Originally Posted by
WillTravel4Food
(1) Who would take a water bottle from a seat-back pocket without knowing the provenance of said bottle?
I don't see any issue if the bottle hasn't been opened and you can fairly easily checked if the bottle has been opened before.
Originally Posted by
WillTravel4Food
(2) Who, given the severe lack of freebies on US airlines, would assume that the bottle was placed there for her convenience?
Well, there are people buying every week lottery tickets with the words "This time, it gotta be me!!!"
You've got your money back. Buy a new bottle. The end.