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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks due to weather and additional factors.

More than three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the situation to grow worse.

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

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to secure another source of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his conversation, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to controllers.

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

On that day, some planes were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.