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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But a number have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

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

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

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

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would reduce the number of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

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

"I require my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency advised passengers in the state to consult carriers about revised departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the United States.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after 35 days.