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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 amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy said he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

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

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

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields indicated flights would be delayed due to a lack of workers - one of the highest after the closure started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second most extended halt in the past.

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

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the US, could encounter problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult airlines about revised flight schedules.

The situation precedes the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent 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 period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.