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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays due to climate and other issues.

More than three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, 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 drive Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

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

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, 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 controllers.

"I require my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice was issued at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed 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 experience difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure 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 led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.