$129 Find Cheap Flights from California to Hawaii

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Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$129
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 16% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 4% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Lihue

Flights from California to Hawaii: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from California to Hawaii 
IreneFlew with DeltaLAX-HNLJun 2025
Click the QR code to do the Ag declaration before you board
Verified travelerFlew with Hawaiian AirlinesSMF-HNLMar 2025
Bring a blanket for the flight and your own snacks. WiFi on the plane was great and the leg room in our seats was good also
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesSJC-HNLMay 2025
Get there early, you may have to walk to a different terminal
LawrenceFlew with United AirlinesSFO-HNLMay 2025
Get to your gate early!!! Very little seating at/near gates 19, 20, 21 and 22. The last couple of flights, American boarding (very different gates) has been very straightforward. The last time on United, boarding at gate 19 was bedlam. Really going to look hard before scheduling on United next time!!!
William DrewFlew with SouthwestSJC-HNLDec 2024
If you're flying from San Jose, arrive at the airport early. You never know how long the line at TSA will be. If you have time, the airport has well-designed facilities and reasonable priced restaurants. The Southwest ground staff is professional and will help you through the check-in and cattle call boarding process
FSFlew with Hawaiian AirlinesOAK-HNLOct 2024
Bring your own headset, else you need to pay for some, if you need them.
William DrewFlew with Alaska AirlinesSFO-HNLNov 2024
Arrive at least two hours before your flight.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-KOAJun 2024
Dress with a tank top under your sweater because once you exit the plane, the Kona heat will hit you like an oven
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-HNLMay 2024
I suggest packing a big snack bag and a large water bottle in case there are any issues with the flight causing a delay. When there are delays, no food is served, so you are stuck in a chair hungry and thirsty.
BryanFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-OGGMay 2024
Airlines are becoming much stricter in limiting people to one carry-on bag and one personal item.
MichaelFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-HNLMar 2024
Get there early as possible for the long haul across the Pacific.
Verified travelerFlew with Hawaiian AirlinesLAX-LIHFeb 2024
Show up early! I didnt know it was international terminal.. and AirTags!

FAQs for booking flights from California to Hawaii

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from California to Hawaii?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from California to Hawaii.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from California to Hawaii?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from California to Hawaii is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from California to Hawaii?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from California to Hawaii with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from California to Hawaii?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from California to Hawaii up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to Hawaii?

    Hawaiian Airlines connects California to Hawaii with 216 flights per week. Alaska Airlines also offers 216 flights per week, while United Airlines follows with 121 flights per week.

  • How many airports are there in Hawaii?

    There are 11 airports in Hawaii. The busiest airport is Honolulu Airport (HNL), with 51% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Hawaii?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Hawaii is Lihue Airport (LIH), with an average flight price of $232.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Hawaii?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Hawaii is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $396. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $434 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Hawaii?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Hawaii is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $387 on average. Morning departures are around 5% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Hawaii is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $475.

  • What is the cheapest flight to Hawaii?

    The cheapest ticket to Hawaii from California found in the last 72 hours was to Kailua-Kona, at $191 round-trip. The most popular route is Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $237.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to Hawaii?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to Hawaii is February, when tickets cost $395 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $971 and $798 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from California to Hawaii?

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to Hawaii, you should book around 13 weeks before departure, which saves you about 17% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to Hawaii?

    From California, there are direct flights to Hawaii from 8 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Los Angeles, with 730 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to Hawaii are there each day?

    There are around 213 direct flights from within California to Hawaii every day. Most flights (57%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to Hawaii are there each week?

    Each week there are around 1,487 direct flights from within California to Hawaii. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to Hawaii?

