| Summary of Financial Statement Preparation and Significant Accounting Policies | SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL STATEMENT PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Nature of Operations Air Transport Services Group, Inc. is a holding company whose subsidiaries lease aircraft and provide contracted airline operations as well as other support services mainly to the air transportation, e-commerce and package delivery industries. The Company's leasing subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc. (“CAM”), leases aircraft to each of the Company's airlines as well as to non-affiliated airlines and other lessees. The Company's airlines, ABX Air, Inc. (“ABX”), Air Transport International, Inc. (“ATI”) and Omni Air International, LLC ("OAI" ) each have the authority, through their separate U.S. Department of Transportation ("DOT") and Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") certificates, to transport cargo worldwide. The Company provides a combination of aircraft, crews, maintenance and insurance services for a customer's transportation network through customer "CMI" and "ACMI" agreements and through charter contracts in which aircraft fuel is also included. In addition to its aircraft leasing and airline services, the Company offers a range of complementary services to delivery companies, freight forwarders, airlines and government customers. These include aircraft maintenance and modification services, aircraft parts, equipment maintenance services and load transfer and package sorting services for customers. Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Air Transport Services Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Inter-company balances and transactions are eliminated. The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Investments in affiliates in which the Company has significant influence but does not exercise control are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Under the equity method, the Company’s share of the nonconsolidated affiliate's income or loss is recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings and cumulative post-acquisition changes in the investment are adjusted against the carrying amount of the investment. Investments in affiliates in which the Company does not exercise control or have significant influence are reflected at cost less impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Estimates and assumptions are used to record allowances for uncollectible amounts, self-insurance reserves, spare parts inventory, depreciation and impairments of property, equipment, goodwill and intangibles, stock warrants and other financial instruments, post-retirement obligations, income taxes, contingencies and litigation. Changes in estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. COVID-19 Uncertainties Beginning in late 2019, an outbreak of a coronavirus, COVID-19, was identified and has since spread globally, becoming a pandemic. The pandemic has had an impact on the Company's operations and financial results. Beginning in late February 2020, revenues were disrupted when customers cancelled scheduled passenger flights and aircraft maintenance services and the Company began to incur additional costs, including expenses to protect employees. Additionally, the Company experienced disruptions to operations, such as shortages of personnel, shortages of parts, maintenance delays, shortages of transportation and hotel accommodations for flight crews, facility closures and other issues. Currently, the pandemic has not had a significant adverse financial impact on the Company's leasing operations or its airline operations for customers' freight networks. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company classifies short-term, highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase as cash and cash equivalents. These investments, consisting of money market funds, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value. Substantially all deposits of the Company’s cash are held in accounts that exceed federally insured limits. The Company deposits cash in common financial institutions which management believes are financially sound. Cash includes restricted cash of $5.9 million as of December 31, 2021 and $0.4 million as of December 31, 2020. Restricted cash consists of customers’ deposits held in an escrow account as required by DOT regulations. The cash is restricted to the extent of customers’ deposits on flights not yet flown. Restricted cash is released from escrow upon completion of specific flights, which are scheduled to occur within the twelve months. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts The Company's accounts receivable is primarily due from its significant customers (see Note C), other airlines, delivery companies and freight forwarders. The Company estimates expected credit losses over the lifetime of the customer receivables that are not past due. The Company also performs a quarterly evaluation of the accounts receivable and the allowance for uncollectible accounts by reviewing specific customers' recent payment history, growth prospects, financial condition and other factors that may impact a customer's ability to pay. The Company establishes allowances for amounts that are not expected to be received. Account balances are written off against the allowances when the Company ceases collection efforts. Inventory The Company’s inventory is comprised primarily of expendable aircraft parts and supplies used for aircraft maintenance. Inventory is generally charged to expense when issued for use on a Company aircraft. The Company values its inventory of aircraft parts and supplies at weighted-average cost and maintains a related obsolescence reserve. The Company records an obsolescence reserve on a base stock of inventory. The Company monitors the usage rates of inventory parts and segregates parts that are technologically outdated or no longer used in its fleet types. Slow moving and segregated items are actively marketed and written down to their estimated net realizable values based on market conditions. Management analyzes the inventory reserve for reasonableness at the end of each quarter. That analysis includes consideration of the expected fleet life, amounts expected to be on hand at the end of a fleet life, and recent events and conditions that may impact the usability or value of inventory. Events or conditions that may impact the expected life, usability or net realizable value of inventory include additional aircraft maintenance directives from the FAA, changes in DOT regulations, new environmental laws and technological advances. Goodwill and Intangible Assets The Company assesses, during the fourth quarter of each year, the carrying value of goodwill. The assessment requires an estimation of fair value of each reporting unit that has goodwill. The goodwill impairment test requires a comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit to its respective carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit is less than its fair value no impairment exists. