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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 federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and additional factors.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," he said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said flights would be delayed due to a lack of employees - among the peak after the closure began.

The American federal closure reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.

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

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in the state to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It prompted several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.