WASHINGTON (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 ), Airbusand 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;)