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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their duties without pay.

But a number have been missing, causing terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

More than 3,000 US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

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

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

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of employees - among the peak after the closure began.

The US government shutdown entered its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in history.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

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

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

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

The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.