportation also contributed to the overall increase.

Third-party regional carrier expense

Third-party regional carrier expense, which represents expenses associated with SkyWest under our CPA, increased by $14 million, or 35%, in the second quarter of overall travel.2022. The increase in expense is due to incremental departures flown by SkyWest with ten additional aircraft in operating service as compared to the prior-year period.

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Food and Beverage Service

Food and beverage service increased by $28 million during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. This increase is consistent with the overall increase in revenue passengers as compared to the prior-year period, as well as the return of many of our on-board products in the second quarter of 2021.

Third-party Regional Carrier Expense

Third-party regional carrier expense, which represents payments made to SkyWest under our CPA, increased by $11 million, or 42%, during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The increase in expense is primarily due to increases in departures flown by SkyWest as compared to the prior-year period. Increased expense was partially offset by a pass through of CARES Act PSP funding of $5 million received in the second quarter to offset SkyWest pilot and flight attendant wages and benefits.
Other expense

Other expense increased $39$60 million, or 50%51%, duringin the second quarter of 2021 compared to2022. Training events, including travel costs, were a significant driver of the same period in 2020. Increased expense is primarily driven by incrementalincreased cost. Incremental crew hotel stays and per diem, consistent with the overall increase in departures and capacity, as well as additional expense for professional services.also contributed to the year-over-year increase.

Special Itemsitems - Impairmentfleet transition and otherrelated charges

We recorded a benefitnon-recurring expenses associated with impairmentfleet transition and otherrelated charges of $4$146 million in the second quarter of 2021, consisting of updated estimates for costs associated with leased aircraft that have been retired and removed from the operating fleet but not yet returned2022. Refer to Note 2 to the lessor.consolidated financial statements for additional details.

Special Items - Restructuring charges

We recorded a benefit for workforce restructuring of $23 million in the second quarter of 2021 primarily as a result of issuing recall notices to pilots on incentive lines for periods earlier than were previously anticipated.

ADDITIONAL SEGMENT INFORMATION

Refer to Note 9 ofto the condensed consolidated financial statements for a detailed description of each segment. Below is a summary of each segment's profitability.

Mainline

Mainline recordedoperations reported an adjusted pretax profit of $375 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to an adjusted pretax loss of $24 million in the second quarter of 2021, compared to a pretax loss of $471 million in the second quarter of 2020.2021. The $447$399 million improvement was primarily driven by an $847a $956 million increase in Passenger revenues as a result of increased demand for air travel,revenue, offset by a $238$364 million increase in economic fuel cost and a $278 million increase in non-fuel operating costs and a $208 million increase in economic fuel cost.costs.

The increase inAs compared to the prior year, higher Mainline passenger revenue for the second quarter of 2021 wasis primarily driven byattributable to a significant39% increase in traffic and capacity due to increaseda 36% increase in yield, driven by a historically strong demand for air travel.

environment. Non-fuel operating expenses increased, significantly, driven by increasedhigher variable costs, largely consistent with the overall increasegrowth in capacity and departures. Higher raw fuel prices, combined with a significant increase inmore gallons consumed, drove the increase in Mainline fuel expense.

Regional

Regional operations generatedreported an adjusted pretax loss of $2 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to an adjusted pretax loss of $56 million in the second quarter of 2021, compared to a pretax loss of $129 million in the second quarter of 2020. The improved pretax loss was2021. Improved results were attributable to a $195$110 million increase in operating revenues,revenue, partially offset by a $76 million increase in non-fuel operating expenses and a $46$53 million increase in fuel costs.

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Regional passenger revenue increased significantly compared to the second quarter of 2020,2021, primarily driven by increased traffican improved load factor and capacity driven bya 48% improvement in yield. Higher fuel prices contributed to the resurgence in demand for air travel.

The increase in non-fuel operating expenses is primarily due to increased variable costs and higher CPA rates on an increase in capacity, offset by the pass through of CARES Act PSP funds recorded in the second quarter of 2021.Regional fuel expense.

Horizon

Horizon achievedreported an adjusted pretax loss of $2 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to an adjusted pretax profit of $15 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared2021. The shift to $8 million in the second quarter of 2020. Increased profitadjusted pretax loss is primarily the result of increased capacity flown, coupleddriven by lower CPA revenue on decreased departures, combined with substantial progress in cost reduction efforts.incremental maintenance expense on E175 aircraft and higher wage and benefit costs on incremental FTEs.

COMPARISON OF SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 20212022 TO SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 20202021

Our consolidated net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2022 was $4 million, or $0.03 per share, compared to consolidated net income of $266 million, or $2.10 per share, for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

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Our adjusted net income for the six months ended June 30, 20212022 was $266$113 million, or $2.10$0.89 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $446 million, or $3.62 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Our adjusted net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $474 million, or $3.75 per diluted share, compared to an adjusted net loss of $541$474 million, or $4.40$3.75 per diluted share, in the six months ended June 30, 2020.2021. The following tables reconciletable reconciles our adjusted net lossincome and adjusted diluted EPS to amounts as reported in accordance with GAAP:
Six Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
2021202020222021
(in millions, except per share amounts)(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS(in millions, except per share amounts)DollarsDiluted EPSDollarsDiluted EPS
Reported GAAP net income (loss) and diluted EPS$266 $2.10 $(446)$(3.62)
GAAP net income (loss) per shareGAAP net income (loss) per share$(4)$(0.03)$266 $2.10 
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(914)(7.23)(362)(2.94)Payroll Support Program grant wage offset  (914)(7.23)
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(68)(0.54)0.02 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(67)(0.53)(68)(0.54)
Special items - merger-related costs  0.03 
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other14 0.11 229 1.86 Special items - impairment charges and other221 1.75 14 0.11 
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(12)(0.09)— — Special items - restructuring charges  (12)(0.09)
Income tax effect of reconciling items aboveIncome tax effect of reconciling items above240 1.90 31 0.25 Income tax effect of reconciling items above(37)(0.30)240 1.90 
Non-GAAP adjusted net loss per share$(474)$(3.75)$(541)$(4.40)
Non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) per shareNon-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) per share$113 $0.89 $(474)$(3.75)

CASM excluding fuel and special items reconciliation is summarized below:
 Six Months Ended June 30,
(in cents)20222021% Change
Consolidated:
CASM14.81 ¢8.13 ¢82 %
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (3.84)NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses3.82 2.00 91 %
Special items - fleet transition and related charges0.75 0.07 NM
Special items - restructuring charges (0.05)NM
CASM excluding fuel and special items10.24 ¢9.95 ¢%
Mainline:
CASM13.69 ¢6.72 ¢104 %
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (4.21)NM
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses3.84 1.75 119 %
Special items - fleet transition and related charges0.56 0.07 NM
Special items - restructuring charges and other (0.06)NM
CASM excluding fuel and special items9.29 ¢9.17 ¢%

