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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official told Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

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

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the closure began.

The American federal closure reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, making it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

Duffy 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 conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

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

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The FAA alert was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised passengers in the state to consult airlines about revised departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Strain on US air travel helped end a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.