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American flight controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

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

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports indicated flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second most extended halt in history.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.

On that day, some planes were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights stretching north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in California to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It led several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.