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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, leading airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to delays due to climate and other issues.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," Duffy remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - one of the highest after the closure started.

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

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

In his conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I require my controllers concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned travelers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.