JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP (JBLU) FY 2024 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs involving risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in Part I. Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and other parts of this Report.
We expect our operating results to fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter in the future due to factors such as economic conditions, weather events, cost of aircraft fuel, and various other factors, many of which are outside of our control. Consequently, we believe quarter-over-quarter comparisons of our operating results may not necessarily be meaningful; you should not rely on our results for any one quarter as an indication of our future performance. Except for uncertainty related to the cost of aircraft fuel, we expect our expenses to continue to increase from wage rate cost pressures, as we acquire additional aircraft, and as our fleet ages.
OVERVIEW
In 2024, we incurred a net loss of $795 million, compared to a net loss of $310 million in 2023, an increase of $485 million compared to the prior year. This increase is primarily due to the write off of Spirit-related costs for $532 million as a result of the termination of the Merger Agreement in March 2024.
Despite a reduction in capacity, we progressed on our revenue initiatives during the year. We saw revenue strength in our premium product offerings, with Even More® Space, preferred seating, and Mint® performing well. Also, our Blue Basic carry-on bag changes implemented this year helped bolster our revenue results. In addition, improvements in our operational metrics resulted in greater cost efficiencies. Fuel prices declined over the year and we continued to make progress on our cost savings programs, allowing us to maintain low costs for the year.
2024 Results
Our 2024 financial and operational highlights include the following:
•2024 system available seat miles ("ASMs" or "capacity") decreased by 3.5% compared to 2023.
•We generated $9.3 billion in operating revenue, a decrease of $336 million, or 3.5% compared to 2023, primarily due to lower capacity.
•Operating expense increased by 1.2% year-over-year to $10.0 billion.
•Our operating expenses in 2024 and 2023 included the effects of special items. Excluding aircraft fuel, special items, and operating expenses related to our non-airline businesses, our 2024 adjusted operating expense (1) increased by 2.8% to $7.0 billion, year-over-year.
•Operating expense per available seat mile ("CASM") increased by 4.9% to 15.08 cents year-over-year.
•Excluding fuel, special items, and operating expenses related to our non-airline businesses, our cost per available seat mile ("CASM ex-fuel") (1) increased by 6.6% to 10.55 cents year-over-year.
Recent Developments
JetForward
In July 2024, JetBlue announced JetForward, our strategic framework focused on four priority moves: delivering reliable and caring service, building the best east coast leisure network, offering products and perks customers value, and providing a secure financial future. Our JetForward plan, which is designed to support our long-term profitability goals, reflects various assumptions regarding factors that may impact our operational and financial performance.
The sections below highlight some additional changes made to support these priority moves during the year.
Reliable and Caring Service
On-time performance, as defined by the DOT, is arrival within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time. In 2024, our system-wide on-time performance was 74.1% compared to 67.4% in 2023. Our completion factor increased to 98.6% in 2024 compared to 98.1% in 2023.
We were ranked 6th overall in Wall Street Journal's 2024 Airline Rankings, a three spot improvement from 2023.
(1) Refer to our "Regulation G Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the end of this section for more information on this non-GAAP measure. 39
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Best Coast East Leisure Network
We are committed to refocusing our network to high-performing leisure, visiting-friends-and-relatives and transcontinental routes in core geographies like New York, New England, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
During 2024, we redeployed approximately 20% of our network to focus on our core strengths. These network changes included 15 station closures and over 50 route exits and the announcement of service to several new BlueCities.
We also opened a flight attendant crew base in San Juan, Puerto Rico in December 2024 with plans to open a pilot crew base in early 2025.
Products and Perks Customers Value
During the year, we made enhancements to our customer experience to evolve with customer preferences. We are creating more options by increasing the value of our product offerings and customer experience.
We introduced preferred seating, added new loyalty partners, and implemented a baggage policy update to the Blue Basic fare, which now includes a free carry-on bag. In 2024, we also expanded the co-brand portfolio with the announcement of a premium co-branded credit card, which launched in January 2025.
We announced plans to improve the Even More® Space booking process and onboard soft product experience. Beginning in January 2025, Even More® Space was rebranded to EvenMore® which includes dedicated overhead bin space, complimentary alcoholic beverages, and premium snack options.
We announced plans for the opening of airport lounges at JFK Terminal 5 and BOS Terminal C. The JFK lounge is expected to open in late 2025, with the BOS lounge expected to follow shortly thereafter.
We also announced plans to introduce a new domestic first class cabin on all non-Mint® aircraft, beginning in 2026.
A Secure Financial Future
To secure our financial future we deferred approximately $3.0 billion dollars of capital expenditures related to Airbus aircraft deliveries and raised significant financing. These moves strengthened our liquidity position.
Airbus Aircraft Deferral
On July 26, 2024, JetBlue and Airbus S.A.S. ("Airbus") entered into an amended delivery schedule pursuant to which we agreed to defer 44 Airbus A321neo aircraft originally scheduled for delivery from 2025 through 2029 to revised delivery dates of 2030 and beyond. This aircraft deferral shifted approximately $3.0 billion in capital expenditures to 2030 and beyond.
The Company is pursuing capital-light growth through extending the lives of certain A320 aircraft.
Liquidity
At December 31, 2024, we had $3.9 billion in liquidity, which included unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and long-term marketable securities. In addition, we had a $600 million Citibank line of credit.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed the following financing transactions:
•raised approximately $2.8 billion in proceeds through the issuance of 9.875% senior secured notes due 2031 ("TrueBlue® Notes") and borrowings under a new senior secured term loan facility due 2029 (the "TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility", collectively the "TrueBlue® Financings");
•issued $460 million of 2.50% convertible senior notes;
•issued $662 million in floating rate equipment notes;
•entered into $668 million of failed sale-leaseback transactions; and
•repaid $748 million on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations, including the early retirement of $425 million related to our existing 0.50% convertible senior notes.
Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for additional information on these financing transactions.
Sustainability
In 2024, we signed a new commercial agreement to purchase SAF during the initial 12-month period, approximately 3.3 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (with an option to purchase up to an additional 13.3 million gallons). The SAF purchase began supplying JFK airport in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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We were also one of three airlines included in the purchase of SAF certificates, equal to about 50 million gallons of high-integrity SAF, or 500,000 tons, of abated CO e, through the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance.
Pratt & Whitney
In July 2023, Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX Corporation, announced the requirement, mandated by the FAA, for removal of certain engines for inspection due to a rare condition involving powdered metal used in the production of certain engine parts on the PW1100G and PW1500G engine types. These engines power our Airbus A220 and Airbus A321neo fleets. The powdered metal affects engines manufactured between October 2015 and September 2021. Those engines are now required to be inspected after they have reached a reduced number of cycles dependent on the fleet type. As a result of these required inspections and other engine reliability deficiencies, as of December 31, 2024, we had 11 aircraft grounded due to lack of engine availability. The Company currently expects each removed engine to take approximately 360 days to complete a shop visit and return to a serviceable condition. We currently expect aircraft out of service in 2025 to average in the mid-to-high teens.
