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US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

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

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

But some have been absent, leading airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy said 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 met with multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown began.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," the official stated.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights stretching upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with carriers about revised departure times.

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

Pressure on US air travel helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after thirty-five days.