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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

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

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their concerns directly.

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

Duffy added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the shutdown started.

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

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my controllers concentrating 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, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult airlines about updated flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.