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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been missing, leading airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to setbacks due to weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second most extended halt in history.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the finances at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned passengers in California to check with airlines about revised flight schedules.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.