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American flight controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," the official informed Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

Over three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," Duffy remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in history.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter problems from low staffing later in the day.

The agency advised travelers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

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

It prompted several flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.