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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been missing, causing terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the closure started.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult airlines about revised departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to fly in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.