<< We'd have a system of airline ticket scalpling and that wouldn't help consumers or airlines. >>

We already have ticket scalping; it's done by the airlines instead of other people.

When you buy a ticket to a popular sporting event, you pay $X. If you wait until the last minute and go to the stadium to buy a ticket, it's 10 times $X -- the "walk-up price". Worse yet, if you can't go to the game, at least you can give it (or sell it) to someone else. You can't even give an airline ticket to a family member.

This bill un-scalps the air fare structure we have today. Not to worry, there won't be ticket hoarding. Airlines aren't that stupid. They will charge only slightly more for last-minute travel; a difference small enough to discourage scalping/squatting/hoarding.

Since most tickets purchased are cheap, and a few are expensive, the resulting lowest fare would not be significantly higher. The resulting highest fare would be drastically lower.