Case study for

docx

School

Houston Community College *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

345

Subject

Finance

Date

Nov 24, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

7

Uploaded by LieutenantBatPerson731

Report
1 Case study for "Pulling out of bankruptcy" Students' Name Institution Instructor Course Date
2 Background Since December 2002, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the UAL Corporation, United Airlines' parent corporation, has been unable to operate normally. There have been several obstacles for the firm in the two years since then, including severe competition in a difficult economic climate, an underfunded pension plan of over $7.5 billion, and the necessity to present a restructuring package that is acceptable to its creditors. As a response to low-cost carriers like Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and Frontier Airlines, UAL introduced a new low-fare airline named Ted in February 2004. However, on June 17, 2004, the company's restructuring plan failed when a request for government loan guarantees was denied by the Air Transportation Stabilization Board (Bergstresser et al., 2005). A new business plan that is acceptable to UAL's creditors must be developed soon if the airline is to emerge from bankruptcy. The firm would need to make a decision about its pension plans: whether to keep making payments or to stop making payments and try to renegotiate the pension's liabilities. In addition, UAL was feeling the consequences of decreased air travel demand after the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, as well as the rising cost of gasoline. It had to cancel contracts for a number of planes, liquidate unused assets, and renegotiate worker pay to get the bills down. An further major obstacle was UAL's pension fund, which had a deficit of $7.6 billion as of the end of 2003 and required contributions of $72 million by July 15, 2004 and another $500 million by the end of the year. Some tough choices have to be made quickly. Management's reform strategy was rendered ineffective when the Air Transportation Stabilization Board denied UAL's request for loan guarantees in June 2004. In order to compete with low-cost airlines, UAL introduced a new
3 low-fare carrier named Ted. Nonetheless, UAL still had pension fund problems and had to determine whether to pay the necessary contributions or try to cancel its pension schemes. Key Issues When 2004 rolled around, UAL Corporation's biggest problem was getting the corporation out of bankruptcy. Since its inception in December 2002, the firm has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for almost 19 months (Bergstresser et al., 2005). It was necessary for the corporation to present a restructuring strategy that would be acceptable to the firm's creditors while also addressing the firm's cost structure, competitiveness, and pension plan, which was underfunded by more than $7.5 billion. The Air Transportation Stabilization Board's government loan guarantees, which the business had previously rejected in June 2004, also required a decision. Company problems included a pension fund that was over $7.5 billion in the red. The corporation had to make a decision between maintaining its current pension contribution levels or stopping payments in an effort to restructure the pension's liabilities. UAL may have complied with the law and made the needed payments, sought immediate termination of its pension schemes, or continued discussions with its workers by not paying the required contributions. The corporation also had to deal with the difficulty of introducing its new budget airline, Ted, which was designed to go head-to-head with other low-cost carriers like Southwest, JetBlue, and Frontier. Ted's successful introduction gave Tilton and UAL reason to believe that their restructured airline could compete well (Bergstresser et al., 2005). Therefore, in 2004, the most pressing concerns for UAL were how to start the new low-fare airline, Ted, and how to draft a restructuring plan that creditors would approve.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help
4 Risks United Airlines (UAL) faces a wide variety of difficult risks as it emerges from bankruptcy. The biggest threat to UAL's success is the possibility that it won't be able to renegotiate labor contracts with its unions and get the salary and benefit reductions it needs to lower costs and remain competitive in the airline sector. UAL cannot save enough money to stay competitive and sustainable without these concessions. The possibility of further increases in gasoline costs is another threat to UAL. Due to its bankruptcy, UAL cannot access derivatives markets, making it unable to protect itself from rising fuel prices by purchasing insurance. UAL's pension liabilities might be a significant financial strain if certain assumptions about future costs are incorrect. UAL must pay $72 million by July 15, 2004 and $500 million by the end of the year to cover its unfunded pension liabilities of $7.6 billion. As a result of this obligation, UAL may be forced to eliminate its pension programs, which would have devastating effects on the company's current and former workers and retirees. Finally, UAL must deal with the possibility that its creditors would reject its restructuring plan. If UAL's creditors don't agree to the company's reorganization plan, the airline may be forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and be liquidated. Overall, UAL's endeavor to emerge from bankruptcy is fraught with many difficulties. The possibility for fuel costs to rise, failure to reach an agreement on labor contracts, the substantial financial weight of pension payments, and the possible rejection of the restructuring plan by creditors are all factors that might affect the company's ability to go forward. UAL may
5 be compelled to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and dissolve if it is unable to address and mitigate these threats. Recommendation Bankruptcy is likely to be a long and arduous procedure for UAL Corp. due to the complexity of their current condition. The company's cost structure, competitiveness, and pension liabilities must all be addressed for UAL to emerge from bankruptcy. The first step for UAL to become more competitive in the airline sector is to renegotiate its labor contracts with its unions and get the salary and benefit cutbacks needed to do so. In order for UAL to survive in the face of rising competition, this is a necessary but challenging step. The second problem that needs fixing is UAL's unfunded pension commitments. UAL has to put away $72 million by July 15, 2004 and another $500 million by the end of the year to cover its $7.6 billion unfunded obligation. UAL may either comply with the law and pay the necessary contributions, immediately seek to dissolve its pension schemes, or refuse to make the necessary contributions and continue talks with its workers. UAL has to think carefully about all of these alternatives to choose the one that will be best for the firm, its workers, and its creditors. Third, UAL should keep pushing forward with the introduction of Ted, its new low-cost airline meant to compete with Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and Frontier Airlines. UAL has to do everything it can to make sure the Ted launch goes well so that the firm can gain a competitive advantage. UAL must provide a plan for reorganization that will be approved by the airline's creditors. If UAL's creditors don't agree with the company's planned reorganization, the airline
6 will have to make some tough choices. If this happens, UAL could have to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would be the end of the corporation. UAL's cost structure, competitiveness, and pension commitments all need to be addressed for the airline to effectively emerge from bankruptcy. UAL will need to adopt some tough measures and take some risks if it wants to emerge from bankruptcy and keep competing in the aviation market.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help
7 References Bergstresser, D., Froot, K. A., & Smart, D. R. (2005). "UAL, 2004: Pulling Out of Bankruptcy." Harvard Business School Case 205-090.(Revised June 2006.)