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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy said he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

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

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a lack of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

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 controllers.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned passengers in California to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to fly in the United States.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It led a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after 35 days.