Right, so that goes back to my original point - it's other countries not letting a passport-less person in. The airlines have no other choice but to accept the fact.
An airline denied my passport (had gone through the wash) I had just returned from Canada and had used the passport, in the same condition, in the country I was going to. But the airline didn't care. They said they could be fined $25000 for bringing a passenger without a valid passport plus they would have to return me.