'Consider the prune': Customer's request to Air New Zealand goes viral

A customer who suggested Air New Zealand replace its lollies with prunes is being slammed on social media for his suggestion.

Freddie Coltart‎ took to Facebook to suggest to the airline that, rather than its usual lollies, it should consider handing out a "healthier" option such as prunes.

"When I was flying a few weeks ago I noticed that a little boy was handing out sweets on the flight. I know you've been doing this for years but don't you think this might have become outdated? Kids eating sweets is bad for their dental and physical health," he wrote on the airline's Facebook page.

"In saying this I do understand these sweets are part of your brand. So I propose a healthier alternative ... What about handing out single-serving prunes instead? As one of NZ's biggest brands it would be good to be encouraging clean eating and healthy digestion."

"Consider the prune," he added.

His post quickly went viral, with more than 6000 reactions and 5000 comments.

However, despite Coltart's best intentions, not a lot of people agree that Air New Zealand should "consider the prune" and some have slammed the suggestion as "ridiculous".

"If you wanna eat prunes - you go for your life ... but leave our Air NZ Lollies alone," someone else said.

"The reason why Air New Zealand hands out sweets before landing is because it gives something for passengers to stuck on to allow their ears to pop during the decent. I myself look forward to the lollies as I have very bad ears. I don't think a prune will do the trick," a Facebook user commented.

"Not enough toilets onboard to unleash the prune I am thinking," another person said.

Air New Zealand has responded to the comment saying the feedback has been received and #thepruneswillbeconsidered.