SFO to HNL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport · 2,398 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or HNL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (86% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (89% on time); around 8am did worst (59%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (51%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to HNL?
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 | 86% | 0.1% | 11 min | 4.9% | 1,773 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 72% | 3.0% | 19 min | 6.5% | 270 |
| Alaska Airlines | 66% | 2.4% | 20 min | 7.0% | 423 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am86%254 flights
- 8am59%165 flights
- 9am89%407 flights
- 10am78%128 flights
- 11am79%141 flights
- 12pm71%72 flights
- 1pm84%323 flights
- 2pm73%42 flights
- 4pm85%365 flights
- 6pm81%195 flights
- 7pm74%310 flights
- 8pm87%62 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%0.6% cancelled
- Tuesday83%1.8% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%1.1% cancelled
- Friday78%0.3% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday78%1.1% 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)51%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to HNL: common questions
- How often are SFO to HNL 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 San Francisco to Honolulu cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 2,466).
- 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 63 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HNL to SFO — 81% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → HNL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.