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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 federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed a news outlet on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their duties without pay.

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

More than three thousand American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

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

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a lack of employees - among the peak since the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest halt in the past.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

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

"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned travelers in the state to check with carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

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

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 federal closure after 35 days.