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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," the official informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been missing, causing terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to delays caused by weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 American flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest after the closure began.

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

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the country, could experience difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with airlines about updated departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

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

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.