SkyWest Airlines 2014 Annual Report Download - page 30

required debt service payments related to our existing or anticipated future obligations. Even if we
meet all required debt, lease and purchase obligations, the size of these long-term obligations could
negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our common stock in
many ways, including:
• increasing the cost, or limiting the availability of, additional financing for working capital,
acquisitions or other purposes;
• limiting the ways in which we can use our cash flow, much of which may have to be used to
satisfy debt and lease obligations; and
• adversely affecting our ability to respond to changing business or economic conditions or
continue our growth strategy.
If we need additional capital and cannot obtain such capital on acceptable terms, or at all, we may
be unable to realize our fleet replacement plans or take advantage of unanticipated opportunities
We may be limited from expanding our flying within the Delta and United flight systems.
Additional growth opportunities within the Delta and United flight systems are limited by various
factors. Except as contemplated by our existing code-share agreements, we cannot assure that Delta
and United will contract with us to fly any additional aircraft. We may not receive additional growth
opportunities, or may agree to modifications to our code-share agreements that reduce certain benefits
to us in order to obtain additional aircraft, or for other reasons. Given the competitive nature of the
airline industry, we believe that some of our competitors may be more inclined to accept reduced
margins and less favorable contract terms in order to secure new or additional code-share operations.
Even if we are offered growth opportunities by our major partners, those opportunities may involve
economic terms or financing commitments that are unacceptable to us. Any one or more of these
factors may reduce or eliminate our ability to expand our flight operations with our existing code-share
partners. We also cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to obtain the additional ground
and maintenance facilities, including gates, and support equipment, to expand our operations. The
failure to obtain these facilities and equipment would likely impede our efforts to implement our
business strategy and could materially and adversely affect our operating results and our financial
condition.
Our business model depends on major airlines, including Delta and United, electing to contract
with us instead of operating their own regional jets. Some major airlines own their own regional
airlines or operate their own regional jets instead of entering into contracts with regional carriers. We
have no guarantee that in the future our code-share partners will choose to enter into contracts with us
instead of operating their own regional jets. Our partners are not prohibited from doing so under our
code-share agreements. A decision by Delta or United to phase out code-share relationships and
instead acquire and operate their own regional jets could have a material adverse effect on our
financial condition, results of operations or the price of our common stock.
We could be adversely affected by an outbreak of a disease that affects travel behavior.
In 2014, the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa caused general public concerns for passenger air
travel. In recent years, outbreaks of the H1N1 flu virus and of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(‘‘SARS’’) had an adverse impact on travel behavior. Any outbreak of a disease (including a worsening
of the outbreak of the Ebola virus) that affects travel behavior could have a material adverse impact on
our operating results and financial condition. In addition, outbreaks of disease could result in
quarantines of our personnel or an inability to access facilities or our aircraft, which could adversely
affect our operations and financial condition.
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