Given that we expect to have a certain number of aircraft groundings into 2025 and beyond, we plan to continue to assess the resulting impact on our future capacity plans. We are currently working with Pratt & Whitney on a resolution and any potential remediation steps remains uncertain.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion is a comparison of the 2024 to 2023 results of operations. Refer to Part II. Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 for detailed discussions comparing the 2023 to 2022 period.
2024 Compared to 2023
Overview
We reported a net loss of $795 million, an operating loss of $684 million and operating margin of (7.4)% for the year ended December 31, 2024. This compares to net loss of $310 million, operating loss of $230 million, and operating margin of (2.4)% for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our loss per share was $2.30 for 2024 compared to a loss per share of $0.93 for 2023.
Our 2024 and 2023 reported results included the effects of special items. Adjusting for these special items, our adjusted net loss (1) was $245 million, adjusted operating loss (1) was $93 million, and our adjusted operating margin (1) was (1.0)% for 2024. This compares to an adjusted net loss (1) of $151 million, adjusted operating loss (1) of $33 million, and an adjusted operating margin (1) of (0.3)% for 2023. Excluding special items, our adjusted loss per share (1) was $0.71 for 2024 compared to an adjusted loss per share of $0.45 for 2023.
Operating Revenues
| (revenues in millions; percent changes based on unrounded numbers) | Year-over-Year Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | |||||||||||
| Passenger revenue | $ | 8,617 | $ | 9,008 | (391) | (4.3) | % | |||||||
| Other revenue | 662 | 607 | 55 | 9.0 | ||||||||||
| Total operating revenues | $ | 9,279 | $ | 9,615 | (336) | (3.5) | % | |||||||
| Average fare | $ | 212.78 | $ | 211.79 | 0.99 | 0.5 | ||||||||
| Yield per passenger mile (cents) | 15.68 | 15.92 | (0.24) | (1.5) | ||||||||||
| Passenger revenue per ASM (cents) | 13.04 | 13.15 | (0.11) | (0.8) | ||||||||||
| Operating revenue per ASM (cents) | 14.04 | 14.04 | — | — | ||||||||||
| Average stage length (miles) | 1,287 | 1,230 | 57 | 4.6 | ||||||||||
| Revenue passengers (thousands) | 40,498 | 42,534 | (2,036) | (4.8) | ||||||||||
| Revenue passenger miles (millions) | 54,958 | 56,578 | (1,620) | (2.9) | ||||||||||
| Available seat miles (ASMs) (millions) | 66,082 | 68,497 | (2,415) | (3.5) | ||||||||||
| Load factor | 83.2 | % | 82.6 | % | 0.6 | pts |
Passenger revenue is our primary source of revenue which includes seat revenue and baggage fees, as well as revenue from our ancillary product offerings such as Even More® Space. Passenger revenue, including certain ancillary fees directly related to passenger tickets, is recognized when the transportation is provided. Passenger revenue from unused tickets and passenger credits are recognized in proportion to flown revenue based on estimates of expected expiration or when the likelihood of the customer exercising his or her remaining rights becomes remote. Passenger revenue decreased for 2024 compared to 2023 by $391 million, or 4.3%. This was mainly driven by a 3.5% reduction in capacity.
Other revenue primarily consists of loyalty revenue from the non-transportation elements of the sale of TrueBlue® points. It also includes revenue from the sale of vacation packages, airport concessions and advertising revenue. The year-over-year increase in other revenue of $55 million, or 9.0%, was principally driven by an increase in TrueBlue® non-transportation revenue due to higher customer spend as well as an increase in vacation bookings.
We measure capacity in terms of available seat miles, which represents the number of seats available for passengers multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown. Yield, or the average amount one passenger pays to fly one mile, is calculated by dividing passenger revenue by revenue passenger miles. We attempt to increase passenger revenue by increasing our yield and also increasing our load factor of flights, when possible. Our objective is to optimize our fare mix to increase our overall revenue per available seat mile while continuing to provide our customers with competitive fares.
(1) Refer to our "Regulation G Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" at the end of this section for more information on this non-GAAP measure. 42
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Operating Expenses
| (in millions; per ASM data in cents; percentages based on unrounded numbers) | Year-over-Year Change | Cents per ASM | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | 2024 | 2023 | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
| Aircraft fuel | $ | 2,343 | $ | 2,807 | (464) | (16.5) | 3.55 | 4.10 | (13.5) | |||||||||||||
| Salaries, wages and benefits | 3,263 | 3,055 | 208 | 6.8 | 4.94 | 4.46 | 10.7 | |||||||||||||||
| Landing fees and other rents | 659 | 657 | 2 | 0.4 | 1.00 | 0.96 | 4.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 655 | 621 | 34 | 5.5 | 0.98 | 0.90 | 9.4 | |||||||||||||||
| Aircraft rent | 92 | 126 | (34) | (27.2) | 0.14 | 0.18 | (24.5) | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 328 | 316 | 12 | 4.0 | 0.50 | 0.46 | 7.8 | |||||||||||||||
| Maintenance, materials and repairs | 628 | 654 | (26) | (4.1) | 0.95 | 0.96 | (0.6) | |||||||||||||||
| Special items | 591 | 197 | 394 | NM (1) | 0.89 | 0.29 | NM | |||||||||||||||
| Other operating expenses | 1,404 | 1,412 | (8) | (0.6) | 2.13 | 2.06 | 3.1 | |||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 9,963 | $ | 9,845 | 118 | 1.2 | 15.08 | 14.37 | 4.9 |
(1) Not meaningful or greater than 100% change.
Aircraft Fuel and Related Taxes
Aircraft fuel decreased by $464 million, or 16.5%, in 2024 compared to 2023. The average fuel price decreased 12.1% in 2024 to $2.75 per gallon and fuel consumption decreased by 4.9%, or 44 million gallons.
Salaries, Wages and Benefits
Salaries, wages, and benefits increased $208 million, or 6.8%, in 2024, driven by wage rate increases. The wage rate increases were primarily due to the new pilot union contract effective March 1, 2023, which included an initial pay rate increase of 14% and additional pay rate increases of 3% and 9% in August 2023 and August 2024, respectively.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization primarily includes owned and finance leased aircraft and spare engines, in-flight entertainment systems, airport leasehold improvements and software development. Depreciation and amortization increased $34 million, or 5.5%, compared to the 2023 period. This increase was primarily driven by the induction of new aircraft and spare engines.
Aircraft Rent
Aircraft rent decreased $34 million, or 27.2%, in 2024 compared to the 2023 period as a result of fewer leases for the Airbus A320 aircraft and the Embraer E190 aircraft. The Company purchased certain Airbus A320 aircraft off lease and certain Embraer E190 aircraft leases reached their lease expiration and were returned to the lessor as part of the Company's fleet transition plan.
