🔗 Share this article Flight Disruptions in the US Expected to Intensify, Transportation Secretary Warns US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has stated. "These professionals are wearing thin," the official informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages. Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated. But some have been absent, causing terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and other issues. Over three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy said he expects the situation to grow worse. "I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their concerns firsthand. "They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, can I find an alternative of income to cover expenses?'" he continued. The secretary added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said flights would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown began. The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in history. He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel. In his interview, he would not answer straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to controllers. "I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy stated. On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption 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, California. The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon. Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airfield in the US, could experience problems from low staffing in the afternoon. The agency advised passengers in California to consult carriers about updated departure times. The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to travel by air in the US. Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction. It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport. On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.