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American flight controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But some have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks due to weather and other issues.

Over 3,000 US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a lack of employees - among the peak since the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second-longest halt in history.

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

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, some planes were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights stretching north to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on American aviation helped end a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.