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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks due to climate and additional factors.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

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

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a lack of employees - among the peak since the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned travelers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

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