Originally Posted by Sunvox

Relax kiddos. This is good news no matter how one slices and dices it.

The company is saying it expects to take a hit of $1-$1.5 per share for an "accrued" expense specifically tied to a new pilot contract. So, at a minimum they're looking at $300-$500 million in some cash payment in the near future. In GAAP accounting you take the charge for an expense when you first anticipate that charge, not when you cut the check. The company is saying they anticipate a deal sooner rather than later. If the company realistically expected negotiations to drag on in to next year they wouldn't be taking a hit to earnings now.

This is very good news.

EDIT: Except for the fact that my back of the envelope math says $3-500 million is a bit light if we were expecting retro going back 3-4 years.