I flew for a large Australian international airline from 22 until retirement including regular flights to and from the USA. I thought that I'd seen the lot until this. The event is on every news forum in Australia complete with video.
This week I'm making me choices for my next international holiday and for those asking, it wont be on airline staff travel/standby.
Two years ago I did 14 sectors from Australia and around the US, then home. My wife and I experienced some of the rudest treatment that I've ever had from your TSA agents. Also some of the best. Can anyone from the USA explain to me why your agents have to stand in front of a person and scream. Do you suffer from the well known syndrome of screaming louder if you don't think that the person that you are talking to has a different language? Why with a B737 load of pax were only non US citizens treated this way?
Earlier, while working, I was subject to an immigration visa "audit" in LAX due to a disagreement between the US Consulate in my home port and LAX immigration, so I know what I'm saying in the next part of this.
There are many optimists on this thread who say for United this will blow over but early this year a well known Australian author was also subject to a LAX visa review and she wrote a very accurate ( from my above experience) account of it which was a huge main story here. From that, I know of a large amount of Australians who now wont go to the US on holidays.
So this is my point and I don't think it will blow over for United or your whole tourist industry. I have a choice to travel to anywhere in the world. Can any US citizen or resident explain to me why with all these possibilities I would go to the USA for my next holiday? This event will for many people looking at the USA ,the last straw. I really fear for your International tourist industry.