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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, causing terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks due to weather and additional factors.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find another source of income to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the closure began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

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

The agency warned passengers in the state to consult airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.