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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

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

After the federal closure on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to weather and other issues.

Over 3,000 US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," he said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to find another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

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

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his conversation, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my controllers concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On that day, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in California to check with airlines about revised departure times.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led several 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, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.