HNL to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,398 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HNL or SFO 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 San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Hawaiian Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (97% on time); around 12pm did worst (67%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Sunday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (55%).
Which airline is most on time from HNL to SFO?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 85% | 0.6% | 11 min | 3.4% | 1,773 |
| Alaska Airlines | 70% | 1.4% | 19 min | 6.3% | 421 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 69% | 3.3% | 17 min | 5.8% | 271 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am89%259 flights
- 8am92%133 flights
- 9am97%175 flights
- 11am82%145 flights
- 12pm67%275 flights
- 1pm71%304 flights
- 2pm76%199 flights
- 3pm74%143 flights
- 9pm84%85 flights
- 10pm85%261 flights
- 11pm84%457 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%2.2% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday84%1.8% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.3% cancelled
- Friday80%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday81%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday76%1.4% 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)55%
- Late-arriving aircraft31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Security1%
- Extreme weather0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)96%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion4%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
HNL to SFO: common questions
- How often are HNL to SFO flights on time?
- 81% 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 San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (26 of 2,465).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 62 min behind schedule on average, and 4.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HNL?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to HNL — 81% 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 → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.