Low-cost and other airlines are racing to fill the gaps left by Ryanair's carving up of the Buzz air service last week - and they may help stranded holidaymakers in the process.

Ryanair announced last Wednesday that it will suspend all 24 routes that Buzz operates from Stansted for the month of April, and will restart a maximum of nine from 1 May (see below). Customers must apply for refunds and rebook (if they so choose) even if their service will be resumed in May. Many people who have booked accommodation or hire cars at these destinations and those who have bought holiday homes near abandoned airports could be left out of pocket.

MyTravelLite is adding 17 extra flights during April to Malaga, Murcia and Alicante. 'We are offering these flights at Buzz prices for people who have lost Buzz flights to Murcia, Jerez or Almeria,' a spokeswoman said. Passengers should ring MyTravelLite and quote their Buzz booking number. Other customers will pay from £29 one way.

One potential drawback of this offer is that the flights depart from Birmingham. Speculation has mounted that MyTravelLite will be encouraged to expand into Gatwick. The spokeswoman said: 'We've had interest from every regional airport to host us but Gatwick has been the favourite.'

British Airways franchise operator GB Airways responded to the Ryanair announcement by launching flights from Gatwick to Toulon- Hyères, France, and Murcia, Spain. Toulon flights will start five times a week from 1 May, increasing to a daily service in the peak summer months and costing from £89 return including taxes. Thrice-weekly flights to Murcia will start on 20 May, with lead fares of £139 return including taxes. 'We are small enough to react quickly to fill holes in the market,' a spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile EasyJet has begun an advertising campaign with the invi tation 'If you've been told to buzz off, come and talk to us'. A spokeswoman said: 'We'll look at the increase in passengers as a result of their dropped routes and if enough use our flights we'll increase frequency.' Top of the bill would be Paris (where slots have been made available with the liquidation of French carrier Air Lib) and EasyJet's two continental hubs, Amsterdam and Geneva.

Simon Evans, director of the Air Transport Users' Council, said: 'It's good news for the air traveller that the others have come in so quickly to take up these dropped routes.'

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said: 'It became obvious quite quickly that this was a great opportunity for other airlines to pick up business.'

Passengers who have bookings on Buzz flights departing after 31 March will be offered a full refund of their fare if they call 0870 240 7070. But consumer organisations and Abta feel Ryanair should take the initiative to return money.

Ryanair claims the remaining Buzz operation will be closed down completely unless Buzz staff accept its job reduction and wage proposals. It plans to axe 400 of Buzz's 600 employees and has given the remaining 200 until 12 March to agree to its terms. If they do, tickets to 'reinstated' destinations will go on sale that day.

Consumer groups are upset by Ryanair's decision and its refusal to pay compensation beyond refunds, while tour operators in towns where flights have been dropped are already tightening their belts. The owner of a horse-riding centre near Dijon, Bernard Symzak has had to cancel a number of tours which were going to meet people off Buzz flights to Dijon which has been dropped by Ryanair. Maison de la France director Ann Noon said: 'Destinations like Dijon and Bergerac will continue to prove popular with the British market because of what they have to offer visitors and we're sure that people will find other ways of getting there.'

Ryanair claimed Buzz had been 'haemorrhaging' money, due largely to the lack of frequency of its flights, leaving it no choice but to make cuts.

Simon Evans said: 'We need to give Ryanair a break. If Buzz really was in the precarious position it seems it was, by taking over half of their programme Ryanair have saved passengers' money. If Buzz had gone down the pan all these consumers would have lost money.'

The airports that Ryanair has dropped go back into the pack of 'over 50 airports that we are in negotiation with at any one time', according to a spokesman. Last week Ryanair announced that, starting on 30 March, it will fly 12 times per weekend from Dublin to Malaga, Faro and Barcelona, and, from 30 May, to Blackpool.

But Evans sees an uncertain future for the low-cost airlines. 'They're a great novelty - people have been flying several times more a year - but this novelty will wear off. Expecting passenger demand for their services to grow at the same rate as at present is optimistic.'