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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

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

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the closure began.

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

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities 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 questioned 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," Duffy said.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the city of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The agency advised travelers in the state to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

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

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

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.