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit is higher than its fair value an impairment loss is recorded for the difference and charged to operations. The Company assesses, during the fourth quarter of each year, whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired by considering all relevant events and circumstances that could affect the significant inputs used to determine the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset. The Company also conducts impairment assessments of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and finite-lived intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate an impairment may have occurred. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful economic lives. Property and Equipment Property and equipment held for use is stated at cost, net of any impairment recorded. The Company accounts for planned major airframe and engine maintenance costs using the built-in overhaul method for the aircraft it owns, except the costs of airframe maintenance for Boeing 767-200 aircraft operated by ABX which are expensed as they are incurred. Under the built-in overhaul method, costs of planned airframe maintenance and engine overhauls are capitalized and depreciated by the Company's airlines over the expected period until the next scheduled major maintenance event is required. Major, n on-scheduled airframe and engine maintenance costs that extend the life of the asset are also capitalized. The capitalized costs of airframe maintenance and engine overhauls for aircraft leased to customers, are depreciated over the life of the lease with consideration for the customer's return obligations. Scheduled maintenance for the aircraft engines, including Boeing 777 and Boeing 757 aircraft, are typically contracted to service providers on a time and material basis and the costs of those engine overhauls are capitalized and amortized over the life of the overhaul. Certain engines that power the Boeing 767 aircraft are maintained under "power by the cycle" agreements with engine maintenance providers. Under these agreements, the engines are maintained by the service provider for a fixed fee per cycle. As a result, the cost of maintenance for these engines is generally expensed as flights occur and the initial engine overhaul value is depreciated over the life of the engine. In September of 2021, a power by the cycle maintenance agreement for many of the Company's Boeing 767-200 engines expired. As a result, the Company began to depreciate the remaining carrying value of these engine overhauls over the time remaining until the next overhaul. This resulted in additional depreciation expense of $2.1 million before the effects income taxes during 2021. Property and equipment is depreciated over an asset's estimated useful life, or if related to a lease, over the lesser of the asset’s useful life or lease term. Assets are typically depreciated on a straight-line basis except for certain engines which are depreciated based on their usage levels during the period. Depreciable lives are summarized as follows: Boeing 777, 767 and 757 aircraft and flight equipment 7 to 18 years Ground equipment 2 to 10 years Leasehold improvements, facilities and office equipment 3 to 25 years The Company periodically evaluates the useful lives, salvage values and fair values of property and equipment. Acceleration of depreciation expense or the recording of significant impairment losses could result from changes in the estimated useful lives of assets due to a number of reasons, such as excess aircraft capacity or changes in regulations governing the use of aircraft. The cost and accumulated depreciation of disposed property and equipment and expired major maintenance are removed from the accounts with any related gain or loss reflected in earnings from operations. For aircraft leased from external lessors, the Company may be required to make periodic payments to the lessor under certain aircraft leases for future maintenance events such as engine overhauls and major airframe maintenance. Such payments are recorded as deposits until drawn for qualifying maintenance costs. The maintenance costs are expensed or capitalized in accordance with the airline's accounting policy for major airframe and engine maintenance. The Company evaluates at the balance sheet date, whether it is probable that an amount on deposit will be returned by the lessor to reimburse the costs of the maintenance activities. When it is less than probable that a deposit will be returned, it is recognized as additional maintenance expense. Aircraft and other long-lived assets are tested for impairment when circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. To conduct impairment testing, the Company groups assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of cash flows of other assets and liabilities. For assets that are to be held and used, impairment is recognized when the estimated undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset group are less than the carrying value. If impairment exists, an adjustment is recorded to write the assets down to fair value, and a loss is recorded as the difference between the carrying value and fair value. Fair values are determined considering quoted market values, discounted cash flows or internal and external appraisals, as applicable. For assets held for sale, impairment is recognized when the fair value less the cost to sell the asset is less than the carrying value. Capitalized Interest Interest costs incurred while aircraft are being modified are capitalized as an additional cost of the aircraft. Capitalized interest was $3.5 million, $2.8 million and $3.