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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 government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

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

Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But some have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," he said in an discussion 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, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure started.

The American federal closure entered its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, rendering it the second-longest halt in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when asked if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," the official said.

On that day, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel extending upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned passengers in the state to check with carriers about updated departure times.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.