Special Items
In 2024, special items included the following:
•$532 million relating to Spirit-related costs;
•$26 million relating to union contract costs;
•$17 million relating to voluntary opt-out costs;
•$15 million relating to Embraer E190 fleet transition costs; and
•$1 million relating to other special items.
In 2023, special items included the following:
•$105 million related to union contract costs; and
•$92 million related to Spirit-related costs.
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Other Income (Expense)
| (in millions; percent changes based on unrounded numbers) | Year-over-Year Change | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | (365) | $ | (210) | $ | (155) | 73.3 | % | |||||||
| Interest income | 111 | 70 | 41 | 58.1 | |||||||||||
| Capitalized interest | 15 | 19 | (4) | (21.2) | |||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on investments, net | (27) | 9 | (36) | NM | (1) | ||||||||||
| Gain on debt extinguishments | 22 | — | 22 | NM | |||||||||||
| Other | 31 | 8 | 23 | NM | |||||||||||
| Total other expense | $ | (213) | $ | (104) | $ | (109) | NM |
(1) Not meaningful or greater than 100% change.
Interest Expense
Interest expense increased by $155 million, or 73.3%, for 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily due to incremental aircraft failed sale-leaseback transactions, new equipment notes, and the financing of our TrueBlue® program. These increases were partially offset by commitment fees incurred in 2023 related to the $3.5 billion Senior Secured Bridge Facility but canceled in March 2024 in connection with the termination of the merger with Spirit.
Interest Income
Interest income increased by $41 million, or 58.1%, for 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily driven by an increase in short term investments from the proceeds received from the TrueBlue® Financings.
Gain (Loss) on Investments, Net
Gain (loss) on investments, net resulted in $27 million loss for 2024. This loss primarily relates to a mark-to-market adjustment on our preferred shares of one of our JetBlue Ventures equity investments. For 2023, gain (loss) on investments resulted in a $9 million gain on certain equity securities.
Gain on Debt Extinguishments
Gain on debt extinguishments was $22 million for 2024. This gain was due to the early retirement on a portion of our 0.50% convertible senior notes, due 2026.
Other
Other income increased by $23 million for 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This increase is primarily due to income recorded related to our share of equity method investees' financial results.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The airline business is capital intensive. Our ability to successfully execute our growth plan is largely dependent on the continued availability of capital on attractive terms. In addition, our ability to successfully operate our business depends on maintaining sufficient liquidity. We believe we have adequate resources from a combination of cash and cash equivalents, investment securities on-hand, and available lines of credit. Additionally, our unencumbered assets could be an additional source of liquidity, if necessary.
In July 2024, we entered into an amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the "Facility"), dated July 29, 2024, among JetBlue, Citibank N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto (the "Second Amendment"), which modifies the Facility to, among other things, (i) extend the final maturity of the Facility to October 21, 2029; (ii) adjust the margin and the minimum liquidity requirements of the Company; (iii) replace the sustainability adjustment mechanism; (iv) allow for certain additions of eligible collateral; and (v) remove provisions relating to the terminated merger agreement with Spirit.
In August 2024, we raised approximately $2.8 billion in proceeds through the issuance of the TrueBlue® Financings, which in each case are secured by collateral consisting of assets related to our TrueBlue® loyalty program. We also raised $460 million in proceeds through the issuance of 2.50% convertible senior notes, due 2029. The initial net proceeds from the 2.50%
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convertible senior notes were used to retire a portion of our existing 0.50% convertible senior notes, due 2026. Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for additional information on these financing transactions.
In the future, we may decide to seek additional financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing shares of our capital stock, offering debt or other equity securities or refinancing outstanding debt or securities. Issuing additional shares of our capital stock, other equity securities or additional securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders, reduce the market price of our common stock, or both. Our debt agreements contain various affirmative, negative and financial covenants and complying with certain of these covenants, or entering into agreements with additional covenants, may restrict our ability to pursue our strategy or otherwise constrain our operations. Failure to comply with these covenants could lead to an event of default under the agreements, which may result in, among other things, an acceleration of outstanding obligations under such agreements. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may adversely affect the availability, amount, timing, or nature of our future offerings. As a result, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our common stock and dilute their percentage ownership.
As of December 31, 2024, our unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and long-term marketable securities of $3.9 billion, which we believe will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity needs for at least the next twelve months from the date of this Report, and we expect to meet our long-term liquidity needs with our projected cash from operations, available lines of credit and debt financing.
We believe a healthy liquidity position is a crucial element of our ability to weather any part of the economic cycle while continuing to execute on our plans for profitable growth and increased returns. Our goal is to continue to be diligent with our liquidity, maintain financial flexibility, and be prudent with capital spending.
Analysis of Cash Flows
We had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $1.9 billion as of December 31, 2024. This compares to $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We held both short and long-term investments in 2024, 2023, and 2022. These investments totaled $2.0 billion as of December 31, 2024 compared to $564 million and $522 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities was $144 million in 2024. This compares to cash provided by operating activities of $400 million in 2023 and $379 million in 2022. The decrease in operating cash flow is driven by higher operating losses due to lower revenue as a result of capacity reduction. The decrease is also due to the change in working capital and the Spirit merger termination.
Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities totaled approximately $3.1 billion, $1.4 billion, and $908 million in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
During 2024, flight equipment capital expenditures included $1.3 billion related to the purchase of aircraft and spare engines as well as aircraft interior modifications. Flight capital expenditures also included $81 million in spare part purchases. Other property and equipment capital expenditures included ground equipment purchases and facility improvements for $121 million. Investing activities for the current year also included $1.5 billion in net purchases of investment securities, $141 million in aircraft pre-delivery deposits payments, $30 million of proceeds from the sale of assets and sale-leaseback transactions, and $22 million in Spirit shareholder payments.
During 2023, flight equipment capital expenditures included $946 million related to the purchase of aircraft and spare engines as well as aircraft interior modifications. Flight capital expenditures also included $63 million in spare part purchases. Other property and equipment capital expenditures included ground equipment purchases and facility improvements for $119 million. Investing activities for 2023 also included $131 million in Spirit shareholder payments, $78 million in flight equipment pre-delivery deposits and $42 million in net purchases of investment securities.
During 2022, flight equipment capital expenditures included $571 million related to the purchase of aircraft and spare engines as well as aircraft interior modifications. Flight capital expenditures also included $64 million for spare part purchases. Other property and equipment capital expenditures included ground equipment purchases and facility improvements for $132 million. Investing activities in 2022 also included the net proceeds of $321 million from our investment securities, $297 million in Spirit shareholder payments and $156 million in flight equipment pre-delivery deposits.