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Discontinued Operations A business component whose operations are discontinued is reported as discontinued operations if the cash flows of the component have been eliminated from the ongoing operations of the Company and represents a strategic shift that had a major impact on the Company. The results of discontinued operations are aggregated and presented separately in the consolidated statements of operations. Self-Insurance The Company is self-insured for certain workers’ compensation, employee healthcare, automobile, aircraft, and general liability claims. The Company maintains excess claim coverage with common insurance carriers to mitigate its exposure to large claim losses. The Company records a liability for reported claims and an estimate for incurred claims that have not yet been reported. Accruals for these claims are estimated utilizing historical paid claims data and recent claims trends. Other liabilities included $6.1 million and $9.3 million at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively, for self-insured reserves. Changes in claim severity and frequency could result in actual claims being materially different than the costs accrued. Pension and Post-Retirement Benefits The funded status of any of the Company's defined benefit pension or post-retirement health care plans is the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the accumulated benefit obligations to plan participants. The over funded or underfunded status of a plan is reflected in the consolidated balance sheet as an asset for over funded plans, or as a liability for underfunded plans. The funded status is ordinarily re-measured annually at year end using the fair value of plans assets, market based discount rates and actuarial assumptions. Changes in the funded status of the plans as a result of re-measuring plan assets and benefit obligations, are recorded to accumulated comprehensive loss and amortized into expense using a corridor approach. The Company's corridor approach amortizes into earnings variances in plan assets and benefit obligations that are a result of the previous measurement assumptions when the net deferred variances exceed 10% of the greater of the market value of plan assets or the benefit obligation at the beginning of the year. The amount in excess of the corridor is amortized over the average remaining service period to retirement date of active plan participants. Cost adjustments for plan amendments are also deferred and amortized over the expected working life or the life expectancy of plan participants. Irrevocable settlement transactions that relieve the Company from responsibilities of providing retiree benefits and significantly eliminate the Company's related risk may result in recognition of gains or losses from accumulated other comprehensive loss. The plan's investment returns, interest expense, settlements and other non-service cost components of retiree benefits are reported in other income and expense included in earnings before income taxes. Customer Security and Maintenance Deposits The Company's customer leases typically obligate the lessee to maintain the Company's aircraft in compliance with regulatory standards for flight and aircraft maintenance. The Company may require an aircraft lessee to pay a security deposit or provide a letter of credit until the expiration of the lease. Additionally, the Company's leases may require a lessee to make monthly payments toward future expenditures for scheduled heavy maintenance events. The Company records security and maintenance deposits in other liabilities. If a lease requires monthly maintenance payments, the Company is typically required to reimburse the lessee for costs they incur for scheduled heavy maintenance events after completion of the work and receipt of qualifying documentation. Reimbursements to the lessee are recorded against the previously paid maintenance deposits. Income Taxes Income taxes have been computed using the asset and liability method, under which deferred income taxes are provided for the temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities. Deferred taxes are measured using provisions of currently enacted tax laws. A valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets is recorded when it is more likely than not that such assets will not be fully realized. Tax credits are accounted for as a reduction of income taxes in the year in which the credit originates. All deferred income taxes are classified as noncurrent in the statement of financial position. The Company recognizes the benefit of a tax position taken on a tax return, if that position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. An uncertain income tax position is not recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. The Company recognizes interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain tax positions in operating expense. Purchase of Common Stock The Company's Board of Directors has authorized management to repurchase outstanding common stock of the Company from time to time on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The authorization does not require the Company to repurchase a specific number of shares and the Company may terminate the repurchase program at any time. Upon the retirement of common stock repurchased, the excess purchase price over the par value for retired shares of common stock is recorded to additional paid-in-capital. As described in Note H, the Company is prohibited from repurchasing its common shares through September 30, 2022. Stock Warrants The Company’s accounting for warrants issued to a lessee is determined in accordance with the financial reporting guidance for equity-based payments to non-employees and for financial instruments. The warrants issued to a lessee are recorded as