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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

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

More than 3,000 US flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

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

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, can I find another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

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

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised travelers in California to check with carriers about revised departure times.

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

Strain 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 aviator instruction.

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

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.