I am conditionally OK with phoney names.
I don't really care if an agent or TSO or clerk or anyone else uses a fictitious name as long as they use something consistent and that can be used to identify them to their employer and supervisor.
If I have a problem with TSO Badge #12345 that's ok as long as TSA knows that Badge #12345 is John Jonz. If an FA uses Sarah Jane Smith on her name badge and I send a letter praising her work/attitude I want the airline to know who I am referring to.
I can understand that customer-facing people may not want to identify themselves to the general public but as long as their supervisor and company knows their real identity I'm OK with that.
I worked with someone who explained that he uses a different name when speaking with customers but when someone asked for Mike North, it always went to him and his supervisor knew who Mike North was. His real name was unusual enough that a customer could look in the phone book and find him very easily. He did not want to deal with the possibility (although very unlikely) that a customer may want to find him directly.
This opinion does not apply to a business-to-business situation.