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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

"The controllers 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 federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been missing, causing terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

More than three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to find an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

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

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

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

"I require my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," Duffy said.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

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

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised travelers in California to check with carriers about updated departure times.

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

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.