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Military Air Fare
Hi! I've lurked a little here and there, but I have a question that Google is not really helping me with. H and I are trying to plan a trip home for early June, but because he will be switching units shortly after that, we're not 100% sure how his leave situation will work out. We can't wait until it's approved, because plane tickets will then cost $800-$1000 each by that time. (The joys of living in the middle of nowhere.)
I've heard that Delta has a military desk. Can someone tell me about it? Basically, do they allow you to change flights without orders? H suggested we try to go through something like that to get these tickets so we don't have to pay $300 extra in change fees if things don't work out like we want. Any advice is appreciated!
Also, I'm Jess, and H is ADAF stationed at Minot AFB. I'm a substitute teacher and working on applying for a full-time position in the fall. No kids, but we have Zuzu, a border collie/lab mix. 
Re: Military Air Fare
Not sure about Delta, but I have used American Airlines military fares. They aren't always cheaper than buying a normal non-refundable ticket, but with AA, you can change the flights around if you need to, and only pay the differential in fares, instead of paying the change fee as well. So, basically, they don't charge the change fee.
It has come in handy for me on one of the trips I made to visit DH at a training school he was attending. He had given me the wrong dates to visit, initially, and as things turned out, the days I had booked my tickets for were days when his class would be in the field. I was able to change the tickets to the following weekend. I think I had to pay a small amount to cover the difference in fares for the two weekends, but that was it.
ETA: probably more pertinent - this was me (the spouse) travelling for leisure, not on orders, and I simply asked the rep I got on my first phone call if I could include military fares in the searches for the flights I wanted. I did not need to be sent to another phone line. I was not charged a fee for changing the dates (again, this travel had no orders, so none were involved in requesting the change of date), but I was charged the amount that the second set of tickets were priced above the first set. So, say I bought tickets for the first weekend for $350, and then the following weekend I ended up needing was a more popular travel weekend, and the tickets for that weekend were $400, I had to come up with the $50 difference. I did have to present my military dependent ID card when I checked in.
This was some years ago, though, so it is possible that they have changed their military fare policies. It would be worth asking for details on the program.
There's no hard and fast rule with this stuff.
When you get a military fare, it's a discounted ticket. However (and this is the important part), sometimes it's a discounted refundable ticket, which makes it more expensive than a regular online ticket. Sometimes it's a discounted nonrefundable which makes it cheaper than anything. What you're offered usually depends on availability.
Based on the ticket you get, that's what determines the fare rules about change fees. Whenever I book a mil fare I ask them to reiterate the rules, and they're different every time. Usually, they waive the change fees, but it's more based on the kindness of the agent.
One more thing, I haven't tried UA since their merger with continental. I do know, though, they have a much nicer baggage policy for mil, now. So, maybe their mil rates are nicer, too.