What flight numbers were on your tickets when they sent them out please?

First Choice are no longer an airline. It is all Thomsons although some still have First Choice livery. Thomsons seem to have had few aircraft changes recently and there are a couple more to come that I know of from reading TA. Was your inbound flight on Arkefly?
All our charter airlines cover themselves for aircraft changes in their Terms and Conditions but that doesn't make it right.
Irrespective of which airline operates the flight you will still have the same flight numbers.
We are flying with Thomsons to Cuba in March and have booked premium. My hubby has long legs and he could just manage the flight with 33" legroom although, having had a PE, it could dangerous from a health point of view. We will have to make judgement call at the time if similar happens to us.
Whether you are entitled to compensation or not there is nothing stopping you from trying. They do have a duty of care to give you refreshments if your delay is over 5 hours.
We got bumped from Thomsons to Thos Cook outbound a few years ago and had a 12.5 hour delay. We did get half our premium upgrade back and managed to 'extract' some more besides but it was a long battle.

sorry for the late reply Glynis - our tickets were TOM094/095. we have since had a letter from tui saying that they offer a minimal seat pitch of 33" for all longhaul destinations and that all airlines have to adhere to the guidelines set by the CAA with regards to this. the return aircraft was changed due to operational reasons and they would not be giving any compensation for this. they did enclose a cheque for £30 as a refund for the cost of the meals(?) on the return flight. there were four of us travelling.the trouble is the outward bound flight did not have a seat pitch of 33". Sunaddict - the return flight was Arkefly and it was a really poor plane and service. the food was dried to a crisp and the crackers were out of date and the butter curdled. breakfast was just inedible - and i'm not being fussy, i'm one of the rare few who actually dont mind airline food - lol! but to have no drinks or refreshments at all available to purchase on a 9 hour flight did make for a pretty miserable trip!
thanks

If the CAA are saying there has to be a minimum of 33" leg room that is news to me. Someone should tell Monarch. Their longhaul is only 30 in economy, and I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed to get away with it.
The only ruling I am aware of is that the minimum distance between the back support cushion of a seat and the back of the seat or other fixed structure in front is approximately 66 cms (26" approx).
If you want some compensation for your outbound flight you are going to have to fight for it.

Your inbound does sound grim! If there was no water available hubby would have a real health issue.

i'm not expecting compensation for the outward bound flight - as said before airline companies cover themselves in their terms and conditions. the flight was ok for me as i'm only 5ft but my husband spent the whole flight with the seat in front reclined and almost in his face! but i am annoyed about our return journey. one drink with our meal and then a crew member walking through with a bottle of water and paper cups once midflight to offer a drink is not really satisfactory for such a long flight. when i approached the cabin staff to ask to purchase a drink i was told it was not possible, and they were only permitted to serve drinks with a meal. so what do you do then - drink the water in the toilets? think i'll contact thompson?firstchoice again and clarify this, and see what they have to say.
thanks

bushbaby
Sorry I misunderstood you.
I would definitely contact First Choice again. Changing aircraft is one thing, but a lack of water on a long haul flight is far from satisfactory. There has to be a health issue there.
With cramped seats and lack of water, hubby would probably end up with another embolism.