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American flight controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to setbacks due to climate and other issues.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.

The American federal closure entered its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded 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 operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in the state to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.