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American flight controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays due to climate and additional factors.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields said travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the shutdown started.

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

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

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

"I need my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On that day, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice was issued at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned passengers in California to check with airlines about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on American aviation helped end a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.