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American flight controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, leading terminals to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," he said in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak since the closure started.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

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

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel stretching north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said DFW, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

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

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.

Strain on American aviation helped end a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.