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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But some have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," he remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the finances at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult airlines about updated flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the United States.

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

It prompted a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement 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 short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.