Richard Branson sure thinks so.

He’s calling the 11-airline “oneworld” alliance that includes BA, American Airlines, Iberia and others – “disastrous” – and claims it will allow the “two largest dominant carriers to increase their stranglehold by setting price together and agreeing schedules.”

The flamboyant head of the Virgin empire added, “it will be the end of red-hot competition.”

A spokesman for American Airlines responded that Sir Richard’s comments were “rife with overgeneralizations, hyperbole and just plain old inaccuracies.” But Branson is pressing his case with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, asking them to block the deal that would grant the alliance anti-trust immunity.

If you thought the new, higher bag fees for airport bag check-in on United and US Airways were disheartening, wait’ll you hear this:

Starting next week, Europe’s discount carrier Ryanair will begin charging passengers 10 pounds (that’s $15+) to print out an electronic boarding pass. It had been free.

And woe to those who show up at the airport without that boarding pass – those passengers will have to shell out another 40 pounds — $61-as a “re-issue fee”!

Yes, Ryanair’s flights are cheap – extremely cheap – but when you start adding up all their fees, and the effort involved in keeping track of them all, it makes you wonder if it’s worth it…