HNL to KOA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole · 163 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HNL or KOA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Honolulu (HNL) to Kona (KOA) arrived on time 86% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 2% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (91% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (82%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (95% on time); around 4pm did worst (75%).
- Sunday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Friday the least (81%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (52%).
Which airline is most on time from HNL to KOA?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 91% | 0.8% | 5 min | 1.7% | 1,770 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 88% | 0.9% | 6 min | 1.9% | 2,235 |
| Alaska Airlines | 82% | 1.5% | 9 min | 2.6% | 3,229 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%190 flights
- 6am95%672 flights
- 7am94%352 flights
- 8am91%403 flights
- 9am94%768 flights
- 10am88%447 flights
- 11am81%438 flights
- 12pm77%362 flights
- 1pm77%650 flights
- 2pm77%285 flights
- 3pm78%365 flights
- 4pm75%301 flights
- 5pm85%727 flights
- 6pm86%272 flights
- 7pm82%284 flights
- 8pm91%473 flights
- 9pm86%245 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday88%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday84%1.7% cancelled
- Friday81%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday86%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday90%0.6% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)52%
- Late-arriving aircraft37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)58%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Extreme weather14%
- Security0%
HNL to KOA: common questions
- How often are HNL to KOA flights on time?
- 86% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Honolulu to Kona cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (80 of 7,234).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 7 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 38 min behind schedule on average, and 2.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HNL?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: KOA to HNL — 85% on time
More flights from Honolulu
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: HNL → KOA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.