🔗 Share this article

American flight controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, leading airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by weather and other issues.

More than 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak since the closure started.

The US government shutdown reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended halt in the past.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in the state to check with airlines about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending 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 air traffic controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.