Etihad Airways review: Complaint for overbooking seat flight

Dear Etihad Airways Customer Relations,
I am writing to formally complain about the unacceptable experience I had with my recent Etihad Airways flight number 9COCCH from Abu dhabi to Jordan .
I arrived at the airport approximately three hours before my scheduled departure, well within the recommended check-in time. Despite holding a confirmed reservation that I had booked around one month in advance, I was informed at the check-in counter that the flight was fully booked and that I could not be checked in. I was asked to wait until all other passengers had completed check-in to determine whether a seat would become available.
I spent approximately 30 minutes waiting and discussing the issue with the airport staff, worried that I would be denied boarding despite having a valid ticket and arriving early.
Only after contacting customer support was I informed that the only available seat was an exit-row seat, for which I was required to pay an additional AED 120. I had no real choice but to pay this amount, as the alternative was to be moved to a later flight. This was clearly not an optional upgrade but a forced purchase in order to travel on the flight I had already paid for.
This experience caused unnecessary stress, inconvenience, and financial loss. I find it completely unacceptable that Etihad Airways oversold the flight and placed the consequences of that decision on a passenger who had done everything correctly by booking well in advance and arriving at the airport on time.
I therefore request:
● A full refund of the AED 120 that I was forced to pay for the exit-row seat.
● Appropriate compensation for the inconvenience and distress caused by this incident. Given the circumstances, I believe compensation in the form of a partial refund of my ticket fare, a travel voucher, would be a fair and reasonable resolution.
I trust that Etihad Airways values its customers and will handle this matter promptly and fairly.
I look forward to receiving your response.
Kind regards,
Jana Khalid

View 0 more photos