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Our operating costs per ASM are summarized below:
 Six Months Ended June 30,
(in cents)20212020% Change
Consolidated:
CASM8.13 ¢13.59 ¢(40)%
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset(3.84)(1.85)108 %
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses2.00 2.26 (12)%
Special items - impairment charges and other0.07 1.17 (94)%
Special items - restructuring charges(0.05)— NM
Special items - merger-related costs 0.01 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items9.95 ¢12.00 ¢(17)%
Mainline:
CASM6.72 ¢12.39 ¢(46)%
Less the following components:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset(4.21)(1.91)120 %
Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses1.75 2.12 (17)%
Special items - impairment charges and other0.07 0.99 (93)%
Special items - restructuring charges and other(0.06)— NM
Special items - merger-related costs 0.02 (100)%
CASM excluding fuel and special items9.17 ¢11.17 ¢(18)%

OPERATING REVENUESREVENUE

Total operating revenuesrevenue increased $267 million,$2.0 billion, or 13%87%, during the first six months of 20212022 compared to the same period in 2020.2021. The changes are summarized in the following table:
Six Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
Passenger revenuePassenger revenue$2,011 $1,790 12 %Passenger revenue$3,929 $2,011 95 %
Mileage Plan other revenueMileage Plan other revenue212 182 16 %Mileage Plan other revenue287 212 35 %
Cargo and otherCargo and other101 85 19 %Cargo and other123 101 22 %
Total operating revenues$2,324 $2,057 13 %
Total operating revenueTotal operating revenue$4,339 $2,324 87 %

Passenger Revenuerevenue

On a consolidated basis, Passenger revenue for the first six months of 20212022 increased by $221 million,$1.9 billion, or 12%95%, on a 28%55% increase in passenger traffic driven primarily by reboundingand a 26% improvement in ticket yields. Although our airlines experienced operational disruptions in the first half of 2022, demand for both leisure and business travel experienced in the second quarter of 2021. As travel restrictions were removed, including the full removal of restrictions in the state of California in June of 2021, passenger counts increased dramatically as comparedcontinues to the prior year. Thesedrive meaningful improvements were offset by a decrease of 12% in yield, stemming from promotional activities undertaken to stimulate demand and increase bookings during what is typically a low booking period.revenue results.

We expect to see continued improvement to Passenger revenue to continue to grow compared to 2021 results as we progress through 2021, driven by continued growthare flying more capacity, and also due to the relative strength in the demand environment, coupled with incremental revenue from Mileage Plan award redemptions and capacity,alliance partners as well as improvements to businessglobal travel as employees return to work.restrictions have eased.

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Mileage Plan other revenue

On a consolidated basis, Mileage Plan other revenue increased $30$75 million, or 16%35%, in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020,2022. The change is largely due largely to an increase in commission receivedcommissions from our affinitybank card partner stemmingpartners driven by increased consumer spending and improved economics from growing consumer spend and incrementalour new co-branded credit card acquisitions.agreement.

We expect continued strength in Mileage Plan other revenue for the remainder of 2022 relative to the prior year, driven by higher commissions from the new co-branded credit card agreement.

Cargo and other

On a consolidated basis, Cargo and other revenue increased $16$22 million, or 19%22%, in the first six months of 2021 compared to2022. Other ancillary revenue was the first six monthsprimary driver of 2020. Thethe year-over-year increase, is primarilyconsistent with the return in demand for travel. Incremental freight revenue also contributed, due to the returngreater use of all three freighters back to fullbelly capacity which grew on an increase in the second quarter of 2021, coupled with increased belly cargo activity as we increase scheduled departures.

We expect thatCargo and other revenue continue to increase compared to 2021 driven by greater ancillary revenue and growth in our cargo and other revenues will be positively impacted as compared to 2020 due to the elimination of freighter limitations.business.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Total operating expenses decreased $730 million,increased $2.4 billion, or 27%125%, compared to the first six months of 2020.2021. We believe it is useful to summarize operating expenses as follows, which is consistent with the way expenses are reported internally and evaluated by management:
Six Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
Fuel expenseFuel expense$477 $443 %Fuel expense$1,123 $477 135 %
Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special itemsNon-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items2,371 2,352 %Non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items3,010 2,371 27 %
Payroll Support Program grant wage offsetPayroll Support Program grant wage offset(914)(362)152 %Payroll Support Program grant wage offset (914)NM
Special items - impairment charges and otherSpecial items - impairment charges and other14 229 (94)%Special items - impairment charges and other221 14 NM
Special items - restructuring chargesSpecial items - restructuring charges(12)— NMSpecial items - restructuring charges (12)NM
Special items - merger-related costs (100)%
Total operating expensesTotal operating expenses$1,936 $2,666 (27)%Total operating expenses$4,354 $1,936 125 %

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Fuel Expenseexpense

Aircraft fuel expense increased $34$646 million, or 8%135%, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020.2021. The elements of the change are illustrated in the table:
 
Six Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
2021202020222021
(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal(in millions, except for per gallon amounts)Dollars Cost/GalDollars Cost/Gal
Raw or "into-plane" fuel costRaw or "into-plane" fuel cost$552 $1.87 $430 $1.73 Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost$1,328 $3.61 $552 $1.87 
(Gain)/loss on settled hedges(Gain)/loss on settled hedges(7)(0.02)10 0.04 (Gain)/loss on settled hedges(138)(0.38)(7)(0.02)
Consolidated economic fuel expenseConsolidated economic fuel expense545 1.85 $440 $1.77 Consolidated economic fuel expense1,190 3.23 $545 $1.85 
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(68)(0.23)0.01 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(67)(0.18)(68)(0.23)
GAAP fuel expenseGAAP fuel expense$477 $1.62 $443 $1.78 GAAP fuel expense$1,123 $3.05 $477 $1.62 
Fuel gallonsFuel gallons294 248 Fuel gallons368 294 

The rawRaw fuel priceexpense increased 141% in the first six months of 2022 compared to the first six months of 2021, due to significantly higher per gallon costs and increased fuel consumption. Raw fuel expense per gallon increased 8%by approximately 93% due to higher West Coast jet fuel prices. West Coast jet fuel prices are impacted by both the price of crude oil as well asand refining margins associated with the conversion of crude oil to jet fuel. The increase in Crude oil prices have risen 48% while refining margins have more than doubled. Fuel gallons consumed increased 25%, consistent with rising capacity.

