Mike,

Looks like your best bet might be Frontier through Denver. America West flies direct for a bit more out of DFW, but, you're right, you are paying too much no matter who you chose. AA wants to fly everyone through LAX to go anywhere west of you. They used to be my airline of choice, most direct flights from here. They bought up a handful of smaller airlines that had direct flights at a cheaper rate, then removed those flights from the schedules. Smaller planes running shorter routes making a profit is what they bought, and they eliminated them.

Sheesh!

Bob