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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But a number have been missing, leading terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had met with several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to find another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in history.

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

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

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

On that day, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience problems from low staffing later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult carriers about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.