Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Rental Income – Under the Company’s fixed-fee code-share and fixed-fee charter agreements, the Company is reimbursed an amount per aircraft designed to compensate the Company for certain aircraft ownership costs. The Company has concluded that a component of its fixed-fee service revenue under the agreements discussed above is rental income, inasmuch as the agreements identify the “right of use” of a specific type and number of aircraft over a stated period of time. The amounts deemed to be rental income during the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , were $110.1 million and $108.9 million , respectively. The amounts deemed to be rental income during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 were $334.4 million and $322.0 million , respectively, and have been included in fixed-fee service revenues in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. Other Revenue – Other revenue primarily consists of revenue related to lease revenue for aircraft leased under operating leases. Restricted Cash – Restricted cash primarily consists of balances in escrow for our long-term charter agreement, restricted amounts for satisfying debt and lease payments due within the next year and certificates of deposit that secure certain letters of credit issued for workers' compensation claim reserves and certain airport authorities. Restricted cash is carried at cost, which management believes approximates fair value. Stockholders’ Equity – For the period from December 31, 2014 through September 30, 2015 , additional paid-in capital increased to $433.1 million from $427.4 million due to $3.0 million of stock compensation expense and $2.7 million of net proceeds for options exercised, accumulated other comprehensive loss decreased to $2.0 million from $2.2 million due to the reclassification adjustment for loss realized on derivatives, and accumulated earnings increased to $392.8 million from $379.2 million based on current year-to-date net income. Net Income Per Common Share – The following table is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The following is a reconciliation of the weighted average common shares for the basic and diluted per share computations (in millions, except per share information): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 2014 2015 2014 Basic and diluted income per share: Net income 2.9 18.5 13.6 52.6 Reduction in interest expense from convertible notes (net of tax) — 0.3 — 0.8 Net income after assumed conversion $ 2.9 $ 18.8 $ 13.6 $ 53.4 Weighted-average common shares outstanding for basic net income per common share 50.9 49.9 50.6 49.8 Effect of dilutive employee stock options and restricted stock — 0.3 0.2 0.4 Effect of dilutive convertible notes — 2.8 — 2.8 Adjusted weighted-average common shares outstanding and assumed conversions for diluted net income per common share 50.9 53.0 50.8 53.0 Net income per share - Basic $ 0.06 $ 0.37 $ 0.27 $ 1.06 Net income per share - Diluted $ 0.06 $ 0.35 $ 0.27 $ 1.01 The Company excluded 2.3 million and 3.3 million employee stock options from the calculation of diluted net income per share due to their anti-dilutive impact for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. The Company excluded 2.2 million and 3.4 million employee stock options from the calculation of diluted net income per share due to their anti-dilutive impact for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. As of September 30, 2014 , the Company had a convertible note with an original face value of $25.0 million and a book value of $26.4 million , net of a $1.6 million discount. This note was convertible in whole or in part, at the option of the holder, for up to 2.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock. The convertible note was redeemed during the fourth quarter of 2014 . The convertible note payable was dilutive for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 . Fair Value Measurements – Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, requires disclosures about how fair value is determined for assets and liabilities and sets forth a hierarchy for which these assets and liabilities must be grouped. The Topic establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows: Level 1 quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. The following table sets forth information regarding the Company's assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in millions): Fair Value of Assets on a Recurring Basis September 30, 2015 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Chautauqua restructuring asset $ 66.8 $ — $ — $ 66.8 Fair Value of Assets on a Recurring Basis December 31, 2014 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Chautauqua restructuring asset $ 81.2 $ — $ — $ 81.2 Chautauqua restructuring asset – In October 2012, the Company restructured certain aircraft ownership obligations related to its 50 -seat regional jet platform, Chautauqua. In connection with the restructuring, the Company issued a convertible note payable with a face value of $25.0 million , provided call rights on 28 of its owned aircraft and agreed to parent company guarantees related to future minimum lease payments, among other commitments. The Company elected the fair value option under ASC 825-10, " Financial Instruments " for the agreement related to its 28 owned aircraft because management believes the fair value option provides the most accurate representation of the economic benefit of this agreement to Chautauqua in the Company's financial statements. Under the fair value option, the Company recorded an $86.4 million asset representing the combined fair value of expected future cash inflows under the agreement, net of the value of the Company's obligations attributable to the call rights on the 28 aircraft. The recurring fair value measurement of this agreement has been calculated using an income approach, which requires the use of subjective assumptions that are considered level 3 inputs. Fair values have been estimated by discounting