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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs without pay.

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

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

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

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

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.

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

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

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

"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in California to check with carriers about updated flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.