There had been a problem with people buying tickets under one name and showing up under another. They were doing this to avoid prosecution for crimes committed or to perhaps commit a crime on the plane itself.
Actually, they were doing this because they had a friend who wasn't able to take the flight, or their company didn't know which employee was going to be able to fly at the time the ticket was purchased, etc.
The airlines hated this because they wanted to be able to charge extra for last-minute bookings, etc.
In order to solve the problem, the government developed a minimally invasive process. The ticket-holder provides Photo ID matching the ticket.
Nope. The requirement for photo IDs was adopted by the airlines on their own, without a government mandate.
The airlines hated this because they wanted to be able to charge extra for last-minute bookings, etc.
I remember years ago you could look in the want ads and buy tickets cheap from people that could not use them for whatever reason. It was great. If you bought an inexpensive seat way in advance and something came up you could always sell it at a loss but still get some of your money back. Now you buy a ticket there are no refunds and they are non-transferable. This forces people to either pay full fare to be able to make changes or just eat the ticket.
I am not sure how it became common practice - either by law or the airlines own policies - but it has been a real windfall for the airlines.