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Financing Activities
Financing activities during the year primarily consisted of the following proceeds:
• $2.8 billion in proceeds from the TrueBlue® Financings;
•$662 million in floating rate equipment notes;
•$460 million from the issuance of 2.50% convertible senior notes;
•$668 million in proceeds from failed sale-leaseback transactions; and
•$60 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to our crewmember stock purchase plan.
These proceeds were partially offset by debt repayments of $748 million on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations, which included the following repayments:
•$402 million on our 0.5% convertible senior notes;
•$244 million on our term loan debt;
•$96 million on our failed sale-leaseback obligations; and
•$6 million on our finance lease obligations.
Financing activities during 2024 also included $6 million for the acquisition of treasury stock, which represents the return of shares to satisfy tax payments associated with crewmember stock compensation that vested during the period. It also includes $66 million in financing fees related to new debt agreements in 2024.
Financing activities during 2023 primarily consisted of the following proceeds:
•$1.3 billion in proceeds from failed sale-leaseback transactions;
•$78 million in proceeds from long-term debt; and
•$53 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to our crewmember stock purchase plan.
These proceeds were partially offset by debt repayments of $347 million on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations, which included the following repayments:
•$322 million on our term loan debt;
•$24 million on our failed sale-leaseback obligations; and
•$1 million on our finance lease obligations.
Financing activities during 2023 also included $4 million for the acquisition of treasury stock, which represents the return of shares to satisfy tax payments associated with crewmember stock compensation that vested during the period. It also includes $4 million in financing fees related to new debt agreements in 2023 and the extension of our $600 million revolving credit facility agreement.
Financing activities during 2022 primarily consisted of debt repayments of $369 million on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations, which included the following repayments and extinguishments:
•$351 million on our term loan debt;
•$11 million towards early extinguishment of debt;
•$6 million on our failed sale-leaseback obligations; and
•$1 million on our finance lease obligations.
These principal payments were partially offset by:
•$52 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to our crewmember stock purchase plan.
Financing activities during 2022 also included $37 million in financing fees, of which $35 million relate to the $3.5 billion Senior Secured Bridge Facility to support the purchase of Spirit, and $6 million used for the acquisition of treasury stock, which represents the return of shares to satisfy tax payments associated with crewmember stock compensation that vested during the period.
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Capital Resources
Depending on market conditions, we may use a mix of cash and debt financing for aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2025. For deliveries after 2025, although we believe debt and/or lease financing should be available to us, we cannot give any assurance that we will be able to secure financing on attractive terms, if at all.
We have a revolving line of credit with Morgan Stanley for up to approximately $200 million. This line of credit is secured by a portion of our investment securities held by Morgan Stanley and the borrowing amount may vary accordingly. This line of credit bears interest at a floating rate based upon the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR"), or such replacement index as the bank may determine from time to time in accordance with the terms of the agreement, plus a margin. We did not borrow under this facility in 2024, 2023 or 2022.
We have a revolving Credit and Guaranty Agreement with Citibank N.A. as the administrative agent, for up to $600 million (the "Revolving Facility"). The term of the Revolving Facility runs through October 2029. Borrowings under the Revolving Facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), plus a margin. The Revolving Facility is secured by spare parts, aircraft, simulators, and certain other assets as permitted thereunder. The Revolving Facility includes covenants that require us to maintain certain minimum balances in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, and unused commitments available under revolving credit facilities. In addition, the covenants restrict our ability to, among other things, dispose of certain collateral, or merge, consolidate, or sell assets. As of and for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we did not have a balance outstanding or any borrowings under the Revolving Facility.
We have the TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility with Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as collateral administrator, for up to $765 million, with the Company and JetBlue Loyalty, LP as co-borrowers. The term of the TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility runs through August 2029. The TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility is guaranteed by certain of the Company's subsidiaries and secured, on a pari passu basis with the TrueBlue® Notes, by a first lien on certain collateral in connection with the Company's customer loyalty program, TrueBlue®. The loans under the TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to Term SOFR (as defined in the agreement governing the TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility) plus an applicable margin (subject to a Term SOFR floor), or another index rate plus an applicable margin. The TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility is subject to quarterly amortization payments beginning in December 2024. The TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility contains customary affirmative, negative and financial covenants including compliance with certain debt service coverage ratios and minimum liquidity requirements as well as events of default. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, we had a $763 million balance outstanding under the TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility.
Working Capital
We had working capital of $377 million as of December 31, 2024 compared to a deficit of $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2023. Our working capital increased by $1.8 billion primarily due to an increase in cash and investment securities from raising $2.8 billion in proceeds from the TrueBlue® Financings and raising $460 million in proceeds from the issuance of the 2.50% convertible senior notes. These increases were offset in part by $748 million in payments on our outstanding debt and finance lease obligations, which included an early retirement of a portion of our 0.50% convertible senior notes.
Working capital deficits can be customary in the airline industry since a large portion of air traffic liability is classified within current liability.
We expect to meet our obligations as they become due through available cash, investment securities, and internally generated funds, supplemented, as necessary, by financing activities which may be available to us. We cannot predict what the effect on our business might be from future developments related to the extremely competitive environment in which we operate, or from events beyond our control, such as volatile fuel prices, economic conditions, weather-related disruptions, airport infrastructure challenges, the spread of infectious diseases, the impact of other airline bankruptcies, restructurings or consolidations, U.S. or international military actions, acts of terrorism, or other external geopolitical events and conditions. We believe there is sufficient liquidity available to us to meet our cash requirements for at least the next 12 months.
Debt and Finance Leases
As part of our efforts to effectively manage our balance sheet, we expect to continue to actively manage our debt balances. Our approach to debt management includes managing the mix of fixed and floating rate debt, annual maturities of debt, and the weighted average cost of debt. Additionally, our unencumbered assets allow some flexibility in managing our cost of debt and capital requirements.
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Other
In February 2022, we filed an automatic shelf registration statement with the SEC. Under this shelf registration statement, we may offer and sell from time to time common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depository shares, warrants, stock purchase contracts, stock purchase units, subscription rights, and pass-through certificates. We may utilize this shelf registration statement, or a replacement filed with the SEC, in the future to raise capital to fund the continued development of our products and services, the commercialization of our products and services, to repay indebtedness, or for other general corporate purposes. The warrants issued by JetBlue to Treasury under the Acts were made, and any issuances of our underlying common stock are expected to be made, in reliance on the exemption from the registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act for transactions not involving a public offering.