We also evaluate economic fuel expense, which we define as raw fuel price per gallonexpense adjusted for the cash we receive from hedge counterparties for hedges that settle during the first six monthsperiod and for the premium expense that we paid for those contracts. A key difference between aircraft fuel expense and economic fuel expense is the timing of 2021 was driven by a 10% increase in crude oilgain or loss recognition on our hedge portfolio. Economic fuel expense includes gains and losses only when they are realized for those contracts that were settled during the period based on their original contract terms. We believe this is the best measure of the effect that fuel prices offset by a 65% decrease in refining margins.are currently having on our business as it most closely approximates the net cash outflow associated with purchasing fuel for our operations. Accordingly, many industry analysts evaluate our results using this measure, and it is the basis for most internal management reporting and incentive pay plans.

Gains recognized for hedges that settled in the first six months of 20212022 were $7$138 million, compared to lossesgains of $10$7 million in the same period in 2020.2021. These amounts represent cash received from settled hedges, offset by cash paid in prior periods for premium expense.

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We expect continued pressure in aircraft fuel expense as we progress through 2022, driven by both increased raw fuel and refining margins on increased capacity. We expect our economic fuel cost per gallon in the third quarter to range between $1.95$3.79 and $2.00$3.89 per gallon basedgallon. Based on currentexpected raw fuel prices, we will continue to recognize benefits from our fuel hedge portfolio during 2022. We expect the magnitude of the hedge benefit to be lesser in the second half of the year as the strike price of the portfolio approaches projected market West Coast jet fuel prices.cost per barrel.

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Non-fuel Expenseexpenses
 Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)20222021% Change
Wages and benefits$1,245 $1,003 24 %
Variable incentive pay92 67 37 %
Aircraft maintenance239 183 31 %
Aircraft rent146 124 18 %
Landing fees and other rentals274 273 — %
Contracted services160 105 52 %
Selling expenses136 74 84 %
Depreciation and amortization206 195 %
Food and beverage service91 58 57 %
Third-party regional carrier expense92 67 37 %
Other329 222 48 %
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$3,010 $2,371 27 %

For the remainder of the year, we generally anticipate recognizing incremental costs as compared to 2021 as we continue to increase our capacity and Non- special items
 Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)20212020% Change
Wages and benefits$1,003 $1,084 (7)%
Variable incentive pay67 23 191 %
Aircraft maintenance183 160 14 %
Aircraft rent124 155 (20)%
Landing fees and other rentals273 214 28 %
Contracted services105 102 %
Selling expenses74 59 25 %
Depreciation and amortization195 215 (9)%
Food and beverage service58 56 %
Third-party regional carrier expense67 63 %
Other222 221 — %
Total non-fuel operating expenses, excluding special items$2,371 $2,352 %
scheduled departures, and hire additional employees at higher wage rates to staff our operation.

Wages and Benefitsbenefits

Wages and benefits decreased duringincreased by $242 million, or 24%, in the first six months of 2021 by $81 million, or 7%.2022. The primary components of wages and benefits are shown in the following table:
Six Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)(in millions)20212020% Change(in millions)20222021% Change
WagesWages$743 $803 (7)%Wages$953 $743 28 %
Pension—Defined benefit plans service cost26 26 — %
Pension - Defined benefit plans service costPension - Defined benefit plans service cost23 26 (12)%
Defined contribution plansDefined contribution plans58 68 (15)%Defined contribution plans77 58 33 %
Medical and other benefitsMedical and other benefits124 130 (5)%Medical and other benefits122 124 (2)%
Payroll taxesPayroll taxes52 57 (9)%Payroll taxes70 52 35 %
Total wages and benefitsTotal wages and benefits$1,003 $1,084 (7)%Total wages and benefits$1,245 $1,003 24 %

Wages decreased $60increased $210 million, or 7%28%, on a 5% decrease in FTEs. Decreased wagesthe first six months of 2022, primarily driven by 22% growth in FTEs as comparedAlaska and Horizon hire to support the prior period are primarily the result of voluntary early-outs,ramp up in operations, as well as leaves of absence and incentive lines accepted in 2020 which carried into 2021. These reductions were offset by increased wages in the second quarter as we began to rebuild staffing and provide incentives to employees in response to increasing demand. Reductions to defined-contribution planhigher wage rates. Increased expense medical and other benefits,for defined contribution plans and payroll taxes are a direct result ofconsistent with the declinechange in wages.

For the full year, we expect wages and benefits will increase compared to 2020 as we increase scheduled flying and return workers fromVariable incentive leaves or other absences to align with our expectation of increased demand. Additionally, as labor shortages continue to impact many of our markets, we expect to see continued wage pressure as we offer premium and bonus pay to attract and retain employees.

Variable Incentive Pay

Variable incentive pay expense increased $44$25 million, or 191%37%, duringin the first six months of 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020.2022. The increase is primarily due to the expectation that incremental key targetshigher payouts will be achieved under the performance based pay program.2022 Performance Based Pay Plan.

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Aircraft Maintenancemaintenance

Aircraft maintenance expense increased by $23$56 million, or 14%31%, duringin the first six months of 2021 compared to2022. Higher maintenance expense is the same period in 2020. The increase is primarily due to increased component repairs which were delayed from 2020 as a result of increased flight hours, as well ascharges recorded for maintenance work to return leased aircraft recorded in the first quarter of 2022 and increased power-by-the-hour combined with increased utilization ofcharges on covered aircraft.aircraft, including a new contract for our regional fleet.

We expect full yearAircraft rent

Aircraft rent expense increased by $22 million, or 18%, in the first six months of 2022. Increased expense is due to the delivery of eight leased Boeing 737-9 aircraft maintenance expense to be higher than 2020 on increasedand ten leased E175 aircraft utilization.operated by SkyWest since June 30, 2021.
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Landing fees and other rentals

Landing fees and other rentals increased by $59 million, or 28%, duringin the first six months of 20212022 were flat as compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to a significant2021, despite an increase in departures combinedand passengers. Flat expense is due to favorable resolution for certain pandemic period airport accruals, coupled with a reduction in airport rates as traffic returns fees per landing are reduced from 2021 levels.

Contracted services

Contracted services increased by $55 million, or 52%, in the first six months of 2022, driven primarily by increased departures and passengers in line with increased demand, coupled with increased rates at certain of our airports.

For the full year we expect landing fees and other rentals to increase as compared to 2020 as we continue to increase capacity and departures on increased rates at many of our hub airports.charged by vendor partners.

