WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Major airline CEOs on Wednesday called on Congress to approve billions of dollars to modernize the aging U.S. air traffic control system, saying the current system is "failing Americans."

The heads of American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Atlas Air, along with senior executives at FedEx and UPS in a joint letter cited recent failures involving Newark Airport and said the Federal Aviation Administration's technology "is wildly out of date." They called for urgent action as the busy summer travel season begins with the Memorial Day holiday this weekend.