You will learn to cover your best bets. Make a guess, and purchase refundable. Sometimes, even two itineraries. Someone alluded to SW....here is some more about them:
Book one way tickets (as there is no discount for round trip). That way, if something changes one day, you aren’t loosing a good fare on the other leg of travel.
Cancelled flights go into your bank, as discussed. But if you make a frequent flyer account, it’s all kept there and you don’t have to keep track of record locators. It’s all in your account.
Cancelled flight refunded dollars are good for a certain amount of time. However, you can exchange those dollars, into points (again, frequent flyer membership...), that never expire. Additionally, points can be used for anyone (vs dollars from a cancelled flight are only good for original traveler).
There really isn’t a better all around airline, that’s more easily used by mids (and family) than SW. IMO. They have close ties with USNA through their BWI heavy presence, and are very supportive of military. They also have very competitive fares...always the cheapest from our town!
We all currently have a bank of points, and refunded tickets in our accounts. And also have their credit card and earn a great deal of points for travel monthly. Haven’t paid for flights for over 2 years. But other people have other priorities.