Selling Expenseexpense

Selling expense increased by $15$62 million, or 25%84%, duringin the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020,2022, primarily driven by a significantan increase in distribution costs and credit card commissions. Increased marketing spend and sponsorship costs givencommissions incurred with the return of professional sports and events also contributed to the year-over-year increase.overall revenue recovery.

We expect full year selling expense will increase in-lineFood and beverage service

Food and beverage service increased by $33 million, or 57%, in the first six months of 2022. Incremental food and beverage charges are in line with the 47% increase toin revenue as a result of increased distribution costs on higher bookings,passengers as well as increased sponsorship and marketing costs.additional offerings of on-board products as compared to the prior-year period.

Third-party Regional Carrier Expenseregional carrier expense

Third-party regional carrier expense, which represents payments made to SkyWest under our CPA, increased $4$25 million, or 6%37%, duringin the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.2022. The increase in expense is primarily due to a 26% increaseincremental departures flown by SkyWest with ten additional aircraft in SkyWest departuresoperating service as compared to the prior year. Increased SkyWest activity was offset by the receipt and recognition of $14 million in pass-through of CARES Act PSP funding for pilot and flight attendant wages and benefits.prior-year period.

For the full year, weWe expect third-party regional carrier expense to be higher than 2020 driven bygrow in 2022 as compared to 2021 as we operate incremental E175 aircraft into the CPA with SkyWest through the year.

Other expense

Other expense increased departures.$107 million, or 48%, in the first six months of 2022. Training events, including travel costs, were a significant driver of the increased cost. Incremental crew hotel stays and per diem, consistent with the overall increase in departures and capacity, also contributed to the year-over-year increase.

Special Itemsitems - Impairmentfleet transition and otherrelated charges

We recorded impairmentnon-recurring expenses associated with fleet transition and otherrelated charges of $14$221 million in the first six months of 2021, consisting of costs2022. We expect to record additional special charges associated with the fleet transition during 2022, primarily related to accelerated aircraft ownership and lease return expenses. At this time, these costs are estimated to be between $200 million and $250 million for the remainder of 2022, and are subject to change as management continues to evaluate its leased aircraft that have been retired and removed from the operating fleet but not yet returnedreturns. Refer to Note 2 to the lessor. We continue to evaluate total estimated costs to return these permanently parked aircraft, and make updates to total expense where necessary.

Special Items - Restructuring charges

We recorded a restructuring benefit of $12 million in the first six months of 2021 primarily as a result of issuing recall notices to pilots on incentive linesconsolidated financial statements for periods earlier than were previously anticipated.additional details.

ADDITIONAL SEGMENT INFORMATION

Refer to Note 9 ofto the condensed consolidated financial statements for a detailed description of each segment. Below is a summary of each segment's profitability.

Mainline

Mainline operations reported an adjusted pretax loss was $468profit of $201 million in the first six months of 2021,2022, compared to an adjusted pretax loss of $556$468 million in the same period in 2020.2021. The $88$669 million improvement to pretax loss was driven by a $163$1.8 billion increase in Mainline operating revenue offset by a $571 million increase in Mainline operating revenues coupled withfuel expense and a $28$579 million decreaseincrease in Mainline non-fuel operating expense. These improvements were offset by a $69 million increase in Mainline fuel expense.

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As compared to the prior year, higher Mainline revenuesrevenue are primarily attributable to a 25%62% increase in traffic onand a 20 point28% increase in capacity,yield, driven by the significant increase in demand recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.demand. Non-fuel operating expenses increased, fromdriven by higher variable costs, on increasedlargely consistent with the overall growth in capacity as well as rising wages and benefits expense as we expand our workforce to meet growing demand and leisure travel seasonality.departures. Higher raw fuel prices, combined with increased consumptionadditional gallons consumed, drove the growthincrease in Mainline fuel expense.

Regional

Regional operations incurredreported an adjusted pretax loss of $57 million in the first six months of 2022, compared to an adjusted pretax loss of $206 million in the first six months of 2021, compared to an adjusted pretax loss of $202 million in the first six months of 2020. The increased loss was2021. Improved results were attributable to a $72$223 million increase in non-fuel operating expensesrevenue which was the result of higher demand and yields, partially offset by a $36$74 million increase in fuel costs offset by a $104 million increase in operating revenues.

The increase to regional revenues is driven by a 50% increase in traffic as compared to the prior-year period, also resulting in increased variable non-fuel operating expenses.on higher fuel prices.

Horizon

Horizon achievedreported an adjusted pretax loss of $12 million in the first six months of 2022, compared to an adjusted pretax profit of $26 million in the first six months of 2021, compared to an adjusted pretax profit of $16 million in the same period in 2020, primarily due2021. The shift to improved operational performanceadjusted pretax loss is driven by lower CPA revenue on decreased departures, combined with incremental maintenance expense on E175 aircraft and cost management.higher wage and benefit costs on incremental FTEs.


LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
As a resultOur primary sources of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken, and will continue to take action to reduce costs, manage liquidity and preserve the relative strength of our balance sheet. In 2020, we took significant actions to enhance and preserve our liquidity, withstand depressed demand, and prepare for the recovery ahead. In 2021, we have achieved the following, which we believe positions us well for recovery:are:

Generated positive operatingExisting cash flowand marketable securities balance of $1.0$3.4 billion, bolstered by improved advance bookings for increased demand for air travel, and the receipt of $1.2 billion in payroll support fundingcash flows from the U.S. Treasury under extensions of CARES Act programs, $892 million of which is included in operating cash flow;operations;

Repaid $681 million in debt, including the termination of the CARES Act loan, and the full repayment of two outstanding lines of credit;63 unencumbered aircraft that could be financed, if necessary;

Decreased debt-to-capitalization ratio to 56% at June 30, 2021 from 61% at December 31, 2020;Combined bank line-of-credit facilities, with no outstanding borrowings, of $400 million.

FinalizedDuring the three months ended June 30, 2022, we took free and clear delivery of seven Boeing 737-9 aircraft. We also made debt payments totaling $69 million, ending the quarter with a previously announced amendmentdebt-to-capitalization ratio of 50%, within our target range of 40% to 50%. During the existing aircraft purchase agreement with Boeing, which significantly reduced our 2021 capital commitments and provides slide rightssecond quarter, we received $260 million in federal income tax refunds as a result of filing amended returns to defer commitmentsutilize carry back losses from 2022 to later years, and;the 2020 tax year.

