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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told a news outlet on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

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

But some have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy said he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure started.

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," the official said.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in the state to check with airlines about updated departure times.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to fly in the United States.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.