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American flight controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by climate and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, adding 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 secure an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.