Maintained lowAs our business returns to sustained profitability, reducing outstanding debt, normalizing our on-hand liquidity, and maintaining a strong balance sheet remain high priorities. Our capital expenditures whichfor 2022 are expected to be approximately $225 million in 2021, including renegotiated timing of pre-delivery payments$1.6 billion, which we plan to fund with cash generated by operating activities and deferral of non-essential capital projects.

Although we have no plans to access equity markets at this time, we believe our equity would be of high interest to investors.

As the business continues to recover and returns to profitability, reducing outstanding debt and strengthening our balance sheet is a high priority. Basedcash on our expectations about the recovery ahead, we expect to generate cash flow from operations of zero to $100 million in the third quarter. This is lower than in the second quarter due to the expectation of no further government support and seasonal booking patterns that result in less cash bookings for future travel.hand.

We believe that our current cash and marketable securities balance, combined with available sources of liquidity, will be sufficient to fund our operations, and meet our debt payment obligations, and to remain in compliance with the financial debt covenants in existing financing arrangements for the foreseeable future.

In our cash and marketable securities portfolio, we invest only in securities that meet our primary investment strategy of maintaining and securing investment principal. The portfolio is managed by reputable firms that adhere to our investment policy that sets forth investment objectives, approved and prohibited investments, and duration and credit quality guidelines. Our policy, and the portfolio managers, are continually reviewed to ensure that the investments are aligned with our strategy.
37



The table below presents the major indicators of financial condition and liquidity:
(in millions)(in millions)June 30, 2021December 31, 2020Change(in millions)June 30, 2022December 31, 2021Change
Cash and marketable securitiesCash and marketable securities$3,951 $3,346 18 %Cash and marketable securities$3,425 $3,116 10 %
Cash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenueCash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenue103 %94 %9 ptsCash, marketable securities, and unused lines of credit as a percentage of trailing twelve months' revenue47 %57 %(10) pts
Total debt3,188 3,495 (9) %
Long-term debt, net of current portionLong-term debt, net of current portion1,961 2,173 (10)%
Shareholders’ equityShareholders’ equity$3,324 $2,988 11%Shareholders’ equity$3,799 $3,801 —%
Debt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leasesDebt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leasesDebt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leases
(in millions)(in millions)June 30, 2021December 31, 2020Change(in millions)June 30, 2022December 31, 2021Change
Long-term debt, net of current portionLong-term debt, net of current portion$2,319 $2,357 (2)%Long-term debt, net of current portion$1,961 $2,173 (10)%
Capitalized operating leasesCapitalized operating leases1,485 1,558 (5)%Capitalized operating leases1,779 1,547 15%
COVID-19 related borrowings(a)
425 734 (42)%
Adjusted debt, net of current portion of long-term debtAdjusted debt, net of current portion of long-term debt$4,229 $4,649 (9)%Adjusted debt, net of current portion of long-term debt$3,740 $3,720 1%
Shareholders' equityShareholders' equity3,324 2,988 11%Shareholders' equity3,799 3,801 —%
Total invested capitalTotal invested capital$7,553 $7,637 (1)%Total invested capital$7,539 $7,521 —%
Debt-to-capitalization, including operating leasesDebt-to-capitalization, including operating leases56 %61 %(5) ptsDebt-to-capitalization, including operating leases50 %49 %1 pt
(a)To best reflect our leverage, we included the remaining short-term borrowings stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in the above calculation, although these borrowings are classified as current in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Adjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rentAdjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rentAdjusted net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent
(in millions)(in millions)June 30, 2021December 31, 2020(in millions)June 30, 2022December 31, 2021
Current portion of long-term debtCurrent portion of long-term debt$869 $1,138 Current portion of long-term debt$342 $366 
Current portion of operating lease liabilitiesCurrent portion of operating lease liabilities263 290 Current portion of operating lease liabilities274 268 
Long-term debt, net of current portion2,319 2,357 
Long-term debtLong-term debt1,961 2,173 
Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portionLong-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,222 1,268 Long-term operating lease liabilities, net of current portion1,505 1,279 
Total adjusted debtTotal adjusted debt4,673 5,053 Total adjusted debt4,082 4,086 
Less: Cash and marketable securitiesLess: Cash and marketable securities(3,951)(3,346)Less: Cash and marketable securities(3,425)(3,116)
Adjusted net debtAdjusted net debt$722 $1,707 Adjusted net debt$657 $970 
(in millions)(in millions)Twelve Months Ended June 30, 2021Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020(in millions)Twelve Months Ended June 30, 2022Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2021
GAAP Operating Loss(a)
$(778)$(1,775)
GAAP Operating Income(a)
GAAP Operating Income(a)
$282 $685 
Adjusted for:Adjusted for:Adjusted for:
Payroll Support Program grant wage offset and special itemsPayroll Support Program grant wage offset and special items(712)71 Payroll Support Program grant wage offset and special items208 (925)
Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustmentsMark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(79)(8)Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments(46)(47)
Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation and amortization400 420 Depreciation and amortization405 394 
Aircraft rentAircraft rent268 299 Aircraft rent276 254 
EBITDAREBITDAR$(901)$(993)EBITDAR$1,125 $361 
Adjusted net debt to EBITDARAdjusted net debt to EBITDAR(0.8x)(1.7x)Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR0.6x2.7x
(a)Operating lossIncome can be reconciled using the trailing twelve month operating income as filed quarterly with the SEC.

The following discussion summarizes the primary drivers of the increase in our cash and marketable securities balance and our expectation of future cash requirements.

38


ANALYSIS OF OUR CASH FLOWS
 
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
 
For the first six months of 2021,2022, net cash provided by operating activities was $1.0$1.2 billion, compared to $321 million$1.0 billion during the same period in 2020.2021. The $686$228 million increase in our operating cash flows is primarily attributable to a $712 million improvement to net income, aided by the receipt and recognition of $892 million in PSP grant funding made available by the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, improvementincrease in our operating cash flows is due to continued increasesa combination of factors. First, we received $260 million in advanced bookings and a significant reduction in refund activity when compared tofederal income tax refunds during the first six months of 2020.2022. Additionally, growth in our air traffic liability resulting from historic levels of demand led to an increase in operating cash flows of $155 million compared to the same period in the prior year. These amounts were partially offset by uses of cash on increasing operating expenses as the business returned capacity back to the network.

