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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

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

But some have been absent, causing terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

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

"I observe the stress," he said in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to find another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage 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 direct appeal to controllers.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland.

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

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency advised travelers in California to check with carriers about updated flight schedules.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on US air travel helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

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