When I was a kid there were classified ads like "Pan Am NYC Dec 20-28, E. Smith, $200 o.b.o" for people who wanted to resell their ticket because they couldn't make the trip. There were no id checks then.

In the 1990s the airplanes jumped at the opportunity to have required id checks so they could take control of the secondary market.

It was still possible to buy a ticket like "E. Smith", but that option was cut off a few years later.