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American flight controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

More than 3,000 US flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," he said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, can I find another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the closure began.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended halt in history.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my staff concentrating 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, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.