None of our lenders or lessors are affiliated with us.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
Our material cash requirements for known contractual and other obligations as of December 31, 2024 includes the following (in millions):
| Payments due in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Debt and finance lease obligations (1) | $ | 937 | $ | 1,247 | $ | 908 | $ | 986 | $ | 2,188 | $ | 5,719 | $ | 11,985 | ||||||||||||
| Operating lease obligations | 132 | 108 | 96 | 82 | 75 | 301 | 794 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Flight equipment purchase obligations | 981 | 690 | 288 | 410 | 321 | 3,754 | 6,444 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other obligations (2) | 397 | 372 | 376 | 425 | 290 | 9 | 1,869 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 2,447 | $ | 2,417 | $ | 1,668 | $ | 1,903 | $ | 2,874 | $ | 9,783 | $ | 21,092 |
The amounts stated above do not include additional obligations incurred as a result of financing activities executed after December 31, 2024 except as otherwise noted.
(1)The interest rates are fixed for $6.8 billion of our debt and finance lease obligations, with the remaining $1.7 billion having floating interest rates. The estimated floating rate is equal to SOFR plus an applicable margin based on December 31, 2024 rates. The weighted average maturity of all of our debt was 7 years as of December 31, 2024.
(2)Amounts primarily include non-cancelable commitments for flight equipment maintenance, construction and information technology.
Debt and Finance Lease Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the material covenants of our debt and lease agreements.
In August 2024, JetBlue co-issued with JetBlue Loyalty, LP, the TrueBlue® Notes and TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility. The agreements governing the TrueBlue® Notes and TrueBlue® Term Loan Facility contains affirmative, negative and financial covenants including compliance with certain debt service coverage ratios and minimum liquidity requirements. These agreements also contain events of default, including a cross-default to other material indebtedness.
We have $61 million of restricted cash pledged under standby letters of credit related to certain leases that will expire at the end of the related lease terms. Approximately 65% of our owned property and equipment and intangible assets at net book value were pledged or committed to be pledged as security under various loan agreements.
Operating Lease Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, we had operating lease obligations for 26 aircraft with lease terms that expire between 2025 and 2028. Our aircraft lease agreements contain termination provisions which include standard maintenance and return conditions. Our policy is to record these lease return conditions when they are probable and the costs can be estimated. As of December 31, 2024, the average age of our operating fleet was 12 years. We also lease airport terminal space and other airport facilities in each of our markets, as well as office space and other equipment. Minimum ground and facility rents at JFK totaling $535 million are included in the commitments table above as operating lease obligations. In November 2022, we amended the lease to relinquish a portion of the former Terminal 6 property to allow for development of a new Terminal 6 by our development partners JMP through a $65 million letter of credit in exchange for 5% ownership. This amount is included in restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2024.
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We have a long term lease for our primary corporate office in Long Island City until 2039. We have a one-time option to terminate the lease in 2034. At the end of the initial lease term, we have the option to renew the lease for either one renewal term of 10 years, or two renewal terms of five years each. The total committed expenditure for the lease through 2039 is approximately $81 million.
Flight Equipment Purchase Obligations
Our firm aircraft orders include the following aircraft (1):
| Year | Airbus A220 | Airbus A321neo | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | 4 | 24 | |||
| 2026 | 17 | — | 17 | |||
| 2027 | 5 | — | 5 | |||
| 2028 | 9 | — | 9 | |||
| 2029 | 7 | — | 7 | |||
| Thereafter | — | 44 | 44 | |||
| Total (2) | 58 | 48 | 106 |
(1) Our committed future aircraft deliveries are subject to change based on modifications to the contractual agreements or changes in the delivery schedules.
(2) In addition, we have options to purchase 20 A220-300 aircraft in 2027 and 2028.
Committed expenditures for our firm aircraft and spare engines include estimated amounts for contractual price escalations and pre-delivery deposits. We expect to meet our pre-delivery deposit requirements for our aircraft by paying cash or by using short-term borrowing facilities for deposits generally required six to 24 months prior to delivery. Any pre-delivery deposits paid by the issuance of notes are fully repaid at the time of delivery of the related aircraft.
Depending on market conditions, we may use a mix of cash and debt financing for aircraft scheduled for delivery in future years. Although we believe debt and/or lease financing should be available to us, we cannot give any assurance that we will be able to secure financing on attractive terms, if at all. To the extent we cannot secure financing on terms we deem attractive, we may be required to pay in cash, further modify our aircraft acquisition plans, or incur higher than anticipated financing costs.
Other Obligations
Our Terminal at JFK, T5, is governed by a lease agreement we entered into with the PANYNJ in 2005. We are responsible for making various payments under the lease. This includes ground rents for the terminal site which began at the time of the lease execution in 2005 and facility rents which commenced in October 2008 upon our occupancy of T5. The facility rents are based on the number of passengers enplaned out of the terminal, subject to annual minimums. The PANYNJ reimbursed us for construction costs of this project in accordance with the terms of the lease, except for approximately $76 million in leasehold improvements provided by us. In 2012, we amended this lease to include additional ground space for our international arrivals facility, T5i, which we opened in November 2014.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
We have determined that we hold a variable interest in, but are not the primary beneficiary of, certain pass-through trusts. The beneficiaries of these pass-through trusts are the purchasers of equipment notes issued by us to finance the acquisition of aircraft. Each trust maintains a liquidity facility whereby a third party agrees to make payments sufficient to pay up to 18 months of interest on the applicable certificates if a payment default occurs.
We have also made certain guarantees and indemnities to other unrelated parties that are not reflected on our consolidated balance sheets, which we believe will not have a significant impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. We have no other off-balance sheet arrangements. See Notes 3, 4, and 11 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II. Item 8, for a more detailed discussion of our variable interests and other contingencies, including guarantees and indemnities.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Concern over climate change has led to significant U.S. and international legislative and regulatory efforts to reduce GHG emissions, including our aircraft and ground operations emissions. Below is a discussion of the regulations that are relevant to JetBlue and the efforts we have taken to address climate change.
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation ("CORSIA")
In October 2016, ICAO passed a resolution adopting CORSIA, which is a global, market-based measure for the airline industry to achieve carbon-neutral growth for international flying beyond 2020. Annual international emissions reporting is required via CORSIA as of the 2019 reporting year, and offsetting compliance is being implemented through multiple phases that began in 2021. ICAO continues to develop details regarding implementation and, while we expect compliance with CORSIA will increase our operating costs, the anticipated cost of compliance with CORSIA is uncertain due to a number of factors, including the volatility in demand for international air travel, regulatory uncertainty, and uncertainty in the supply and price of eligible carbon offsets or low-carbon aircraft fuels.
