here's what AA said about income taxes in its 3rd quarter 2014 SEC filing.
9. Income Taxes
As a result of the Merger, US Airways Group and its subsidiaries are included in the AAG consolidated federal and state income tax returns for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014. The Merger resulted in a statutory "ownership change" on December 9, 2013, as defined in Section 382, which limits the Company's future ability to utilize NOLs generated before the ownership change and certain subsequently recognized "built-in" losses and deductions, if any, existing as of the date of the ownership change. The general limitation rules for a debtor in a bankruptcy case are liberalized where an ownership change occurs upon emergence from bankruptcy. The Company's ability to utilize any new NOLs arising after the ownership change is not affected.
At December 31, 2013, the Company had approximately $10.6 billion of gross NOLs to reduce future federal taxable income, the majority of which are expected to be available for use in 2014, subject to the Section 382 limitation described above. The federal NOLs will expire beginning in 2022 if unused. These NOLs include an unrealized tax benefit of $762 million related to the implementation of share-based compensation accounting guidance that will be recorded in equity when realized. The Company also had approximately $4.7 billion of gross NOLs to reduce future state taxable income at December 31, 2013, which will expire in years 2014 through 2033 if unused. At December 31, 2013, the Company had an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) credit carryforward of approximately $370 million available for federal income tax purposes, which is available for an indefinite period. The Company's net deferred tax assets, which include the NOLs, are subject to a full valuation allowance. At December 31, 2013, the federal and state valuation allowances were $4.6 billion and $415 million, respectively. In accordance with GAAP, utilization of the NOLs after December 9, 2013 will result in a corresponding decrease in the valuation allowance and offset the Company's tax provision dollar for dollar.
The Company provides a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion, or all of its deferred tax assets, will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income (primarily reversals of deferred tax liabilities) during the periods in which those temporary differences will become deductible. The Company considers many factors in evaluating the realizability of its deferred tax assets including risks associated with merger integration as well as other factors, which continue to be affected by conditions beyond the Company's control, such as the condition of the economy, the level and volatility of fuel prices and travel demand.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company recorded a special $8 million and $22 million, respectively, non-cash deferred income tax provision related to certain indefinite-lived intangible assets. In addition, for the 2014 nine month period, the Company recorded a special $330 million non-cash tax provision related to the settlement of fuel hedges discussed below and $8 million of tax expense principally related to certain states and countries where NOLs were limited or unavailable to be used.
During the second quarter of 2014, the Company sold its portfolio of fuel hedging contracts that were scheduled to settle on or after June 30, 2014. In connection with this sale, the Company recorded a special non-cash tax provision of $330 million in the statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 that reverses the non-cash tax provision which was recorded in OCI, a subset of stockholders’ equity, principally in 2009. This provision represents the tax effect associated with gains recorded in OCI principally in 2009 due to a net increase in the fair value of the Company’s fuel hedging contracts. In accordance with GAAP, the Company retained the $330 million tax provision in OCI until the last contract was settled or terminated.
The Company did not record an income tax provision in the 2013 third quarter. For the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of approximately $22 million as a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
this is what DL said
Income Taxes
We released substantially all of our valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets on December 31, 2013. We project that our annual effective tax rate for 2014 will be approximately 38%. In certain interim periods, we may have adjustments to our net deferred tax assets as a result of changes in prior year estimates and tax laws enacted during the period, which will impact the effective tax rate for that interim period. At September 30, 2014 , we had over $13 billion of U.S. federal pre-tax net operating loss carryforwards, which do not begin to expire until 2023. Accordingly, we believe we will not pay any cash federal income taxes during the next several years.
DL recorded a $222 million income tax provision for the 3rd quarter and $841 million year to date.
AA said
The Company did not record an income tax provision in the 2013 third quarter
