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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," Duffy said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated flights would be held up due to a lack of employees - among the peak after the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown entered its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in history.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to controllers.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could encounter difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with airlines about revised flight schedules.

The situation precedes the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.