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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

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

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The agency advised travelers in the state to check with carriers about updated departure times.

The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to fly in the United States.

Strain on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. 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 stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.