WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Major airlines said

Monday they oppose a new effort to advance legislation that

would reduce fees charged by Visa and Mastercard ( MA ) on

transactions, saying the bill could force them to stop offering

rewards credit cards that give consumers frequent flyer miles

for making transactions.

American Airlines ( AAL ), United Airlines,

Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) and others including Boeing ( BA ),

Airbus and GE Aerospace, said in a letter to

senators the legislation sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin and

Roger Marshall could sharply reduce air travel and harm overall

tourism.

Airlines generate billions of dollars annually in fees for

branded credit cards. Durbin has called the airlines "basically

credit card companies that own some planes."

(Reporting by David Shepardson;)