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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

More than 3,000 US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

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

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

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a lack of workers - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

The American federal closure entered its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.