Air travel Delays in the US Expected to Intensify, Transport Chief Warns

US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to setbacks caused by climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," he said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure another source of income to cover expenses?'" he continued.

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

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

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience problems from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised travelers in California to check with carriers about revised flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.