There are lots of bargains to be found if you're planning to fly somewhere.

The first few days of the new year have seen a wave of air-fare sales across the airline industry.

It's not what the experts had expected in the aftermath of some deep cuts in capacity that took effect starting in September.

But with the drop in fuel prices, and the weak economy slowing demand for air travel, airlines are trying to lure people on board with lower fares.

AirTran Airways is offering a nationwide sale with one-way fares as low as $39. JetBlue is launching a sale involving more than 40 destinations. Southwest, American and United are also among the airlines that have offered discounts recently.

Last year, airlines cut jobs, sold planes, added new fees and took other steps to deal with losses expected to add up to $4 billion. But if oil prices remain low, some analysts expect the industry to be profitable this year.