Originally Posted by
EnhancedByCO
[...]
In the end, I'm not out of pocket anything, as this is just going to get passed along to my client since they were the ones who caused the change in schedule, but I did want to warn others that it appears that you're almost always better off booking a traditional fare and then paying the change fee if you need to change your ticket.
(My emphasis.)
I would demur,
if you're not likely to want to change the route, but might well want to change to a flight on a different day / at a different time.
(Bear in mind that, with a flexibility window of -1 week to +3 weeks, it's possible to 'flex for the best flexi price', though you can't change the flight until 24 hours after purchase.)
Ultimately it all depends on one's individual circumstances, uncertain as they may be, when it comes to weighing up the options and possible costs.