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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But some have been missing, leading terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said travel would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

The American federal closure entered its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in history.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to controllers.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official said.

On that day, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The FAA warned travelers in California to consult airlines about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

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 35 days.