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

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

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

But some have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to weather and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

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

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to find an alternative of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second most extended halt in history.

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

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, some planes were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult carriers 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 evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

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, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.