Lisa Ray says AI 'denied' medical waiver for her ailing father, airline says actor's claims 'unfounded'

New Delhi: "Where's the empathy," asked actor-model Lisa Ray after Air India "denied" her a waiver when she had to change her travel plans due to her 92-year-old father's ill health.

In its response, Air India said Ray's claim that the airline didn't display empathy for her unwell father is "unfounded".

Ray, known for starring in movies such as Kasoor, Water and Bollywood/Hollywood, tagged the air carrier in a post on X on Wednesday. Her travel destination was not known.

"Here we go again @airindia My father is 92, unwell and I have to cancel travel due to his ailing condition. Submitted doctors letter and the waiver was denied? How is that possible? Where is the empathy from an airline that is claiming to care about passengers???" she wrote.

On Thursday, an Air India spokesperson issued a statement saying: "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." According to the airline, Ray had purchased the ticket from "a travel agent and had first reached out to the travel agent, and not to Air India".

"After the passenger raised the matter to Air India, the Air India team reached out to her and, as an exception, offered solutions that included a free date change or a one-year period to utilise the tickets for future travel. She declined the offer and requested for a full refund of her ticket, instead," the spokesperson said.

"We urge the media to restrain itself from maligning the reputation of the airline without corroborating facts. Air India flies millions of passengers and such misleading news reports belie the airline's resolve to customer centricity and empathy," they added.

On Wednesday, the official X handle of Air India responded to Ray's post, saying: "Dear Ms. Ray, we empathize with your concern and wish your father a speedy recovery. Please help us with the email address from which you've written to us or the case ID (if any) via DM. We'll look into it." The 52-year-old actor then shared a screenshot of the mail she received from her travel agent, saying there was "no medical waiver" available.

"Dear Ms. Ray, we wish to speak with you to address your concern promptly and would request you to share your contact details along with a convenient time to connect via DM," the airline had replied.