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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, leading airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to delays caused by weather and additional factors.

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

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

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I find another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak since the closure began.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy stated.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned passengers in the state to consult airlines about revised departure times.

The situation precedes the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.