Boy, your leaps of logic should get you an Olympic medal.
I said if someone wanted to pay a fee to change a name on a ticket they'd already purchased, not sell it to someone else. I.E., they'd have to be physically present at the gate. Hell, they used to do this years ago, it wasn't that hard. I've done it in the past, well before 9/11. The airlines were more than okay with it, as they already had their money.
Things went downhill with the airlines after 9/11. It’s as if they took their cues from TSA. They adopted a “zero tolerance” attitude which prevented the flight crews from using common sense, and didn’t allow them any leeway in making decisions based on the situation on hand.
The result? We have “Rulz Is Rulz” and lawyers getting involved, with their generous cut when passengers sue.
The pendulum will eventually swing back, I assume, and the skies will get more friendly - either that, or certain airlines won’t survive the litigation.