the cash flows expected to be received over the term of the agreement, using a discount rate based on observable yields on instruments bearing comparable risks and credit worthiness of the counterparty. Critical assumptions used in the fair value measurement primarily include the amount and timing of cash inflows, the discount rate and the probability of whether the call option on the restructured aircraft will be exercised by the counterparty. A change in these assumptions could result in a significantly higher or lower fair value measurement, which would result in a gain or loss during the period in which the assumption changes. A 100 basis point change in the discount rate used would have changed the fair value of the restructuring asset by approximately $1.6 million as of September 30, 2015 . Similarly, a change in the assumed probability of whether the call option on the restructured aircraft will be exercised could result in either a gain or loss of up to $3.2 million per aircraft during the period in which that assumption changed. In March 2013 the agreement was amended, which resulted in a $12.0 million increase in the restructuring asset under the fair value option. The $12.0 million increase represents the fair value of expected future cash inflows under the amendment. In addition, this amendment resulted in a $12.0 million deferred credit that amortized as a reduction to the basis of future aircraft deliveries through the first quarter of 2015. On February 11, 2014, the Company announced the early termination of its 44 to 50 seat fixed-fee agreements with United Airlines and American Airlines, which were scheduled to terminate in 2014. These agreements began to wind-down in March 2014 and resulted in the grounding of 27 small jet aircraft. The Company notified the counterparty that 15 of the 27 aircraft to be grounded are subject to this agreement and callable by the counterparty. The Company was notified by the counterparty during the first quarter of 2014 that it did not intend to exercise its call option on these aircraft. The Company recorded a fair value gain of $18.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 , which represents the fair value of the increase in cash flows expected to be received over the remaining term of the agreement, due to the counterparty's obligation to increase its payment to the Company for aircraft that cease to have applicable capacity purchase agreement ("CPA") reimbursement rates. As of September 30, 2015 , the Company would owe approximately $51.5 million under certain circumstances of non-performance or voluntary repayment, however; the Company estimated the probability of non-performance or repayment as remote. The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the periods indicated of recurring fair value measurements using Level 3 inputs (in millions): Three Months Ended Chautauqua Restructuring Asset September 30, 2015 September 30, 2014 Beginning Balance $ 70.8 $ 89.8 Cash received or other (4.0 ) (1.9 ) Ending Balance $ 66.8 $ 87.9 Nine Months Ended Chautauqua Restructuring Asset September 30, 2015 September 30, 2014 Beginning Balance $ 81.2 $ 79.6 Fair value gain — 18.4 Cash received or other (14.4 ) (10.1 ) Ending Balance $ 66.8 $ 87.9 Aircraft and Other Assets Impairment – Nonrecurring – In March 2014, we recorded a $19.9 million impairment charge related to our decision to permanently park our owned E140 fleet in March 2014, impairing these aircraft to zero . ($ in millions) Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements Using Description Nine months ended September 30, 2014 Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Total Gains (Losses) Long-lived assets abandoned - E140 $ — $ — $ (19.9 ) Fair Value of Debt – Market risk associated with our fixed and variable rate long-term debt primarily relates to the potential change in fair value and impact to future earnings, respectively, from a change in interest rates. In the table below, the aggregate fair value of debt was based primarily on recently completed market transactions and estimates based on interest rates, maturities, credit risk, and underlying collateral and is classified primarily as level 3 within the fair value hierarchy. ($ in millions) September 30, December 31, 2015 2014 Net carrying amount $ 2,395.9 $ 2,339.2 Estimated fair value 2,177.3 2,215.0 New Accounting Pronouncements – In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) . The objective of the update is to require the recognition of revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. It is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. On April 1, 2015, the FASB voted to propose a one-year deferral of the effective date. On July 9, 2015, the FASB voted to approve this deferral, permitting public organizations to apply the new revenue standard to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Public organizations may adopt the new revenue standard early, but not before the original public organization effective date. The Company is evaluating the impact to the consolidated financial statements. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs . The objective of this update is to identify, evaluate, and improve areas of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for which cost and complexity can be reduced while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to the users of financial statements. It is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact to the consolidated financial statements. In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share- Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after Requisite Service Period . The update requires that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to rewards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. The performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. Compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. It is effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and the impact to the consolidated financial statements is not expected to be material. |