WASHINGTON Major U.S. airlines on Monday asked the Federal Aviation Administration to extend cuts to minimum flight requirements at congested New York City-area airports and a Washington airport, citing a lack of adequate air traffic control staffing.

The FAA in March agreed to the request of Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to temporarily return up to 10% slots and flights at New York-area airports and Washington National Airport through Sept. 15. Airlines for America, a trade group representing major carriers, in a letter seen by Reuters, asked that the cuts be extended through Oct. 28, saying air traffic staffing levels in a key northeast sector have not "meaningfully improved."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)