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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But some have been missing, leading airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to delays caused by climate and additional factors.

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

"I am seeing the pressure," he said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said flights would be delayed due to a lack of employees - one of the highest since the closure started.

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

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," the official said.

On that day, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

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

The situation precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.