HH6702
You beat me to it in making this point.
For example in my neck of the woods it was announced two or three months ago that CWL would have a 738 based there next summer as well as the usual 757 (there is also a part time based 763 for transatlantics).
Furthermore, as you say, the announcement today is not really news at all because the flights have been in the Tui brochures for some time, or at least the ones I have checked such as CWL and NCL have been.
Again echoing you, this just seems a marketing ploy to give further publicity to the flights, pointing out that they can be used for 'low cost' seat only deals as well as for the Tui inclusive tour holidays already marketed.
I also concur with what others have suggested earlier in this thread in asking whether it wouldn't make things easier for the public to understand if the entire Thomsonfly fleet was branded as one entity with availability for 'low cost' flights as well as Tui holidays? Or is this already happening, with today's publicity another step along the line to full integration of the low cost and charter fleets?
In the old days didn't the Britannia fleet offer seat-only deals on some of its flights? Is this another re-invention of the wheel?