a lease incentive asset using their fair value at the time of issuance. The lease incentive is amortized against revenues over the duration of related aircraft leases. The unexercised warrants that are classified in liabilities are re-measured to fair value at the end of each reporting period, resulting in a non-operating gain or loss. Comprehensive Income Comprehensive income includes net earnings and other comprehensive income or loss. Other comprehensive income or loss results from certain changes in the Company’s liabilities for pension and other post-retirement benefits, gains and losses associated with interest rate hedging instruments and fluctuations in currency exchange rates related to the foreign affiliate. Fair Value Information Assets or liabilities that are required to be measured at fair value are reported using the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. FASB ASC Topic 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures establishes three levels of input that may be used to measure fair value: • Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities. • Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. • Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include items where the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. Revenue Recognition Aircraft and engine lease revenues are recognized as operating lease revenues on a straight-line basis over the term of the applicable lease agreements. Customer payments for leased aircraft and equipment are typically paid monthly in advance. Revenues from contracts with customers are recognized under Accounting Standards Codification “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASC 606") to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. ACMI Services revenues are generated from airline service agreements and are typically based on hours or miles flown, the amount of aircraft operated and crew resources provided during a month. ACMI Services revenues are usually recognized over time using the invoice practical expedient based on the number of hours or miles operated and the number of crews and aircraft required for scheduled flights during the period. Certain agreements include provisions for incentive payments based upon on-time reliability. These incentives are measured on a monthly basis and recorded to revenue in the corresponding month earned. Under CMI agreements, the Company's airlines have an obligation to provide integrated services including flight crews, aircraft maintenance and insurance for the customer's cargo network. Under ACMI agreements, the Company's airlines are also obligated to provide aircraft. Under CMI and ACMI agreements, customers are generally responsible for aviation fuel, landing fees, navigation fees and certain other flight expenses. When functioning as the customers' agent for arranging such services, the Company records amounts reimbursable from the customer as revenues net of the related expenses as the costs are incurred. Under charter agreements, the Company's airline is obligated to provide full services for one or more flights having specific origins and destinations. Under charter agreements in which the Company's airline is responsible for fuel, airport fees and all flight services, the related costs are recorded in operating expenses. Any sales commissions paid for charter agreements are generally expensed when incurred because the amortization period is less than one year. There are no customer rewards programs associated with services offered by the Company nor does the Company sell passenger tickets or issue freight bills. Customers for ACMI Services are invoiced monthly or more frequently. The Company's revenues for customer contracts for airframe maintenance and aircraft modification services that do not have an alternative use and for which the Company has an enforceable right to payment are generally recognized over time based on the percentage of costs completed. Services for airframe maintenance and aircraft modifications typically have project durations lasting a few weeks to several months. Other revenues for aircraft part sales, component repairs and line service are recognized at a point in time typically when the parts are delivered to the customer and the services are completed. For airframe maintenance, aircraft modifications and aircraft component repairs, contracts include assurance warranties that are not sold separately. The Company records revenue based on the estimated transaction price for its airframe maintenance and aircraft modification contracts using the costs to costs input method. For such services, the Company estimates the earnings on a contract as the difference between the expected revenue and estimated costs to complete a contract and recognizes revenues and earnings based on the proportion of costs incurred compared to the total estimated costs. Unexpected or abnormal costs that are not reflected in the price of a contract are excluded from calculations of progress toward contract obligations. The Company's estimates consider the timing and extent of the services, including the amount and rates of labor, materials and other resources required to perform the services. These production costs are specifically planned and monitored for regulatory compliance. The expenditure of these costs closely reflect the progress made toward completion of an airframe maintenance and aircraft modification project. The Company recognizes adjustments in estimated earnings on a contract under the cumulative catch-up method in which the impact of the adjustment on estimated earnings of a contract is recognized in the period the adjustment is identified. In 2021, the Company began to offer engine power coverage under separate customer contracts with certain lessees of CAM's General Electric powered Boeing 767-200 aircraft. Under this service, the Company is responsible for providing and maintaining engines to its lease customers as needed through a pool of engines. Revenues generated from engine power coverage contracts are recognized over time using the invoice practical expedient as engines are operated. Additionally, the Company acts as an agent for certain performance obligations