GHG emission standards
In January 2021, the USEPA promulgated a final rule implementing the 2017 ICAO aircraft engine GHG emission standards, which will apply to larger business and commercial jet aircraft with either new design types (not previously certified by the FAA) or existing design types that are in production as of January 1, 2028. Pursuant to the Clean Air Act, the FAA issued a final rule in February 2024 to implement these standards, introducing new fuel efficiency certification regulations. These regulations became effective in April 2024 and apply to airplanes manufactured after January 1, 2028, as well as to uncertified large business and commercial jet aircrafts.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit & Clean Fuel Production Credit
One of the various programs within the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the "IRA") was the creation of a tax credit for SAF. The SAF credit applies to a qualified fuel mixture containing sustainable aviation fuel for certain sales or uses in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The credit provides for a $1.25 credit for each gallon of SAF in a qualified mixture, which must have a minimum reduction of 50% in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, there is a supplemental credit of one cent for each percent that the reduction exceeds 50%, for a total credit range of $1.25 to $1.75 per gallon. Though this credit (40B SAF Tax Credit) has been a meaningful development to stimulate the production of SAF, making it more affordable and widely available, the tax credit will only be available through the end of 2024. In 2025, the IRA 40B will be replaced by the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z), which will apply to qualifying transportation fuel produced between 2025 and 2027. Beginning January 1, 2025, the Treasury Department will offer tax credits for the production and sale of low emission transportation fuels, including SAF. The tax credit amount is $0.20 per gallon for non-aviation fuel and $0.35 per gallon for SAF. For facilities that satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements, the credit amount is $1.00 per gallon for non-aviation fuel and $1.75 per gallon for SAF. For any taxable year, the IRA 45Z is equal to the applicable credit amount per gallon multiplied by the fuel's carbon dioxide emissions factor. We believe tax credits like 40B and 45Z are an important step in helping the U.S. airline industry reach its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as well as our own goal of net zero emissions by 2040. Given the new administration in 2025, we expect some uncertainty around the specifics of these tax credits (requirements, longevity, disbursement, etc.) looking forward.
SAF Mandates
There are also growing initiatives to mandate use of SAF or otherwise reduce GHG emissions associated with various aircraft design types. For more information, see our risk factor titled "We may be affected by global climate change or by legal, regulatory or market responses to such changes."
In October 2023, the European Commission reached an agreement on the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative. Included in this mandate is supplying a minimum share of SAF at all EU airports – starting at 2% by 2025, 6% by 2030 and 20% by 2035, up to 70% by 2050. Of these amounts, 1.2% in 2030, and 5% in 2035 must be power to liquid ("PtL") or E-Fuels, increasing to 35% by 2050. This agreement is a step towards the implementation of the "Fit for 55" legislative package to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. We can also expect a SAF mandate in the UK starting January 1, 2025, structured similarly to the EU mandate, with a slightly different timescale, ramp-up of SAF volumes, and non-compliance structure. Additionally, France defined its SAF roadmap in 2019, which includes SAF consumption objectives of 2% by 2025, 5% by 2030 and 50% in 2050. Though the obligated party is the fuel provider, JetBlue has worked with its fuel partners throughout Europe & the UK to proactively plan for SAF requirements. JetBlue has similarly worked alongside our partner airlines to preemptively understand reporting requirements and expectations of the various airlines.
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California Climate Disclosure Laws
In 2023, the state of California passed several climate disclosure laws that could impact our operations. These laws require specific disclosures on the amount of Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions created by an organization, as well as disclosures around climate-related risks and the associated response to those risks, for any entity doing business in California with annual revenue in excess of $1 billion. The potential impacts to our business are not known at this time, but additional costs can be expected in relation to these disclosures. Implementation is expected to be required beginning in 2026. California also adopted a third law requiring disclosure of certain information related to greenhouse gas emissions reduction claims and the purchase or sale of voluntary carbon offsets, which may require us to incur additional costs.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Following the EU's adoption of the Emissions Trading System ("ETS") in 2009, a policy to regulate GHG emissions with subsequent emissions allowances, exemptions have been extended to airlines with flights originating or landing outside of the European Economic Area ("EEA") through 2026. In future years, however, the European Commission may decide to integrate all extra-EU flights into the EU ETS which may result in an adverse effect to our business, including to the extent we must navigate conflicting legal requirements such as pursuant to the US's EU ETS Prohibition Act.
Other Related Risks
We investigate means of mitigating climate risk exposure from a physical and transitional risk perspective. Physical risks include, the number of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, and rainstorms, which are generally expected to increase in frequency and severity as our climate warms. Occurrences of these extreme weather events may result in flight cancellations, delays, and diversions, impacting our operations and thus adversely affecting our financial results and conditions. Additionally, as stakeholders across our industry are increasingly developing new expectations, behaviors, regulations and technologies that are changing the way we do business, we are evaluating the way our operations will potentially be impacted from financial and operational challenges as we, and our partners, transition into a low-carbon system. However, risks may manifest in ways that we have not foreseen or are otherwise not able to wholly mitigate.
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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP") requires management to adopt accounting policies as well as make estimates and judgments to develop amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We maintain a thorough process to review the application of our accounting policies and to evaluate the appropriateness of the estimates that are required to prepare our financial statements. We believe our estimates and judgments are reasonable; however, actual results and the timing of recognition of such amounts could differ from those estimates. In addition, estimates routinely require adjustment based on changing circumstances and the receipt of new or better information.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are defined as those that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties that could potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. The policies and estimates discussed below have been reviewed with our independent registered public accounting firm and with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. For a discussion of these and other significant accounting policies, see Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II. Item 8.
Passenger Revenue
Ticket sales and related ancillary fees are initially deferred in air traffic liability. Air traffic liability represents tickets sold but not yet flown, credits which can be used for future travel, and a portion of the liability related to our TrueBlue® loyalty program. The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation identified in a passenger ticket on a relative standalone basis. Passenger revenue, including certain ancillary fees directly related to passenger tickets, is recognized when transportation is provided.
The majority of passenger tickets sold are non-refundable. Non-refundable fares may be canceled prior to the scheduled departure date for a credit for future travel. Refundable fares may be canceled at any time prior to the scheduled departure date. Failure to cancel a refundable fare prior to departure will result in the cancellation of the original ticket and an issuance of a credit for future travel. Passenger credits can be used for future travel up to a year from the date of booking. Passenger breakage revenue from unused tickets and passenger credits will be recognized in proportion to flown revenue based on estimates of expected expiration when the likelihood of the customer exercising his or her remaining rights becomes remote. Breakage revenue consists of tickets that remain unused past the departure date, have continued validity, and are expected to ultimately expire unused, as well as passenger credits that are not expected to be redeemed prior to expiration. JetBlue uses estimates based on historical experience of expired tickets and credits and considers other factors that could impact future expiration patterns of tickets and credits. Tickets which do not have continued validity past the departure date are recognized as revenue after the scheduled departure date has lapsed.
Loyalty Program
Customers may earn points under our customer loyalty program, TrueBlue®, based on the fare paid and fare product purchased for a flight. Customers can also earn points through business partners such as credit card companies, hotels, car rental companies, and our participating airline partners.
