Etihad Airways Charges Extra Fee for Family Seating

My family and I experienced significant inconvenience on our Bangkok–Istanbul flight with Etihad Airways on September 3. Although my wife, our 6-year-old child, and I purchased our tickets together in a single booking, the system did not seat us together, and we were told that we would have to sit separately. When we wanted to select seats so that we could sit together as a family, we were asked to pay an additional fee of more than approximately $41.

I cannot accept the fact that an airline as large as Etihad Airways appears to disregard family seating to such an extent and considers it acceptable for a young child to sit separately from their parents. I request that family members traveling under a single reservation, especially when a young child is involved, be seated together and that the additional seat selection fee charged to us be canceled so that the inconvenience we have experienced can be resolved.