Military Fares
Military fares are negotiated with the government and usually cover the government's fiscal year. The military fares do allow changes without without penalty but the same inventory must be available on the flight you are looking to change to. There may be lower fares for the same itinerary but they have restrictions that charge for changes. Many times when a deployment is scheduled the military fares for that particular city (where the base is located) are booked quickly. I work in reservations for one of the major airlines and all the military fares I have seen are good until July 31. That is when new fares will be applied as negotiated with the government.
Reservations and finding a fare you like is like investing in the stock market or buying something on eBay - it is a dynamic environment, changing constantly. If you decide to buy a stock @ $20/share and wait an hour that price may not be available due to others buying and selling that same stock. The airlines have a certain number of seats available for each fare and there are many fares for each flight. Once lower fares are purchased, the price goes to the next higher fare and so on. Try to find a ticket to Rio for Carnival - they are booked 11 months in advance! If you find a fare and itinerary you can live with book it and put it on hold for 24 hours and then you can do further shopping on the internet.
People constantly ask me if that fare will be available tomorrow. I don't know what events are going on at your destination that would make people want to go there on that particular date or if a family reunion just booked 25 seats on the plane. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw to find the right fare. Flying for business, most people want to go early in the day and return in the evening. These flights will be booked early and if you wait they will be more expensive. If you can move your flight time to the middle of the day the fare will usually be lower. On vacations at resorts most people want to arrive early and fly out later in the morning. Usually you can get a much lower fare if you return early in the morning in this situation. By changing the flight times by an hour or two you can sometimes cut the fare in half. Good luck!
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