They did not affect me directly except that I had a friend on a flight to JFK that day and we were worried about him for a few hours, but found out he was not in any of those planes.
However as a frequent traveller they affected me a lot, since security became ridiculously strict after that. Especially when travelling with my baby daughter and not being allowed to take her milk on the plane (or juice later on), or always having to throw away my bottle of water, not to mention the endless queues to be searched, having to take off my belt and shoes (as well as the usual keys and coins) and all the inconvenience that goes on to this day. As if this will ever stop a terrorist. All they have to do is get a job as a toilet cleaner at the airport and have easy access to areas no passenger will ever visit. It drives me nuts everytime I have to travel (including just this morning) and has been one of the reasons I prefer to drive whenever I can, even if it’s a 2000-mile journey.