    An average nonstop flight from California to Hawaii takes 6h 38m, covering a distance of 2512 miles. The shortest route is San Jose (SJC) to Kahului (OGG) with an average flight time of 5h 13m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to Hawaii each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to Hawaii. Instead, there are 1,487 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What are the most popular destinations in Hawaii?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Honolulu (52% of total searches to Hawaii). The next most popular destinations are Kahului (23%) and Lihue (12%). Searches for flights to Kailua-Kona (11%), to Hilo (1%) and to Kapalua (0%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from California to Hawaii

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to Hawaii? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11094 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.1Food
7.0Entertainment
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

The boarding was confusing because the PA system at PDX was so quiet you couldn’t hear anything being said . The seats were uncomfortable. The food was pretty bad and I normally don’t mind airplane food. The flight attendants were not friendly. I learned upon check in that Hawaiian airlines had reassigned our seats of the second leg of the trip. I had confirmed and paid for special seats but they put me and my companion on standard seats in different rows. Hawaiian also did the same on my return flight after the flight times had changed. I happened to go online to check my reservation and saw the flight had changed. I gad received no notice. I saw that my confirmed seats that I had paid extra were gone. After much back and forth with the airlines they refused to correct their error. I showed them confirmation documents of my seat reservation and receipt of payment but they refused to correct the seat change or reimburse me. I had to pay $200 again to reserve the original seats. Shameful and manipulative. They basically held me hostage. If I wanted to be in that flight I had to pay up.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Oct 2025PDX - HNL
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

The boarding was confusing because the PA system at PDX was so quiet you couldn’t hear anything being said . The seats were uncomfortable. The food was pretty bad and I normally don’t mind airplane food. The flight attendants were not friendly. I learned upon check in that Hawaiian airlines had reassigned our seats of the second leg of the trip. I had confirmed and paid for special seats but they put me and my companion on standard seats in different rows. Hawaiian also did the same on my return flight after the flight times had changed. I happened to go online to check my reservation and saw the flight had changed. I gad received no notice. I saw that my confirmed seats that I had paid extra were gone. After much back and forth with the airlines they refused to correct their error. I showed them confirmation documents of my seat reservation and receipt of payment but they refused to correct the seat change or reimburse me. I had to pay $200 again to reserve the original seats. Shameful and manipulative. They basically held me hostage. If I wanted to be in that flight I had to pay up.

I liked that internet connection while in flight was available.👍

My experience from Lihue Airport was the “Flight Experience from Hell!” First, I was pulled aside by the Lihue TSA and searched thoroughly! Not once, but twice I was molested by 5 different TSA agents using some sort of smear cloth testing to see if I had been exposed to something dangerous! I can’t tell you what because they never gave me an explanation by the end of a near delaying incident of boarding my plane. More importantly, I was generously provided an airport wheel chair and personal porter because of my health condition. TSA even took your wheelchair apart! What’s up with that? I’m near 75, caucasian, never been arrested for anything, don’t do drugs or alcohol, and patiently and politely abided to their instructions for a full damn 20 minutes! Awful and humiliating experience especially when two different agents literally groped my testicles and crack of my butt! Then they lost the cap to my inhaler. When I got to my destination, a whole bottle of prescribed pills were emptied because of them not tightening the cap back on! Total BS and unprofessional by the lot of them! The short flight to my connecting flight to the mainland on Maui fortunately was uneventful. However the Hawaiian aircraft to San Jose was one of the worst flights I’ve ever experienced without crashing. I believe it was a 330 Neo. May I ask, why did you put three more rows of seats in the damn plane since I last flew on a Hawaiian aircraft? I had absolutely NO legroom compared to the last time I flew with you. And I’ve done a few Hawaii/mainland trips, even a RT to New Zealand before. Then, the icing on the cake was a couple with a one year old baby that literally cried and screamed for all but 15 minutes of the 5 hour flight to San Jose! Further, I couldn’t move my seat back even a millimeter because a car seat was placed from their window seat to the back of my seat! My Hawaiian flight was a freaking nightmare and fortunately will be flying back to Lihue direct with Alaska!

The pilot performed the smoothest landing I’ve ever experienced. What a light touch. And I’m an avid traveler!

Terrible. Would never fly again. Took them several hours to prepare the plane and and reached my destination 4 hours late.

Our boarding was delayed due to two flat tires, but I appreciate the focus on safety. I also appreciated the additional offerings for drinks which never happened before except on Hawaiian Airlines. The hospitality is fantastic! Glad I upgraded to premium seats for the extra leg room as I was getting frustrated when the person in front of me was very restless and kept shifting. Otherwise, it was a fantastic experience.

