It could never have been done internationally since they would match the names with the passport.

Before the FAA required all passengers to have postive ID match, you could have booked the ticket with your friend's name and used his certs.

Methinks that the FAA made the ID-rule to close this loophole, rather than in the interest of safety.

Actually, on second thought, you could get a fake ID with your pic and friend's name, then book the ticket under his name, using his upgrades, and pretend to be him. is it worth it??