for engine maintenance contracts with customers and recognizes the net amount of consideration retained. The transaction price for certain engine maintenance contracts are estimated and adjusted based upon expected engine cycles over the term of the contract and the estimated value of parts required for future services. The Company's ground services revenues include load transfer and sorting services, facility and equipment maintenance services. These revenues are recognized as the services are performed for the customer over time. Revenues from related facility and equipment maintenance services are recognized over time and at a point in time depending on the nature of the customer contracts. For customers that are not a governmental agency or department, the Company generally receives partial payment in advance of services, otherwise customer balances are typically paid within 30 to 60 days of service. Accounting Standards Updates Effective January 1, 2019, the Company adopted the FASB's ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” which superseded previous lease guidance ASC 840, Leases. Topic 842 is a new lease model that requires a company to recognize right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective approach that does not require the restatement of prior year financial statements. The adoption of Topic 842 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and consolidated statement of cash flows. The adoption of Topic 842 resulted in the recognition of ROU assets and corresponding lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019 in the amount of $52.6 million for leases classified as operating leases. Topic 842 also applies to the Company's aircraft lease revenues, however, the adoption of Topic 842 did not have a significant impact on the Company's accounting for its customer lease agreements. The Company adopted the package of practical expedients and transition provisions available for expired or existing contracts, which allowed the Company to carryforward its historical assessments of 1) whether contracts are or contain leases, 2) lease classification, and 3) initial direct costs. Additionally, for real estate leases, the Company adopted the practical expedient that allows lessees to treat the lease and non-lease components of leases as a single lease component. The Company also elected the hindsight practical expedient to determine the reasonably certain lease term for existing leases. Further, the Company elected the short-term lease exception policy, permitting it to exclude the recognition requirements for leases with terms of 12 months or less. See Note I for additional information about leases. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02 “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income" ("ASU 2018-02"). ASU 2018-02 amends ASC 220, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income, to allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from U.S. federal tax legislation known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. ASU 2018-02 is effective for years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company elected to retain stranded tax effects in accumulated other comprehensive income. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07 “Improvements to Non-employee Share-based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2018-07"). ASU 2018-07 amends ASC 718, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" ("ASC 718"), with the intent of simplifying the accounting for share-based payments granted to non-employees for goods and services and aligning the accounting for share-based payments granted to non-employees with the accounting for share-based payments granted to employees. The Company adopted ASU 2018-07 on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective approach as required. ASU 2018-07 replaced ASC 505-50, "Equity-Based Payments to Nonemployees" ("ASC 505-50") which was previously applied by the Company for warrants granted to Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon") as customer incentives. As a result of ASU 2018-07, the Company applied accounting guidance for financial instruments to the unvested warrants conditionally granted to Amazon in conjunction with an investment agreement reached with Amazon on December 22, 2018. Applying ASU 2018-07 as of January 1, 2019, through the modified retrospective approach, resulted in the recognition of $176.9 million for unvested warrant liabilities, $100.1 million for customer incentive assets and cumulative-effect adjustments of $71.4 million, net of tax, to reduce retained earnings for customer incentives that were not probable of being realized. The adoption of ASU 2018-07 on January 1, 2019 did not have an impact on the accounting for vested warrants. The Company adopted "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" ("ASU 2016-13") on January 1, 2020. Under ASU 2016-13, an entity is required to utilize an “expected credit loss model” on certain financial instruments, including trade receivables. This model requires an entity to estimate expected credit losses over the lifetime of the financial asset including trade receivables that are not past due. Operating lease receivables are not within the scope of Topic 326. The Company's adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or related disclosures. In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, "Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity's Own Equity" ("ASU 2020-06"). This new standard removes the separation models for convertible debt with cash conversion or beneficial conversion features. It eliminates the "treasury stock" method for convertible instruments and requires application of the “if-converted” method for certain agreements. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on January 1, 2022 using the modified retrospective approach which is expected to result in the following adjustments: (in thousands) December 31, 2021 Adoption of ASU 2020-06 January 1, 2022 Balance Sheet line item: Net deferred tax asset — $ 5,527 $ 5,527 Convertible notes $ (231,646) $ (24,215) $ (255,861) Additional paid-in capital $ (1,074,286) $ 39,559 $ (1,0 |
