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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

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

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 US flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," he said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the closure started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second-longest shutdown in history.

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

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead made a direct appeal 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 Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could encounter difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in California to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several flight controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.