US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid during the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.
"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.
Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their jobs without pay.
But some have been missing, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated setbacks caused by weather and additional factors.
More than three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.
"I am seeing the pressure," he said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries firsthand.
"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.
Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said travel would be delayed due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.
The US government shutdown reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest shutdown in the past.
Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.
In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.
"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy said.
On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the city of Oakland.
The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.
Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airfield in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.
The FAA advised travelers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.
The situation precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.
Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.
It led a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.
That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.
