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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted 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 continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

Over 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," he said in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields said travel would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the closure began.

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," 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 nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The FAA advised passengers in California to check with carriers about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

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

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

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.