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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the government shut down on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays caused by weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of income to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in history.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation 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 was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience problems from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised travelers in California to consult airlines about updated departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.