Had to sit and wait to get off the plane for closeto a hour. My son also flying to a different destination that day also had like a 2.5 hr delay

Tickets we booked together in January became two different connecting flights. VERY PISSED a about this and a terrible start to our bucket list vacation

Could not check in online - had to get boarding passes at the ticket counter and our daughter got bumped off our connecting flight. NOT OK!

I needed more space to sleep on an overnight flight.

Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.

My husband upgraded our seats and I don't know if it was due to the type of planet was or if they didn't upgrade our seats. We were supposed to be in I believe comfort seats and they were just as tight as any other seat- no leg room and we are very tall people but at least it wasn't extremely cold. My husband did put in a complaint about our seating because he paid extra and if we would have known that the space and the tightness would have been the same, we just would have gotten the emergency row emergency row seats that we normally get. We love Delta but both our flights coming home we're not good. Oh I forgot to mention that on our flight to Hawaii our luggage wheels got broke and we had to purse new luggage on vacation then we never had this problem so we didn't know protocol and reported it after we got home only for them to tell is we only had 24hrs to report the damage. Not sure what was going on with Delta this vacation trip.

Crew was excellent. Comfort seats not as nice as other kinds of planes.

It was a great flight and the stewards and stewardess were all kind and accommodating!! The seats were comfortable and entertainment screen excellent!

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

There was a security issue at the airport and we were unable to land. We circled endlessly and then landed at another airfield for fuel. We then circled the airport again, almost landed but didn’t fully touch down before circling again. I am thankful to the crew for keeping us safe- the issue was the airline and staff at the airport getting us seats on our connecting flights. That part was hours of searching for someone and getting in double my steps.

Most aspects were good however if they assign boarding zones they ought to enforce them or why bother? My luggage from SAN-JFK-MAD was lost in NY so I without my main bag for two days upon arrival in Spain. They were helpful in tracking it and eventually delivered it to my hotel. The flub was because of a delay upon arrival in NYC. I had booked 2 1/2 hours between flights but we had to hold on the taxiway for an hour after landing while waiting for a clear gate which likely caused the baggage error.

Excellent flight, the planes were newer, they did a nice job with boarding, great service overall.

It would be nice if was given wires ear buds. Overall was a good experience was able to sleep on the plane

737-800 in first class was pretty dumpy. Seat had an uncomfortable angle, storage under the seat was blocked so even my very modest backpack didn't fit, power outlet was flaky. Weird tiny seat pockets that couldn't hold a gallon ziploc bag, emesis bag missing, etc. etc. No in-flight service due to turbulence. Crew was excellent, boarding was smooth despite a full flight.

comfortable but the food is horrible. I have flown Hawaiian several times now and no matter what they say the food is its the same squashed bread with melted goop inside. Tastes fake and isnt what they represent, its quite nasty. What happend to real food? And there is NO entertainment!! so not sure why they are asking for a review on that.

I was very, very cold and a stranger loaned me her sweater next to me. I didn’t wanna buy a blanket just for a four hour trip when I did not need the pillow or the earphones. I don’t mind purchasing a blanket, but I only needed that not all of it accessories. Cold air pretty much blew the entire trip. Two people in front of me both bought the blanket packages. Maybe that’s the idea. The crew was exceptionally nice and passed through multiple times.. the restrooms were very clean and usually accessible.

3 hour wait on customer service after flight was cancelled. Was bumped to a flight where I wouldnt have gotten to my destination for another 2 days. Had to fully refund flight and book a new one the following morning. Paid twice the amount for the flight than I had originally booked. Very disappointed I was not offered any sort of discount or points for all of the frustration, in fact the airline profited twice as much off of me by cancelling my flight and and changing my entire trip.

What an amazing flight. I haven’t experienced this level of service in a flight in years. This will be the only way to fly to Hawaii for me in the future.