Cash Used in Investing Activities
 
Cash used in investing activities was $1.1 billion$721 million during the first six months of 2021,2022, compared to $124 million$1.1 billion during the same period of 2020. The2021. Cash used in capital expenditures for aircraft purchase deposits and other property and equipment was $632 million in the first six months of 2022, compared to $102 million in the first six months of 2021. This increase toin cash used in investing activities is primarily due tocapital expenditures was offset by a decrease in net purchases of marketable securities, which were $87 million in the first six months of 2022, compared to $963 million in the first six months of 2021, compared to net sales of $34 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020. The shift to net purchases is primarily driven by additional cash on hand from increased operating cash flow and the PSP program, which allowed the Company to invest additional funds.2021.

Cash Provided by (Used in)Used in Financing Activities
 
Cash used in financing activities was $281$206 million during the first six months of 20212022, compared to cash provided by financing activities of $1.1 billion$281 million during the same period in 2020.2021. During the first six months of 2021,2022, we had no new proceeds from issuance of debt and utilized cash on hand to repay $681$239 million of outstanding long-term debt, compared to debt proceeds of $363 million and payments of $125$681 million during the same period in 2020. These payments were offset by proceeds from debt issuances of $363 million, primarily a result of the loan portion of the proceeds from the CARES Act PSP, compared to $1.3 billion issued in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.2021.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ANDMATERIAL CASH COMMITMENTS
 
Aircraft Commitments
 
As of June 30, 2021, we have2022, Alaska has firm orders to purchase 7560 Boeing 737 aircraft with deliveries in 2022 through 2024 and firm commitments to lease 13 aircraft. Alaska also has an agreement with SkyWest Airlines to expand our long-term capacity purchase agreement by eight aircraft in 2022. Alaska also has cancellable purchase commitments for 30 Airbus A320neosix Boeing 737-9 aircraft with deliveries from 2024 through 2027. At this time, we do not expect to take delivery of these 30 Airbus aircraft.in 2022 and 2023. Alaska also has options to acquire 39 B737-9 MAXup to 11 additional Boeing 737-9 aircraft and 41 additional Boeing 737-10 aircraft with deliveries frombetween 2024 through 2026, and 2026. Horizon has commitments to purchase 20 Embraer E175 aircraft with deliveries between 2022 and 2026. Horizon has options to acquire 2113 Embraer E175 aircraft with deliveries from 2023 through 2024.between 2024 and 2025. Options will be exercised only if we believe return on invested capital targets can be met over the long term.

39


The following table summarizes our anticipated fleet count by year, as of June 30, 2021:2022:
Actual Fleet
Anticipated Fleet Activity(a)
Actual Fleet
Anticipated Fleet Activity(a)
AircraftAircraftJune 30, 20212021 Additions2021 RemovalsDec 31, 20212022 ChangesDec 31, 20222023 ChangesDec 31, 2023AircraftJune 30, 20222022 Additions2022 RemovalsDec 31, 20222023 ChangesDec 31, 20232024 ChangesDec 31, 2024
B737 Freighters— — — — 
B737-700 FreightersB737-700 Freighters— — — — 
B737-800 FreightersB737-800 Freighters— — — — — 
B737-700B737-70011 — — 11 — 11 — 11 B737-70011 — — 11 — 11 — 11 
B737-800B737-80061 — — 61 — 61 — 61 B737-80061 — — 61 (2)59 — 59 
B737-900B737-90012 — — 12 — 12 — 12 B737-90012 — — 12 — 12 — 12 
B737-900ERB737-900ER79 — — 79 — 79 — 79 B737-900ER79 — — 79 — 79 — 79 
B737-9 MAX— 12 31 43 22 65 
A320(b)
21 (1)27 (3)24 (24)— 
B737-8B737-8— — — — 10 
B737-9B737-928 14 — 42 31 73 78 
B737-10B737-10— — — — — — 
A320(c)
A320(c)
29 — (16)13 (13)— — — 
A321neoA321neo10 — — 10 — 10 — 10 A321neo10 — — 10 (10)— — — 
Total Mainline FleetTotal Mainline Fleet202 14 (1)215 28 243 (2)241 Total Mainline Fleet233 14 (16)231 13 244 16 260 
Q400 operated by Horizon(c)
Q400 operated by Horizon(c)
32 — — 32 — 32 — 32 
Q400 operated by Horizon(c)
32 — (11)21 (21)— — — 
E175 operated by Horizon(c)
30 — — 30 35 39 
E175 operated by third party(c)
32 — — 32 40 — 40 
Total Regional Fleet94   94 13 107 4 111 
E175 operated by HorizonE175 operated by Horizon30 — 33 41 44 
E175 operated by third party(d)
E175 operated by third party(d)
42 — — 42 — 42 — 42 
Total Regional Fleet(b)
Total Regional Fleet(b)
104 3 (11)96 (13)83 3 86 
TotalTotal296 14 (1)309 41 350 2 352 Total337 17 (27)327  327 19 346 
(a)Anticipated fleet activity reflects intended early retirement and extensions or replacement of certain leases, not all of which have been contracted or agreed to by counterparties yet.
(b)Actual fleet at June 30, 2021, excluding Airbus aircraft permanently parked in response to COVID-19 capacity reductions. We have announced plans to return 12 of these aircraft to operating service, seven of which are planned for 2021 and five for 2022.
(c)Aircraft are either owned or leased by Horizon or operated under capacity purchase agreement with a third party. Underparty, which are not yet contracted.
(c)In the termsfirst quarter of our2022, management announced its intention to accelerate the retirement of the A320 and Q400 aircraft and remove them from the operating fleet by early 2023. Management continues to refine anticipated removal dates for individual aircraft, and as such, timing of removals may shift between 2022 and 2023.
(d)Alaska intends to expand its long-term capacity purchase agreement with a third party,SkyWest Airlines by one Embraer E175 aircraft, with expected delivery in 2023 an additional spare aircraft will be leased to support the operational integrity of the network.2025.

For future firm orders and option exercises, we mayintend to finance the aircraft through cash flow from operations or long-term debt.

40


Fuel Hedge Positions

All of our future oil positions are call options, which are designed to effectively cap the cost of the crude oil component of our jet fuel purchases. With call options, we are hedged against volatile crude oil price increases. During a period of decline in crude oil prices, we only forfeit cash previously paid for hedge premiums. We typically hedge up to 50% of our expected consumption. Our crude oil positions are as follows:
 Approximate Gallons Hedged (in millions)Weighted-Average Crude Oil Price per BarrelAverage Premium Cost per Barrel
Third Quarter 2021100$60$2
Fourth Quarter 202190$61$3
Remainder of 2021190$60$2
First Quarter 202280$67$3
Second Quarter 202260$66$3
Third Quarter 202240$70$3
Fourth Quarter 202220$71$3
Full Year 2022200$68$3
 
Approximate % of Expected Fuel Requirements(a)
Weighted-Average Crude Oil Price per BarrelAverage Premium Cost per Barrel
Third Quarter 202260 %$80$3
Fourth Quarter 202260 %$88$5
Remainder of 202260 %$84$4
First Quarter of 202340 %$91$7
Second Quarter of 202330 %$97$7
Third Quarter of 202320 %$106$8
Fourth Quarter of 202310 %$108$9
Full Year 202325 %$98$7
(a)We are hedged at approximately 60% of expected fuel consumption for the remainder of 2022 due to schedule reductions that occurred subsequent to the Company entering these positions.

