Lisa Ray Lambasts Air India On X For Denying Medical Waiver For Ailing Father
Ray, who had planned a family vacation to Udaipur with her twin daughters, had to cancel her trip due to her 92-year-old father’s illness.
Indian-Canadian actor Lisa Ray has criticised Air India for refusing to grant a medical waiver for her ailing father, despite providing a doctor's letter. Expressing her frustration on social media, Ray stated that her intent was not to target the airline but to raise awareness about passenger rights.
"The reason I shared this on social media is that people should know their rights. Many of us are unclear about what we are entitled to," Ray told NDTV Profit.
Ray, who had planned a family vacation to Udaipur with her twin daughters, had to cancel her trip due to her 92-year-old father’s illness. She obtained a medical waiver from his neurosurgeon and submitted it to Air India via her travel agent. However, she did not receive a response.
In contrast, her cancellation with Emirates for a Dubai-Mumbai flight was processed smoothly with the waiver being accepted. "But Air India did not reply to my travel agent. After being advised to tweet about the issue, I finally got a response, but it was unhelpful," she said.
Lack Of Transparency And Empathy
Air India claimed her ticket was non-refundable, despite her confirmation that it was fully refundable. They later asked for more documentation to establish her relationship with her father.
Ray highlighted how customer service inconsistencies make Air India’s policies unclear. "My travel agent said refund decisions depend on the representative handling the case—some passengers get full refunds, while others get nothing. That’s not how an airline should operate," she said.
She further criticised the lack of transparency, citing the high cancellation fee for her Mumbai-Udaipur ticket. "My ticket was around Rs 5,000, and the cancellation charge was Rs 4,000, which is absurd," she said.
A social media manager from Air India eventually contacted her via WhatsApp, stating that her request could not be accepted as a medical waiver. However, the airline offered her the chance to rebook the flight within a year, provided she covered the fare difference.
Later in the evening, Air India issued a statement confirming Ray's claims that the airlines offered solutions that included a free date change or a one-year period to utilise the tickets for future travel, which she declined and requested a full refund of her ticket, instead.
"While fully empathising with the passenger, we would like to put forth the following clarifications," the airlines issued a statement. "The claim that Air India did not display empathy for her unwell father is unfounded, as the passenger herself mentioned that she is booked to fly Air India along with two other co-passengers that does not include her father, whose medical documents she has submitted," the statement said.
Air India stated that the passenger had purchased the ticket from a travel agent and had first reached out to the travel agent, not to Air India.
Air India's Recent Troubles
Ray’s grievance adds to a series of issues Air India faced this year:
March 5: AI Flight 126 (Chicago-Delhi) had to turn back mid-air after 8 out of 12 lavatories stopped functioning, causing discomfort on a long-haul journey.
Feb. 22: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticised Air India's service after experiencing a "broken and sunken" seat, calling the airline’s post-Tata upgrade a "misconception."
Jan. 5: Flight 2820 (Bengaluru-Delhi) made an emergency landing after an engine shut down mid-air.
