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

SFO Airport Page →
2,445 mi airlines 48/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 22 flights Verified 51m ago
Nonstop 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
QR3422cs
QR Qatar
7M8
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:45 AM
HST
5h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS790+2
AS Alaska
B38M
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:44 AM
HST
5h 44m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS794
AS Alaska
73H
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:42 AM
HST
5h 42m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2016
QR Qatar
73H
7:00 AM
PDT T1
9:44 AM
HST
5h 44m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AV2350cs
AV avianca
B38M
8:28 AM
PDT T3
11:23 AM
HST
5h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1111+2
UA United
B38M
8:35 AM
PDT T3
11:29 AM
HST
5h 54m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1384
UA United
7M8
9:15 AM
PDT T3
12:00 PM
HST
5h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1298
UA United
7M8
10:36 AM
PDT T3
1:16 PM
HST
5h 40m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1684+1
UA United
7M8
4:55 PM
PDT T3
7:52 PM
HST
5h 57m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AV2357cs
AV avianca
B38M
12:40 PM
HST
8:56 PM
PDT
5h 16m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1112+1
UA United
B38M
1:16 PM
HST
9:34 PM
PDT
5h 18m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2111
UA United
7M8
1:17 PM
HST
9:32 PM
PDT
5h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1299
UA United
7M8
2:31 PM
HST
10:46 PM
PDT
5h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2058
QR Qatar
73H
2:48 PM
HST
11:00 PM
PDT
5h 12m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2051cs
QR Qatar
738
3:02 PM
HST
11:12 PM
PDT
5h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS791+2
AS Alaska
B38M
3:24 PM
HST
11:35 PM
PDT
5h 11m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2027
QR Qatar
7M8
3:24 PM
HST
11:35 PM
PDT
5h 11m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS795
AS Alaska
738
3:24 PM
HST
11:35 PM
PDT
5h 11m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2046
QR Qatar
73H
3:45 PM
HST
11:57 PM
PDT
5h 12m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS518
AS Alaska
73H
3:45 PM
HST
11:57 PM
PDT
5h 12m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2308
UA United
8:15 PM
HST
4:27 AM+1
PDT
5h 12m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1685
UA United
7M8
10:55 PM
HST
7:11 AM+1
PDT
5h 16m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Lihue, Kauai
2 carriers, 48 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 48 Flights/wk 2,445 mi 5h 40m nonstop -3h behind 17 1-stop hubs

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 40m. Beyond nonstop, 17 hubs offer 1-stop connections.

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 28 7M8, B38M 5h40-5h57 66% Star Alliance AV
AS Alaska Airlines Also: HA, QR 8 73H, B38M 5h42-5h44 66% Oneworld HA, QR
Aircraft on this route
73H Boeing 737-800 (Winglets) – AS, QR
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – QR, UA
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – AS, AV, UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (28 flights/wk, 78%)
Oneworld: AS (8 flights/wk, 22%)
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
8
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
8
flights
Thu
5
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
9
flights
Sun
5
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
48
Outbound / wk
50
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to LIH.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
17
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~26h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
859
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.

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 4 3
Weekly flights 48 16 8
Flight time 5h 40m 5h 10m 5h 36m
Departure OTP 66%
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 40m to 5h 57m.
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 40m to 5h 57m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights48 out / 50 return
1-stop connections17 hubs
Origin: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr52.3M
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 approximately 5h 40m to 5h 57m. The route covers 2,445 miles.
2 airlines operate nonstop service: Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. Plus 3 codeshare partners.
There are approximately 48 nonstop flights per week from SFO to LIH. The return direction has about 50 weekly flights.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available through VNY, SNA, YVR, DAL, AUS, HND, SMF, HNL, PDX, LAX, SAN, OGG, LAS, PHX, SEA, DEN and KOA. These options provide additional schedule flexibility.
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 Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. With 48 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

SFO to LIH Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to LIH ranges from 5 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours 57 minutes. The route covers a distance of 2,445 miles (3,934 km). There are approximately 48 weekly flights outbound and 50 return, totaling 98 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

17 one-stop connections are available, with the fastest taking approximately 7 hours via VNY. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Oakland (OAK), San Jose (SJC) and Sacramento (SMF).