[packetswitch]

What is the status of the passenger who wishes to get a seat reservation for the first leg of a return trip, but does not know when they are coming back?

I assume that normal 'return' tickets as sold by IÉ are what would be 'open returns' in the UK - that is to say, the price or T&Cs are not relevant to the second leg, apart from a one-month timeout.

So (as our example) we take the college student Ms. McGillyhooley. She's in Dublin during the term but is heading home (to...Limerick Junction, for example). So she wants to book an online ticket (remember that student-fare tickets can't be bought from a walk-up ticket machine - you can either buy online-collect from machine, else you are stuck with the booking office). She knows what train she will travel on this week, but has no idea when she's coming back in January.

However, the system (it seems) will require her to reserve a seat for the return leg, otherwise the booking cannot be completed.

My questions:

a) What does she do when she actually picks the train she wants to travel back to Dublin on - who does she ring and how much information is IÉ supplying on how to do this? (i.e. let's assume she picks a random train and time for the return but then wishes to change this when she gets sick of Mammy and Daddy some time around New Year's Eve)

b) if these are in fact open returns, why not have an option to purchase without making a seat reservation for the return leg - even if reservations are mandatory, give the passenger an opportunity (by telephone or indeed by the website once more) to make a reservation for leg 2 at a later date.