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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary said he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," he said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

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

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer directly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official stated.

On that day, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after 35 days.