Airlines offer some cheap last-minute fares to Europe

If you've been holding off on a summer trip to Europe, you may be able to save big bucks on last-minute travel this month.

Airlines usually wait to discount fares until the peak summer season ends in early September, but they've recently dropped fares for travel. .

While the fares are valid for travel through Oct. 26, you'll find the biggest savings for travel through Aug. 31, since summer airfares were previously quite expensive. Many travelers gave up on trying to snag a summer fare to Europe, and now the airlines have had to slash those fares for travel through the end of August because they have empty seats. Tickets for this sale must be purchased by Wednesday. Fares are cheapest for travel Mondays through Thursdays and are $30 higher for travel Fridays through Sundays. Most major U.S. airlines and international carriers are offering these sale fares. (From Seattle, both British Airways and Northwest had round-trip fares to London for about $1,100 for an Aug. 31 departure.)

If you have already bought tickets, you could get air travel credit if the fare has gone down. Although many airlines are charging a change fee of up to $250 on international tickets, the amount you could save with this price drop could be substantial enough to justify a change in tickets. Call your travel agent or airline to check the price to rebook.

Seattle Times Travel staff contributed to this report.