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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the federal closure, the transport chief 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 staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - among the peak since the shutdown began.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

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

"I need my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice was issued at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency warned travelers in California to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, 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 January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

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