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US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty unpaid during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But some have been missing, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, can I secure an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak since the shutdown began.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest shutdown in history.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

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

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned passengers in the state to check with airlines about updated departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure 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 several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.