40


Contractual Obligations
 
The following table provides a summary of our contractual obligations as of June 30, 2021.2022. For agreements with variable terms, amounts included reflect our minimum obligations.
(in millions)(in millions)Remainder of 20212022202320242025Beyond 2025Total(in millions)Remainder of 20222023202420252026Beyond 2026Total
Current and long-term debt obligations$227 $796 $334 $240 $261 $1,353 $3,211 
Debt obligationsDebt obligations$146 $329 $235 $256 $176 $1,178 $2,320 
Aircraft lease commitments(a)
Aircraft lease commitments(a)
162 280 219 167 159 633 1,620 
Aircraft lease commitments(a)
167 279 222 217 213 896 1,994 
Facility lease commitmentsFacility lease commitments10 88 127 Facility lease commitments16 86 136 
Aircraft-related commitments(b)
Aircraft-related commitments(b)
107 1,458 1,207 291 76 12 3,151 
Aircraft-related commitments(b)
834 1,932 388 124 113 275 3,666 
Interest obligations (c)
Interest obligations (c)
55 98 72 57 51 175 508 
Interest obligations (c)
44 97 68 53 56 151 469 
Other obligations (d)
Other obligations (d)
89 184 189 196 197 898 1,753 
Other obligations (d)
100 199 206 210 207 832 1,754 
TotalTotal$646 $2,826 $2,030 $959 $750 $3,159 $10,370 Total$1,300 $2,852 $1,128 $868 $773 $3,418 $10,339 
(a)Future minimum lease payments for aircraft includes commitments for aircraft which have been removed from operating service, as we have remaining obligation under existing terms.
(b)Includes non-cancelable contractual commitments for aircraft and engines, buyer furnished equipment, and contractual aircraft maintenance obligations. Contractual commitments do not reflect the impact of the impending fleet transition.
(c)For variable-rate debt, future obligations are shown above using interest rates forecast as of June 30, 2021.2022.
(d)Primarily comprisedComprised of non-aircraft lease costs associated with capacity purchase agreements.agreements and other miscellaneous obligations.

Credit Card Agreements
 
We have agreements with a number of credit card companies to process the sale of tickets and other services. Under these agreements, there are material adverse change clauses that, if triggered, could result in the credit card companies holding back a reserve from our credit card receivables. Under one such agreement, we could be required to maintain a reserve if our credit rating is downgraded to or below a rating specified by the agreement or our cash and marketable securities balance fell below $500 million. Under another such agreement, we could be required to maintain a reserve if our cash and marketable securities balance fell below $500 million. We are not currently required to maintain any reserve under these agreements, but if we were, our financial position and liquidity could be materially harmed.

41


Leased Aircraft Return Costs

For many of our leased aircraft, we are required under the contractual terms to return the aircraft in a specified state. As a result of these contractual terms, we will incur significant costs to return these aircraft at the termination of the lease. Costs of returning leased aircraft are accrued when the costs are probable and reasonably estimable, usually over the twelve months prior to the lease return, unless a determination is made that the leased asset is removed from operation. If the leased aircraft is removed from the operating fleet, the estimated cost of return is accrued at the time of removal. Any accrual is based on the time remaining on the lease, planned aircraft usage and the provisions included in the lease agreement, although the actual amount due to any lessor upon return may not be known with certainty until lease termination. We anticipate recording material expenses and cash outflows to return aircraft in 2022 in conjunction with expected lease terminations and the accelerated exit of Airbus aircraft from Alaska's fleet.

Deferred Income Taxes

For federal income tax purposes, the majority of our assets are fully depreciated over a seven-year life using an accelerated depreciation method or bonus depreciation, if available. For financial reporting purposes, the majority of our assets are depreciated over 15 to 25 years to an estimated salvage value using the straight-line basis. This difference has created a significant deferred tax liability. At some point in the future the depreciation basis difference will reverse, including via asset impairment, potentially resulting in an increase in income taxes paid.

While it is possible that we could have material cash obligations for this deferred liability at some point in the future, we cannot estimate the timing of long-term cash flows with reasonable accuracy. Taxable income or loss and cash taxes payable and refundable in the short-term are impacted by many items, including the amount of book income generated (which can be volatile depending on revenue, demand for air travel and fuel prices), usage of net operating losses, whether "bonus depreciation" provisions are available, any future tax reform efforts at the federal level, as well as other legislative changes that are beyond our control.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting estimates during the three months ended June 30, 2021. ForExcept as described below, for information onregarding our critical accounting estimates, see Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021.

FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS

The rate at which we defer sales proceeds related to services sold:

Following the amendment of our agreement with our co-brand bank card partner in the first quarter, the Company updated the standalone selling price for performance obligations in the contract. Updated standalone selling prices became effective as of January 1, 2022.

The number of miles that will not be redeemed for travel (breakage):

Following its review of significant Mileage Plan assumptions, the Company updated its breakage estimate for the portion of loyalty mileage credits not expected to be redeemed, effective January 1, 2022. This update was made following a study that used a statistical analysis of historical data. At June 30, 2022, the deferred revenue balance associated with the Mileage Plan program was $2.4 billion. A hypothetical 1% change in the amount of outstanding miles estimated to be redeemed would result in an approximately $7 million impact on annual revenue recognized.


