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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and additional factors.

Over 3,000 US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

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

"I need my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.