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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 during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

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

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

But a number have been absent, leading terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

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

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest 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 asked if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I require my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official said.

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

The FAA alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult airlines about revised flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

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

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.