San Francisco to Lihue, Kauai (SFO–LIH) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SFO Airport Page →
2,445 mi airlines charter/private 43/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 18 flights Verified 2m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
QR4294
QR Qatar
7M8
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:43 AM
HST
5h 43m
54%
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2009
QR Qatar
7M8
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:43 AM
HST
5h 43m
54%
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2005
QR Qatar
7M8
7:03 AM
PDT T1
9:43 AM
HST
5h 40m
54%
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2033
QR Qatar
7M8
7:03 AM
PDT T1
9:43 AM
HST
5h 40m
54%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS789
AS Alaska
7M8
7:03 AM
PDT T1
9:43 AM
HST
5h 40m
32%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1384+1
UA United
7M8
9:05 AM
PDT T3
11:50 AM
HST
5h 45m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AV2350cs
AV avianca
B38M
9:05 AM
PDT T2
11:50 AM
HST
5h 45m
36%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1298
UA United
B38M
10:36 AM
PDT T2
1:16 PM
HST
5h 40m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1684+1
UA United
B38M
4:55 PM
PDT T3
7:42 PM
HST
5h 47m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AV2357cs
AV avianca
B38M
1:17 PM
HST
9:32 PM
PDT
5h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2111+1
UA United
B38M
1:17 PM
HST
9:32 PM
PDT
5h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1299
UA United
B38M
2:31 PM
HST
10:46 PM
PDT
5h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS788
AS Alaska
7M8
3:37 PM
HST
11:59 PM
PDT
5h 22m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2009
QR Qatar
7M8
3:40 PM
HST
11:53 PM
PDT
5h 13m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2119
QR Qatar
7M8
3:43 PM
HST
11:56 PM
PDT
5h 13m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR3391
QR Qatar
7M8
3:43 PM
HST
11:56 PM
PDT
5h 13m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2013
QR Qatar
7M8
3:43 PM
HST
11:56 PM
PDT
5h 13m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1685
UA United
7M8
10:44 PM
HST
6:56 AM+1
PDT
5h 12m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
HNL Honolulu, Oahu 7h 2m ACASAV ASJLPR Honolulu, Oahu (HNL) to Lihue, Kauai flights
OGG Kahului 7h 19m ACASAZ ASJLQF Kahului (OGG) to Lihue, Kauai flights
LAX Los Angeles 8h 20m AAAFAM AAACAF Los Angeles (LAX) to Lihue, Kauai flights
LAS Las Vegas 8h 34m ACASAZ CWGWN Las Vegas (LAS) to Lihue, Kauai flights
SEA Seattle 9h 14m AFAMAS ASAYDL Seattle (SEA) to Lihue, Kauai flights
PHX Phoenix 9h 47m AAACAZ AA Phoenix (PHX) to Lihue, Kauai flights
DEN Denver 10h 21m ACAVEK UA Denver (DEN) to Lihue, Kauai flights
SMF Sacramento 13h 49m ACAVEK AS Sacramento (SMF) to Lihue, Kauai flights
PDX Portland 15h 2m ACASAV AS Portland (PDX) to Lihue, Kauai flights
SAN San Diego 15h 42m ACASAZ AS San Diego (SAN) to Lihue, Kauai flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Lihue, Kauai
2 carriers, 43 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 2,445 mi 5h 43m nonstop -3h behind

SFO–LIH is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 2,445 miles in approximately 5h 43m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop SFO–LIH service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: AV 21 7M8, B38M 5h40-5h47 82% Star Alliance AV
AS Alaska Airlines Also: HA, QR 7 7M8 5h40 82% Oneworld HA, QR
Aircraft on this route
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – AS, QR, UA
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – AV, UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (21 flights/wk, 75%)
Oneworld: AS (7 flights/wk, 25%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, SFO to LIH direction.
Mon
6
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
6
flights
Thu
7
flights
Fri
6
flights
Sat
6
flights
Sun
6
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
43
Outbound / wk
43
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to LIH.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
14
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
794
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
SFO → LIH
82%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
82%
Arriving
100%
Return
LIH → SFO
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
91%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. SFO delays → LIH delays →

Other ways to reach Lihue, Kauai from San Francisco

Nearby airports with service to Lihue Airport.
Metric SFO→LIH OAK→LIH SJC→LIH
Distance from SFO 11 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 5 3
Weekly flights 43 14 4
Flight time 5h 43m 5h 25m 4h 31m
Departure OTP 82%
Airports within 200 miles of SFO with service to Lihue Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-3h
Lihue, Kauai is 3 hours behind San Francisco.
SFO: PDT · LIH: HST

When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 3:00 PM in Lihue, Kauai.
Distance & Flight Time
2,445 mi / 3,934 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 43m gate to gate.
Getting to SFO

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs from downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero, Powell St.) to the SFO station and then a free AirTrain shuttle to all terminals (30–40 min from Embarcadero, $10.45). BART also connects Oakland and Berkeley; useful for East Bay travelers. Trains run from ~4am to midnight.Taxis from downtown San Francisco cost $40–60. Ride-hails (Uber, Lyft) pick up in the designated area in the garage and are often $30–50 depending on surge pricing. SamTrans buses serve Peninsula cities. Highway 101 and I-280 are heavily congested during commute hours; BART is faster than driving at those times.

SFO–LIH Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San Francisco to Lihue, Kauai route.
Route details
Distance2,445 mi / 3,934 km
Flight time5h 43m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights43 out / 43 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m
Destination: LIH
Full nameLihue Airport
IATA / ICAOLIH / PHLI
TimezonePacific/Honolulu
Passengers/yr3.6M
Elevation153 ft / 47 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SFO to LIH flights.
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Lihue Airport take about 5h 43m gate to gate. The route covers 2,445 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from SFO to LIH: United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
This route has frequent daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Daniel K. Inouye, Kahului and Los Angeles.
Lihue, Kauai is 3 hours behind San Francisco.
Yes, return flights from LIH to SFO are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include OAK, SJC and SMF. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from SFO to LIH

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Lihue Airport (LIH) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines. With 43 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

SFO to LIH Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to LIH is about 5 hours 43 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,445 miles (3,934 km). There are approximately 43 weekly flights outbound and 43 return, totaling 86 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Daniel K. Inouye, Kahului and Los Angeles. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Oakland (OAK), San Jose (SJC) and Sacramento (SMF).