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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transportation secretary 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 staffing shortages.

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

But some have been absent, causing airports to halt or reduce 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 stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

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

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a lack of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown began.

The American federal closure reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest shutdown in history.

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his conversation, he would not answer directly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official said.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in the state to check with carriers about revised departure times.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the shutdown had reached 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 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 short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.