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American flight controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks due to weather and other issues.

More than three thousand American flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to 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 make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

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

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the United States.

Strain on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.