I'm in a similar situation to the OP, especially since I fly out of DEN (the CRJ-2 capital of the world). What I've found is that connections are often cheaper than non-stop RJ flights (which makes the accountants happy), and that 3.5 hours on a mainline jet is often preferable to 2 hours on the Devils Chariot (kudos to whoever came up with that appellation). I'll only opt for the additional segments if it actually saves my employer and if I have enough scheduling leeway to insure that I can make it to my final destination in plenty of time.