It seems that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ new Lost and Found service has the objective of being as cute as possible. In addition to the human staff at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, KLM has introduced an adorable dog that is apparently able to find people based on the scent of their possessions — kind of like a bloodhound, except smaller and wearing a vest.

According to the airline, it receives 40,000 questions every week on social media, and one of the most-asked questions is about getting lost items back. KLM therefore decided to set up the Lost and Found team as a way to track down passengers and return their items to them using information like seat number, phone number and, of course, social media. Part of this social media strategy is Sherlock, a floppy-eared beagle who is given items found on planes and then follows the scent through the airport to return the items to their owners. Sherlock is specially trained for this task, and is also trained to be social with people/win your heart.

KLM says that so far, over 80 percent of the items that have been found have been returned to their rightful owners. It’s uncertain how many travelers will now be losing things on purpose in the hopes of getting a visit from Sherlock, but I think it’s safe to say the percentage will be quite high.

Sarah Alender

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