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## Operating Special Items, Net 

Year Ended December 31, 

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$^{(1)}$ Fleet restructuring expenses principally included accelerated depreciation and rent expense for aircraft and related equipment grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned. 

$^{(2)}$ Merger integration expenses included costs associated with integration projects, principally American's flight attendant, human resources and payroll, and technical operations systems. 

$^{(3)}$ Severance expenses primarily included costs associated with reductions of management and support staff team members. 

$^{(4)}$ Settlement of a private party antitrust lawsuit. See Note 10(e) - “ Private Party Antitrust Action Related to Passenger Capacity ” to American’s Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8B for further discussion. 

$^{(5)}$ Intangible asset impairment includes a non-cash charge to write-off American’s Brazil route authority as a result of the U.S.-Brazil open skies agreement. 

$^{(6)}$ Bankruptcy obligations that will be settled in shares of AAG common stock are marked-to-market based on AAG’s stock price. 

$^{(7)}$ Employee bonus expense included costs related to the $1,000 cash bonus and associated payroll taxes granted to mainline employees as of December 31, 2017 in recognition of the 2017 Tax Act. 

## Nonoperating Results 

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American’s short-term investments in each period consisted of highly liquid investments that provided nominal returns. Interest income increased $115 million, or 53.4%, due to higher interest-bearing related party receivables from American’s parent company, AAG, as well as a 103 basis point increase in average yields in 2018 as compared to 2017. 

In 2018, other nonoperating income, net principally included $309 million of non-service related pension and other postretirement benefit plan income, which reflects an increase in the expected return on pension plan assets in 2018 as 

