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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays caused by weather and other issues.

More than 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," he said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find another source of income 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 workers - among the peak since the closure began.

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

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

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

"I need my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

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 Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in California to consult carriers about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Strain on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.