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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and other issues.

More than three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their worries firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure started.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second most extended halt in the past.

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

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I need my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could experience problems from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised travelers in California to consult airlines about revised departure times.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Strain on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

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

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.