Hi! I need to fly DEN-KUL on a semi-annual (or so) basis, because I live in Denver with my husband but I'm from Kuala Lumpur (and my family is still there.) Flights from DEN-KUL tend to be on the super-expensive side, IMHO, or maybe I'm just not used to getting charged $6000+ for a US-Asia trip (I've been flying between US and Asia for quite a few years now, and never had to pay this much originating elsewhere; paid 106,000 yen for TYO-DEN round trip in 2009.)

My mother really wants me home this December, but the absolute cheapest flight I've seen costs $3000 or so and requires me staying there a month. I'd feel terrible leaving my husband alone for a month, but just haven't been able to find any flights to make a two-week trip work unless I book DEN-LAX on one airline and then LAX-KUL on another. Besides, that $3000 is a LOT, especially now that I'm unemployed, we're living on my husband's income alone, and I start a MS program in January.

So after that LONG foreword, here are my questions:

1. How does it compare taking two flights on two different tickets for one final destination? What should I watch out for or be wary of? I'm already worried about flight delays and getting checked luggage... T_T

2. Any suggestions on doing it in a way that costs less than USD2000?