I made some test bookings and found one-way fares on China Eastern and Air China for about $2100 USD. Korean Air was about $1950. How long have you been in China? I know that some low-priced excursion fares often have a minimum stay requirement of as liitle as 7 and sometimes more than 30 days. This is to allow those traveling to see family, etc, a lower fare option as the airline can charge higher fares to business travelers who are flying to and from the states more frequently and with shorter stays at their destination. In an ironic twist of fate it's those same higer fares that "subsidize" the lower excursion fares and it is because your huusband is cutting his stay in China short that they are repricing the return portion at the higher fare. It is ashame they are not taking his individual situation into consideration however that is pretty much a given today with respect to air travel and non-refundable tickets.
Have you checked with a local travel agent in Kunming to see if there are any lower fares they can find to get your husband back to the states? Another suggestion would be to find a cheap fare from KMG to an international gateway city to get a less expensive ticket from the gateway city back to the US. For example, Philippine Air has a one-way ticket from HKG to LAX for about $1200 USD and MNL to LAX for $1150 on Delta.
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