Points Earned From a Ticket Purchase. When a TrueBlue® member travels, we recognize a portion of the fare as revenue and defer in air traffic liabilities the portion that represents the value of the points net of spoilage, or breakage. We allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation on a relative standalone basis. We determine the standalone selling price of TrueBlue® points issued using the redemption value approach. To maximize the use of observable inputs, we utilize the actual ticket value of the tickets purchased with TrueBlue® points. The liability is relieved and passenger revenue is recognized when the points are redeemed and the free travel is provided.
Points Sold to TrueBlue® Partners. Our most significant contract to sell TrueBlue® points is with our co-branded credit card partner Barclays. Co-branded credit card partnerships have the following identified performance obligations: air transportation; use of the JetBlue brand name, and access to our frequent flyer customer lists; advertising; and other airline benefits. In determining the estimated standalone selling price, for co-branded credit card partnerships, JetBlue considers multiple inputs, methods, and assumptions, including: discounted cash flows; estimated redemption value, net of fulfillment discount; points expected to be awarded and redeemed; estimated annual spending by cardholders; estimated annual royalty for use of JetBlue's frequent flyer customer lists; and estimated utilization of other airline benefits. Payments are typically due monthly based on the volume of points sold during the period, and the terms of our marketing contracts are generally from one to ten years. The overall consideration received is allocated to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The air transportation element is deferred and recognized as passenger revenue when the points are redeemed. The other elements are recognized as other revenue when the performance obligations related to those services are satisfied, which is generally the same period as when consideration is received from the participating company.
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Amounts allocated to the air transportation element which are initially deferred include a portion that are expected to be redeemed during the following twelve months (included within air traffic liability), and a portion that are not expected to be redeemed during the following twelve months (included within air traffic liability - non-current). We periodically update this analysis and adjust the split between current and non-current liabilities as appropriate.
Points earned by TrueBlue® members never expire. TrueBlue® members can pool points between small groups of people, branded as Points Pooling™. Breakage is estimated using historical redemption patterns to determine a breakage rate. Breakage rates used to estimate breakage revenue are evaluated annually. Changes to breakage estimates impact revenue recognition prospectively.
Accounting for Long-Lived Assets
In accounting for long-lived assets, we make estimates about the expected useful lives, projected residual values, and the potential for impairment. In estimating useful lives and residual values of our aircraft, we have relied upon actual industry experience with the same or similar aircraft types and our anticipated utilization of the aircraft. Changing market prices of new and used aircraft, government regulations, and changes in our maintenance program or operations could result in changes to these estimates.
Our long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment when events and circumstances indicate the assets may be impaired. Indicators include operating or cash flow losses, significant decreases in market value, or changes in technology.
To determine if impairment exists for our aircraft used in operations, we group our aircraft by fleet-type (the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows) and then estimate their future cash flows based on projections of capacity, aircraft age, maintenance requirements, and other relevant conditions. An impairment occurs when the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows is less than the aggregate carrying value of the fleet. The impairment loss recognized is the amount by which the fleet's carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value.
Refer to Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II. Item 8 for further details of our impairment charges.
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REGULATION G RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP; however, we present certain non-GAAP financial measures in this Report. Non-GAAP financial measures are financial measures that are derived from the consolidated financial statements, but that are not presented in accordance with GAAP. We present these non-GAAP financial measures because we believe they provide useful supplemental information that enables a meaningful comparison of our results to others in the airline industry and our prior year results. Investors should consider these non-GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, our financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Further, our non-GAAP information may be different from the non-GAAP information provided by other companies. The information below provides an explanation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this Report and shows a reconciliation of each such non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Operating Expenses, excluding Fuel, Other Non-Airline Operating Expenses, and Special Items ("Operating Expenses ex-fuel") and Operating Expense ex-fuel per Available Seat Mile ("CASM ex-fuel")
Operating Expense per Available Seat Mile ("CASM") is a common metric used in the airline industry. Our CASM for the relevant periods are summarized in the table below. We exclude aircraft fuel, operating expenses related to other non-airline businesses, such as JetBlue Technology Ventures and JetBlue Travel Products, and special items from total operating expenses to determine Operating Expenses ex-fuel, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, and we exclude the same items from CASM to determine CASM ex-fuel, which is also a non-GAAP financial measure. We believe the impact of these special items distorts our overall trends and that our metrics are more comparable with the presentation of our results excluding such impact.
Special items for 2024 include Spirit-related costs, union contract costs, voluntary opt-out costs, Embraer E190 fleet transition costs, and other special items.
Special items for 2023 include Spirit-related costs and union contract costs.
Special items for 2022 include Spirit-related costs, union contract costs and Embraer E190 fleet transition costs.
We believe Operating Expenses ex-fuel and CASM ex-fuel are useful for investors because they provide investors the ability to measure our financial performance excluding items that are beyond our control, such as fuel costs, which are subject to many economic and political factors, as well as items that are not related to the generation of an available seat mile, such as operating expense related to certain non-airline businesses and special items. We believe these non-GAAP measures are more indicative of our ability to manage airline costs and are more comparable to measures reported by other major airlines.
The table below provides a reconciliation of our total operating expenses (GAAP measure) to Operating Expenses ex-fuel, and our CASM to CASM ex-fuel for the periods presented.
| NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSE AND OPERATING EXPENSE PER ASM (CASM), EXCLUDING FUEL | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions; per ASM data in cents) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
| $ | per ASM | $ | per ASM | $ | per ASM | |||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 9,963 | 15.08 | $ | 9,845 | 14.37 | $ | 9,456 | 14.67 | |||||||||||
| Less: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Aircraft fuel | 2,343 | 3.55 | 2,807 | 4.10 | 3,190 | 4.95 | ||||||||||||||
| Other non-airline expenses | 60 | 0.09 | 64 | 0.09 | 55 | 0.08 | ||||||||||||||
| Special items | 591 | 0.89 | 197 | 0.29 | 113 | 0.18 | ||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses, excluding fuel | $ | 6,969 | 10.55 | $ | 6,777 | 9.89 | $ | 6,098 | 9.46 | |||||||||||
| Percent change | 6.6 | % | 4.6 | % |
With respect to JetBlue's CASM ex-fuel guidance, we are unable to provide a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to GAAP CASM, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, because the quantification of certain excluded items reflected in the CASM ex-fuel guidance cannot be calculated or predicted at this time without unreasonable efforts. The reconciling information that is unavailable would include a forward-looking range of financial performance measures beyond our control, such as fuel costs, which are subject to many economic and political factors. For the same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could have a potentially unpredictable and potentially significant impact on our future GAAP financial results.
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Operating Expense, Operating Loss, Operating Margin, Pre-tax Loss, Pre-tax Margin, Net Loss and Loss per Share, excluding Special Items, Gain (Loss) on Investments and Gain on Debt Extinguishments
Our GAAP results in the applicable periods were impacted by credits and charges that are deemed special items.
Special items for 2024 include Spirit-related costs, union contract costs, voluntary opt-out costs, Embraer E190 fleet transition costs, and other special items.
