I agree, to an extent. Currently, all airlines employees do have a badge, with an employee I.D. number. If you experience poor treatment, you can get that employees' name, and employee number. The employee, and airline, can be reported to the airline, itself, as well as the DOT, and if need be, if it concerns safety, the FAA. I realize this doesn't completely solve what you are talking about -- meaning the airline may, or may not do anything to the employee, as may be the case if a license number were reported to the DOT, where a record would be kept on the person. Keep in mind, pilots go through training, and have a license. Despite this, they aren't required to give a passenger their license number. The only person they have to surrender that to, upon request, is the FAA. The gate agent may have a license, but it may not be required of them to surrender that information to a passenger, at request, even if they wear the badge on them. It would also still be, as often is now, the airline agent's word, against the passenger's word. Unless multiple people report the same incident, there may be no grounds to pursue anything against the agent.
Most airports do have cameras. The airport I work at, has cameras everywhere, that are controlled, and monitored by the airport police. These cameras are at the gates, and ticket counters, among other locations. Not all airports may have this, but most airports do have cameras, which monitor these areas.
One thing people need to do more of, is report their complaints to the DOT, and the FAA. If you think about it, the customer relations departments, for the airlines, are the airlines --- they aren't going to go over, and beyond to compensate people. I've heard people make the threat, "I'm reporting this to customer service". Well, customer service works for the airline, as well. They may offer something, but as many find out, they rarely do. Better to go above the airline, itself. Remember, the same airline that hired the rude agents, also hired the people working in customer service, and also tells the people in customer service how to handle, or lack thereof, complaints. Go to the DOT and the FAA. Go to the DOT for issues regarding the airline not holding it's end of the contract, or treating passengers poorly, and contact the FAA pertaining to issues regarding safety.
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