Thomas Cook ‘deeply sorry’ over deaths

The chief executive of Thomas Cook has said he is “deeply sorry” about the deaths of two British children on holiday in Corfu in 2006.

Christi and Bobby Shepherd, from West Yorkshire, died from carbon monoxide poisoning at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel.

Peter Fankhauser said: “From the deepest of my heart I am sorry.”

An inquest jury ruled the children had been unlawfully killed and said Thomas Cook “breached its duty of care”.

The children’s parents Neil Shepherd and Sharon Wood have previously criticised Thomas Cook for not apologising to them directly after a letter of apology had been sent to them from the chief executive.

‘Going to change’

Mr Fankhauser has now told BBC Business Editor Kamal Ahmed he is “deeply sorry”.

“It is clear that there are things that we as a company could have done better in the past nine years,” he said.

“In particular the way we conducted our relationship with the family and this is something that we are going to change.”

He said he took responsibility for the way the company had communicated.

He also said he regretted saying Thomas Cook had done “nothing wrong” when giving evidence at the coroner’s court in Wakefield last week.

The holiday firm was awarded damages against the hotel’s owner in 2010.

Thomas Cook said its insurers had taken half the payout for legal costs and it donated the remainder to the children’s charity Unicef. BBC