Special items for 2023 include Spirit costs and union contract costs.
Special items for 2022 include Spirit costs, union contract costs and Embraer E190 fleet transition costs.
Certain net gains and losses on our investments and the gain on debt extinguishments were also excluded from our 2024, 2023 and 2022 non-GAAP results.
We believe the impact of these items distort our overall trends and that our metrics are more comparable with the presentation of our results excluding the impact of these items. The table below provides a reconciliation of our GAAP reported amounts to the non-GAAP amounts excluding the impact of these items for the periods presented.
| NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSE, OPERATING LOSS, OPERATING MARGIN, PRE-TAX LOSS, ADJUSTED PRE-TAX MARGIN, NET LOSS, LOSS PER SHARE, EXCLUDING SPECIAL ITEMS, GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS AND GAIN ON DEBT EXTINGUISHMENTS | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| (in millions except percentages) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Total operating revenues | $ | 9,279 | $ | 9,615 | $ | 9,158 | |||||
| RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSE | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 9,963 | $ | 9,845 | $ | 9,456 | |||||
| Less: Special items | 591 | 197 | 113 | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses excluding special items | $ | 9,372 | $ | 9,648 | $ | 9,343 | |||||
| RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING LOSS | |||||||||||
| Operating loss | $ | (684) | $ | (230) | $ | (298) | |||||
| Add back: Special items | 591 | 197 | 113 | ||||||||
| Operating loss excluding special items | $ | (93) | $ | (33) | $ | (185) | |||||
| RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING MARGIN | |||||||||||
| Operating margin | (7.4) | % | (2.4) | % | (3.3) | % | |||||
| Operating loss excluding special items | $ | (93) | $ | (33) | $ | (185) | |||||
| Total operating revenues | 9,279 | 9,615 | 9,158 | ||||||||
| Adjusted operating margin | (1.0) | % | (0.3) | % | (2.0) | % | |||||
| RECONCILIATION OF PRE-TAX LOSS | |||||||||||
| Loss before income taxes | $ | (897) | $ | (334) | $ | (437) | |||||
| Add back: Special items | 591 | 197 | 113 | ||||||||
| Less: Gain (loss) on investments, net | (27) | 9 | (9) | ||||||||
| Less: Gain on debt extinguishments | 22 | — | — | ||||||||
| Loss before income taxes excluding special items, gain (loss) on investments and gain on debt extinguishments | $ | (301) | $ | (146) | $ | (315) | |||||
| RECONCILIATION OF PRE-TAX MARGIN | |||||||||||
| Pre-tax margin | (9.7) | % | (3.5) | % | (4.8) | % | |||||
| Loss before income taxes excluding special items | $ | (301) | $ | (146) | $ | (315) | |||||
| Total operating revenues | 9,279 | 9,615 | 9,158 | ||||||||
| Adjusted pre-tax margin | (3.2) | % | (1.5) | % | (3.4) | % |
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| NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSE, OPERATING LOSS, OPERATING MARGIN, PRE-TAX LOSS, PRE-TAX MARGIN, NET LOSS, LOSS PER SHARE, EXCLUDING SPECIAL ITEMS, NET GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS AND GAIN ON DEBT EXTINGUISHMENTS (CONTINUED) | |||||||||||
| (in millions except per share amounts) | Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
| RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS | |||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (795) | $ | (310) | $ | (362) | |||||
| Add back: Special items | 591 | 197 | 113 | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax benefit related to special items | 45 | 31 | 19 | ||||||||
| Less: Gain (loss) on investments, net | (27) | 9 | (9) | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax benefit (expense) related to gain (loss) on investments, net | 6 | (2) | 1 | ||||||||
| Less: Gain on debt extinguishments | 22 | — | — | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax expense related to gain on debt extinguishments | (5) | — | — | ||||||||
| Net loss excluding special items, gain (loss) on investments and gain on debt extinguishments | $ | (245) | $ | (151) | $ | (260) | |||||
| CALCULATION OF LOSS PER SHARE | |||||||||||
| Loss per common share | |||||||||||
| Basic | $ | (2.30) | $ | (0.93) | $ | (1.12) | |||||
| Add back: Special items | 1.71 | 0.59 | 0.35 | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax expense related to special items | 0.13 | 0.09 | 0.06 | ||||||||
| Less: Gain (loss) on investments, net | (0.08) | 0.03 | (0.03) | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax benefit (expense) related to gain (loss) on investments, net | 0.02 | (0.01) | — | ||||||||
| Less: Gain on debt extinguishments | 0.06 | — | — | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax expense related to gain on debt extinguishments | (0.01) | — | — | ||||||||
| Basic excluding special items, gain (loss) on investments and gain on debt extinguishments | $ | (0.71) | $ | (0.45) | $ | (0.80) | |||||
| Diluted | $ | (2.30) | $ | (0.93) | $ | (1.12) | |||||
| Add back: Special items | 1.71 | 0.59 | 0.35 | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax benefit related to special items | 0.13 | 0.09 | 0.06 | ||||||||
| Less: Gain (loss) on investments, net | (0.08) | 0.03 | (0.03) | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax benefit (expense) related to gain (loss) on investments, net | 0.02 | (0.01) | — | ||||||||
| Less: Gain on debt extinguishments | 0.06 | — | — | ||||||||
| Less: Income tax expense related to gain on debt extinguishments | (0.01) | — | — | ||||||||
| Diluted excluding special items, gain (loss) on investments and gain on debt extinguishments | $ | (0.71) | $ | (0.45) | $ | (0.80) |
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Glossary of Airline terminology
Airline terminology used in this section and elsewhere in this Report:
•Aircraft utilization - The average number of block hours operated per day per aircraft for the total fleet of aircraft.
•Available seat miles - The number of seats available for passengers multiplied by the number of miles the seats are flown.
•Average fare - The average one-way fare paid per flight segment by a revenue passenger.
•Average fuel cost per gallon - Total aircraft fuel costs, including related taxes, into-plane, transportation, airport fuel flowage, storage fees and effective portion of fuel hedging, divided by the total number of fuel gallons consumed.
•Average stage length - The average number of miles flown per flight.
•Load factor - The percentage of aircraft seating capacity actually utilized, calculated by dividing revenue passenger miles by available seat miles.
•Operating expense per available seat mile - Operating expenses divided by available seat miles.
•Operating expense per available seat mile, excluding fuel - Operating expenses, less aircraft fuel, other non-airline expenses, and special items, divided by available seat miles.
•Operating revenue per available seat mile - Operating revenues divided by available seat miles.
•Passenger revenue per available seat mile - Passenger revenue divided by available seat miles.
•Revenue passengers - The total number of paying passengers flown on all flight segments.
•Revenue passenger miles - The number of miles flown by revenue passengers.
•Yield per passenger mile - The average amount one passenger pays to fly one mile.
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