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American flight controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

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

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

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

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

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said flights would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second-longest halt in history.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his conversation, he would not answer directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

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

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel extending upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA alert went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.