HNL to KOA delays: 84% on time (Honolulu to Kona)

84% of flights from Honolulu to Kona arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 94% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 71%. Most reliable airline: Southwest Airlines (90%). 4% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for HNL → KOA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 75% of the time. About 1 in 44 flights landed an hour or more late; 1.4% were cancelled outright.

On time or early84%
15–30 min late8.5%
30–60 min late3.7%
1–2 hours late1.8%
2–3 hours late0.4%
3+ hours late0.1%
Diverted0.1%
Cancelled1.4%

Share of all 7,226 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

Airline	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	1h+ late	Avg when late	Operated by
Alaska Airlines	3,696	81%	1.6%	+2 min	2.6%	+38 min	Alaska Airlines
Southwest Airlines	1,770	90%	1.3%	−7 min	1.8%	+44 min	Southwest Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines	1,760	86%	1.1%	0 min	2.2%	+38 min	Hawaiian Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at HNL). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

HNL → KOA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.

82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

Departs	Alaska Airlines	Southwest Airlines	Hawaiian Airlines
6 a.m.	93%	95%	96%
7 a.m.	94%	—	91%
8 a.m.	90%	—	—
9 a.m.	89%	95%	92%
10 a.m.	83%	—	88%
11 a.m.	76%	—	83%
noon	68%	—	88%
1 p.m.	67%	80%	—
2 p.m.	72%	—	—
3 p.m.	74%	—	—
4 p.m.	68%	—	—
5 p.m.	77%	88%	83%
6 p.m.	84%	—	—
7 p.m.	77%	—	85%
8 p.m.	—	92%	—
9 p.m.	85%	—	—

Last flight of the day

On HNL → KOA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.5% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.1% of the time (earlier flights: 0.1%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

Airline	Last departure	Last: cancelled	Last: 3h+ late	Earlier: cancelled	Next morning
Alaska Airlines	9:03 p.m.	1.7%	0.0%	1.6%	first flight 6:00 a.m.
Hawaiian Airlines	—	0.8%	0.0%	1.1%	—
Southwest Airlines	8:35 p.m.	0.8%	0.3%	1.4%	first flight 6:10 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (93%). Worst: January (83%).

By day of week

Day	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Monday	1,080	86%	1.1%
Tuesday	1,008	85%	0.8%
Wednesday	980	87%	1.0%
Thursday	1,061	81%	1.8%
Friday	1,081	80%	1.5%
Saturday	1,020	84%	2.5%
Sunday	996	86%	1.1%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 50%Late inbound plane 37%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 9%Severe weather 3%Security 1%

Cancellations: airline 51 · weather 28 · air traffic/airport 23

Month by month

Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)

HNL → KOA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

Flight	Departs	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	Operated by
AS 1018	6:30 a.m.	243	93%	0.8%	−2 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1028	7:13 a.m.	232	94%	0.4%	−1 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1038	8:00 a.m.	209	92%	0.5%	−0 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1048	8:26 a.m.	168	89%	2.4%	0 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1058	9:32 a.m.	230	85%	1.3%	+1 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1068	10:59 a.m.	223	82%	1.8%	+3 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1078	11:28 a.m.	237	77%	2.1%	+4 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1088	11:51 a.m.	241	68%	1.2%	+7 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1098	12:25 p.m.	235	70%	1.3%	+6 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1108	1:14 p.m.	223	70%	2.7%	+6 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1118	3:10 p.m.	178	72%	6.2%	+4 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1138	3:14 p.m.	241	73%	1.7%	+5 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1148	6:30 p.m.	224	75%	1.3%	+2 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1158	7:40 p.m.	242	79%	1.2%	+2 min	Alaska Airlines
AS 1168	9:30 p.m.	197	86%	1.0%	+2 min	Alaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

Date	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Aug 16, 2026	19	5%	5
Oct 30, 2025	20	25%	7
Mar 14, 2026	19	26%	3
Mar 20, 2026	22	27%	3
Aug 17, 2026	20	40%	2

Questions

How often are flights from HNL to KOA on time?

84% of 7,226 scheduled flights from Honolulu, HI to Kona, HI arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly HNL to KOA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (94% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (71%).

Which airline is most on time from HNL to KOA?

Southwest Airlines: 90% of its 1,770 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 81%. Hawaiian Airlines: 86%.

What month has the most delays from HNL to KOA?

January (83% on time). The best month is September (93%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from HNL to KOA more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last HNL–KOA flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.5% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.

HNL → KOA on time