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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, 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 California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But some have been absent, causing airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to delays caused by climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

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

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, can I secure an alternative of income to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary 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 since the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

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

On that day, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led a number of flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.