GLOSSARY OF AIRLINE TERMS

Adjusted net debt - long-term debt, including current portion, plus capitalized operating leases, less cash and marketable securities

41


Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR - represents adjusted net debt divided by EBITDAR (trailing twelve months earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent)

42


Aircraft Utilization - block hours per day; this represents the average number of hours per day our aircraft are in transit

Aircraft Stage Length - represents the average miles flown per aircraft departure

ASMs - available seat miles, or “capacity”; represents total seats available across the fleet multiplied by the number of miles flown

CASM - operating costs per ASM, or "unit cost"; represents all operating expenses including fuel and special items

CASMex - operating costs excluding fuel and special items per ASM; this metric is used to help track progress toward reduction of non-fuel operating costs since fuel is largely out of our control

Debt-to-capitalization ratio - represents adjusted debt (long-term debt plus capitalized operating leases) divided by total equity plus adjusted debt

Diluted Earnings per Share - represents earnings per share (EPS) using fully diluted shares outstanding

Diluted Shares - represents the total number of shares that would be outstanding if all possible sources of conversion, such as stock options, were exercised

Economic Fuel - best estimate of the cash cost of fuel, net of the impact of settled fuel-hedging contracts in the period

Load Factor - RPMs as a percentage of ASMs; represents the number of available seats that were filled with paying passengers

Mainline - represents flying Boeing 737, Airbus 320 family and Airbus 321neo jets and all associated revenuesrevenue and costs

Productivity - number of revenue passengers per full-time equivalent employee

RASM - operating revenue per ASMs, or "unit revenue"; operating revenue includes all passenger revenue, freight & mail, Mileage Plan™Plan and other ancillary revenue; represents the average total revenue for flying one seat one mile

Regional - represents capacity purchased by Alaska from Horizon and SkyWest. In this segment, Regional records actual on-board passenger revenue, less costs such as fuel, distribution costs, and payments made to Horizon and SkyWest under the respective capacity purchased arrangement (CPA). Additionally, Regional includes an allocation of corporate overhead such as IT, finance, and other administrative costs incurred by Alaska and on behalf of Horizon.

RPMs - revenue passenger miles, or "traffic"; represents the number of seats that were filled with paying passengers; one passenger traveling one mile is one RPM

Yield - passenger revenue per RPM; represents the average revenue for flying one passenger one mile

4243


ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK
 
There have been no material changes in market risk from the information provided in Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.2021.
 
4344


ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
 
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of June 30, 2021,2022, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer (collectively, our “certifying officers”), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. These disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in our periodic reports filed with or submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC's rules and forms, and includes, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our certifying officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our certifying officers concluded, based on their evaluation, that disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2021.2022.
 
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
 
There have been no changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2021,2022, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

Our internal control over financial reporting is based on the 2013 framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO Framework).
4445


PART II

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
 
The Company is a party to routine litigation matters incidental to its business and with respect to which no material liability is expected. Liabilities for litigation related contingencies are recorded when a loss is determined to be probable and estimable.

In 2015, three flight attendants filed a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all Virgin America flight attendants for damages based on alleged violations of California and City of San Francisco wage and hour laws. The court certified a class of approximately 1,800 flight attendants in November 2016. The Company believes the claims in this case are without factual and legal merit.

In July 2018, the Court granted in part Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, finding Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines, aspursued numerous appeal paths following a successor-in-interest to Virgin America, responsible for various damages and penalties sought by the class members. In February 2019 the Court entered final judgmentfederal district court order against Virgin America and Alaska Airlines in the amount ofawarding plaintiffs approximately $78 million. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines. In February 2021, anmillion, including approximately $25 million in penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). An appellate court reversed portions of the lower court decision and significantly reduced the judgment.PAGA penalties and total judgment value. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the Company’s appeal for a conclusive ruling that the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as applied to airlines. The determination ofdecision leaves open the possibility that other states in the Ninth Circuit judicial district may attempt to apply similar laws to airlines.

The final total judgment amount has not been completeddetermined by the lower court as of the date of this filing. Based on the facts and circumstances available, the Company believes the range of potential loss to be between $0 and $22 million, and holds an accrual for $22 million in Other accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. It did not award injunctive relief against Alaska Airlines.

The Company is seekinganalyzing a range of potential options to balance new compliance obligations with operational and labor considerations. Some or all of these solutions may have an appellate court ruling thatadverse impact on the California laws on which the judgment is based are invalid as applied to national airlines pursuantCompany’s operations and financial position due in part to the U.S. Constitutionunresolved conflicts between the laws and federal law and for other employment law and improper class certification reasons. The Company remains confident that a higher court will respect the federal preemption principles that were enactedregulations applicable to shield inter-state common carriers from a patchwork of state and local wage and hour regulations such as those at issue in this case and agree with the Company's other bases for appeal.

The Company is involved in other litigation around the application of state and local employment laws, like many air carriers. Our defenses are similar to those identified above, including that the state and local laws are preempted by federal law and are unconstitutional because they impede interstate commerce. None of these additional disputes are material.airlines.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

There have been no material changes to theSee Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors," in our 2021 Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of risk factors affecting our business, financial condition or future results from those set forth in Item 1A."Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.Alaska Air Group.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Historically, the Company purchased shares pursuant to a $1 billion repurchase plan authorized by the Board of Directors in August 2015. In March 2020, subject to restrictions under the CARES Act, the Company suspended the share repurchase program indefinitely. These restrictions are effective until October 1, 2022. When the repurchase program is restarted, the plan has remaining authorization to purchase an additional $456 million in shares.

In the second quarterAs of 2021, the Company issued 271,437 warrants to the United States Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) in connection with the Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, resulting in warrants to purchaseJune 30, 2022, a total of 1,455,4361,455,438 shares of the Company’s common stock that have been issued to Treasury in connection with the payroll support program.Payroll Support Program. Each warrant is exercisable at a strike price of $52.25 (49,625$31.61 (928,127 shares related to PSP1), $52.25 (305,499 shares related to PSP2), and $66.39 (221,812 shares related to PSP3) per share of common stock and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the issue date of the warrant. Such warrants were issued to Treasury in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

45


ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
 
None.

46


ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
 
The following documents are filed as part of this report:

1.Exhibits: See Exhibit Index.

SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
/s/ CHRISTOPHER M. BERRYEMILY HALVERSON
Christopher M. BerryEmily Halverson
Vice President Finance and Controller
August 3, 20212, 2022
 
4647


EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit
Description
FormDate of First FilingExhibit Number
3.110-QAugust 3, 20173.1
4.1†
4.2†
4.3†
4.4†
4.5†
4.6†
10.1†
10.2†
10.3†
10.4†
10.5†*
10.6†
10.7†
31.1†10-Q
31.2†10-Q
32.1†10-Q
32.2†10-Q
101.INS†XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.
101.SCH†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
*Certain confidential portions have been redacted from this exhibit in accordance with Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit
Description
FormDate of First FilingExhibit Number
3.110-QAugust 3, 20173.1
10.1#†10-Q
10.2#†10-Q
10.3*†10-Q
31.1†10-Q
31.2†10-Q
32.1†10-Q
32.2†10-Q
101.INS†XBRL Instance Document - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.
101.SCH†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE†XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith
*Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
#Certain confidential portions have been redacted from this exhibit in accordance with Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

4748