Why Hawaiian Airlines is a new smart choice to New Zealand.

Time to refine your mental world map. Hawaii and New Zealand just got a lot closer, thanks to very important changes at Hawaiian Airlines on its New Zealand route.

In short: New lie-flat Business Class seats have arrived on its fleet of A330-200s, along with special fares to New Zealand.

Adventure travelers take note: Fares don’t even require an advance-purchase! In other words, you can wake up one morning and buy a walk-up fare. Wake up and walk up at the right time, and you can save 55% ($4,865) off normal Business Class fares offered by the other major airlines flying to New Zealand.

Hawaiian Airlines New Business Class Seat

It's on A330-200s from Honolulu to Auckland, as well as to Tokyo, Sydney, and Brisbane. And on Feb. 18, it made its debut on the New York-Honolulu route. (See alert here for more details.)

The 18 Business Class seats are configured 2x2x2, convert to a 76-inch-long flat-bed, are 20.5 inches wide, with a 13-inch monitor, two USB ports, and full AC power.

Special Business Class Fares to New Zealand

Hawaiian Airlines offers low Business Class fares year-round (no-advance purchase and no-minimum stay is required). The fares allow a free stop each way in Honolulu—think of it as a free second destination. Hawaiian Airlines flies non-stop from 11 U.S. cities—including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to Honolulu (route map here and here), where you make the connection to New Zealand and Australia.

The airline’s Los Angeles-Auckland Business Class fare is $3,628, whereas American and Air New Zealand charge $4,820 with a 50-day advance-purchase requirement. The fare zooms to $7,611 (52%) if you miss that deadline.

New York and other U.S. Gateways: When it comes to trip-planning, most of us are Point A to Point B thinkers. In other words, we typically only search for non-stop flights. It’s understandable. Time is scarce, changing planes is tiring. But on New York-Auckland you have to stop somewhere, so why not Honolulu, especially if the stop is free? (A First Class ticket to Hawaii can easily cost $2,000+.) Honolulu could also be a good place to stop for many as it is mid-way from New York: It's 11 hours NY-Honolulu and 9.5 Honolulu-Auckland.

Hawaiian's New York-Auckland Business Class fare is $3,960, whereas American charges $6,034 (50-day advance- purchase requirement) and $8,825 if you miss the deadline. The connection is in LA and you have to ask yourself, isn't Honolulu more come-hither as a stopover? Especially if I can save $4,865 (55%) and spend a few nights at a five-star hotel.

Misc. to Know

Seasons: Lowest fares are now through July 18, Aug. 4 through Oct.3, and Oct. 19 through Dec. 18.

Maximum stay: 1 month

Earn Miles: American, Delta, or Hawaiian’s own program.

Hold-friendly Airlines: Hawaiian will hold a fare from three to seven days to Auckland. Cost: $6.99 to $8.99.