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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 without pay amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the closure began.

The US government shutdown reached 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 planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when asked if it was secure to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to controllers.

"I require my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

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

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.