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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 without pay amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their duties without pay.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays due to climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their worries directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports indicated flights would be held up due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the closure started.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended halt in the past.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter problems from low staffing later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The situation precedes the third match of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on US air travel helped end a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.