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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, leading terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - among the peak since the shutdown began.

The American federal closure reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended halt in the past.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the number 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 safe to fly in the United States, 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," Duffy said.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA advised travelers in the state to check with carriers about updated flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

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

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.