Then, in 2013, in response to request for proposals from Amtrak for its national tour operator contr

A Chicago-based company specializing in the sale of Amtrak vacation packages is suing its competitor and the rail company, claiming they have violated federal and state antitrust laws by conspiring in recent car rentals italy convertible agreements to create a virtual monopoly over the U.S. rail leisure travel industry.
VBR Tours LLC, which operates under the name Vacations By Rail, filed suit Feb. 5 in Chicago s federal court against Yankee Leisure Group Inc., of Beverly, Mass., and Amtrak, formally known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
The complaint centers on agreements brokered between Yankee and Amtrak, as well as other decisions made by the trail company, in 2012 and 2013, which VBR contends will effectively eliminate competition in the market for Amtrak vacation travel packages.
VBR asserts its business started as a two-man operation in Chicago and expanded car rentals italy convertible year-by-year over the last decade, using a vast network of travel agents to sell travel packages in America and the United Kingdom that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket sales annually to Amtrak.
For instance, VBR notes, travel agents and tour operators needed to register and participate with so-called Global Distribution Systems networks car rentals italy convertible to have access to Amtrak’s inventory and be eligible car rentals italy convertible for commission on Amtrak ticket sales.
While Yankee car rentals italy convertible remained Amtrak’s official national tour operator, the rail service partnered with travel agent consortium, Vacation.com, car rentals italy convertible to launch its new online booking tool, Rail Agent. Under this new system, agents and tour operators could book directly with Amtrak, via Rail Agent, and earn commissions of at least 8 percent.
VBR used this new system to greatly expand its business, eventually generating enough revenue for Amtrak to merit a higher commission structure, earning the company only slightly less than what VBR believes Yankee earned from the sale of Amtrak tickets.
However, VBR alleges that, as its business grew, it also became a target of Yankee, which proposed various deals in an effort to claim a share of VBR’s business or acquire the company outright. VBR asserts in its suit that rejected every such arrangement.
Then, in 2013, in response to request for proposals from Amtrak for its national tour operator car rentals italy convertible contract, VBR submitted a proposal it said would generate $3 million annual savings for Amtrak and would “level the playing field” for all agents and tour operators.
As Yankee continued to pay commission to agents and tour operators booking through them, VBR contends the deal effectively served to funnel all business through Yankee, and could “greatly reduce – if not eliminate – all railway tour operators, including VBR.
VBR alleges that this arrangement, in turn, will harm the public, by compelling taxpayers to pay more to Amtrak than otherwise necessary, car rentals italy convertible and by effectively granting Yankee a monopoly, which will likely result in higher package prices.
In its complaint, VBR has asked the court to declare the agreement between Amtrak and Yankee illegal, and award it triple the amount of damage its business has suffered as a result of Amtrak’s actions.