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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

More than three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of income to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - among the peak after the closure started.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in history.

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

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

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

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

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency advised passengers in the state to check with carriers about revised flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.