Flight Delays in the US Set to Worsen, Transport Chief Warns

US air traffic controllers are more and more seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

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

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the stress," he said in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

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

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - among the peak after the shutdown began.

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

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

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

On that day, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter problems from low staffing later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in California to check with carriers about revised departure times.

The issue precedes the third match 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 fly in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel 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, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.