Continental gives us the shaft
 

My husband & I are on Social Security and unemployed respectively and decided to go on one more vacation and selected Cancun as we had visited there in the past and had a wonderful time:). We gathered all the information we thought we needed for the trip i.e. a driver’s license and a birth certificate but when we were checking in our baggage at Continental Airlines when we were told we couldn’t board the plane without “passports”:(. We had been to Cancun and Jamaica many times, even in 2006, and we were never required to have passports. We were told due to 911 the rules had changed and a passport was now needed to visit Cancun. This came to a shock to us as we were not aware of this change but even worse we were told that a refund was entirely up to the airline who declined o provide a refund:eek:.

Whenever your going anywhere internationally you should bring your passport, it is a requirement

it does say pretty clearly on the continental website and when you book the ticket that you need your passport

It's a immegration thing that stops you from flying and continental would be fined if they let you on, and then you would be sent backto the US

I'm sorry you missed out on what would have beena great vacation

Well, hate to say it, but it is up to the passenger to make sure all their travel documents are in order. You last flew internationally in 2006. That's four years ago. The laws changed about two years ago requiring all air travel out of, and back into the US to require a passport. It was everywhere in the news, and on news and travel website.

In the four years since you traveled out of the country, you can't assume the laws haven't changed.

I'm really sorry your vacation was ruined, but this is in no way Continental's fault. It would have been nice if they gave you a refund, but as before, having all your papers is your responsibility, and yours alone.

How did they fill out the APIS without a passport?
https://www.continental.com/web/en-U.../passport.aspx

Usually on the side of the passenger, but really, in this climate, to expect to travel internationally without a passport suggests someone who never reads a newspaper or watches the news...

The didn't. They got to the ticket counter and were asked for their passports, which they did not have, and as such they didn't proceed any further.