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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, 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 stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," Duffy remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with several controllers to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the closure started.

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

Duffy 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 conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

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

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with carriers about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Strain on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

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