I could not believe that on a 5 hour plus flight we were not given a complimentary meal . That should be illegal. Or it would be nice to be informed beforehand that a complimentary meal would not be provided. The wording in the email I got about pre ordering food was phrased in a way that made the food seem like it would be free. Very misleading! Also during boarding we were informed there would be empty seats we could move to if we wanted, all we had to do was wait for an announcement, however an announcement was never made. Then when we tried to change seats ourselves we were singled out over the loud speaker and told we could not move without asking. Then the flight was about to take off , so we didn’t have time to ask . Then we were told we could not move to the exit row because you had to pay for those seats, but we were not told where we could move. Also no one was in the exit rows so , if something happened no one would be there to assist the passengers. Also people should be allowed to move there if the airline wasn’t able to sell them. One passenger asked if he could pay for the upgrade and the flight attendant said she did not have the capability to charge for the seat on her mobile device, so the airline ended up losing possible income anyways . So why not let people move there during flight if you have no way to charge them? Then the landing was bumpy and awful and many passengers complained out loud when we landed .

The flight was great! The flight attendants were friendly and attentive. I would definitely fly Hawaiian Aurlines again!

You have to buy the ear buds and they only offers little cup of water twice.

The worst flight experience I've ever had. Our flight was delayed 14 whole hours because the flight crew never showed up. We had to wait in a two hour line to get our new boarding passes, we were told we had no other option but to fly at 10pm (we didn't depart until 11:45pm). Everyone had to contact their hotels and car rental places, workplaces, etc. since we lost an entire day's worth of travel. The crew showed up at 10:15, which was past the time we were supposed to board. They were laughing and being completely smug when they boarded, and they took another hour to board us onto our flight. The flight crew never came to check in on us, we were quickly given one drink and sandwich and they turned off the lights and were negligent the rest of the trip. My mom asked three attendants for a seat belt extender, they never brought one. I was dehydrated and never received another drink. They were very rude and unfriendly, we had been up since 4am the morning of our flight and didn't land in our destination until 2am the next day (5am local time). This was unacceptable service and treatment, these flights are not cheap and we were inconvenienced out of an entire day of travel. This was 100% avoidable and was the fault of Hawaiian Airlines, and their crews inability to show up to work on time.

Loved the leg room, usb charging, outlet, food, staff. The seats were very uncomfortable for some reason and made my buttocks ache and would have liked to be seated together from the time of purchasing tickets without having to pay extra.

Usually we have a pleasant trip on HA. Not this time! All stewards were unpleasant, rude, rushed, condescending. First step onto the plane, WE greeted the crew with an “Hello!”. They greeted us with a terse smile then ignored us. Not a good start. Even over the PA announcements, they were rushed and unpleasant. One Stewart even berated a passenger in front of us when all they asked is if the purchase cart had vodka to purchase. The steward said “LIKE WE SAID OVER THE PA, THIS ONLY HAS FOOD OR BEVERAGE!” Vodka is a beverage! It was a legitimate question. Not sure why she treated the passenger this way. Taking trash was even unpleasant, No “Thank you” or at least a smile. I work in CS. I know good CS can make or break your trip. There was absolutely no “aloha” on this trip. All clearly did not want to be on this plane and felt strongly that they did not want to provide a premium service to their clients. This might be our last HA and cancellation of my HA-MC if we are treated the same way going home. We are typically treated with kindness and warmth in the past with HA. This trip was unacceptable.

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

I understand stuff happens, but plane failures are likely due to lack of maintenance. Additionally, air conditioning wasn't working, no snack/drink service, no WiFi. Fortunately, the crew was communicative and light-hearted. United grabbed another plane and we were able to get to our destination.

Stuck on tarmac for two hours plus a 5.5 hour flight. Rude flight attendant. And no meals, not even for purchase!

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

Always seated jammed in rear of aircraft Admirals Club food at DFW terminal D was absolute worst food experience and I pay $600/year to eat this dried out junk

Mostly good. Flight was crowded but Airline personnel were very friendly & accommodating. It would be good to have savory snacks rather than just sweet Biscoff cookies.

It was a red eye flight, so no meals were provided, but it was fine with snacks. The seats felt cramped and almost too narrow.

Very crowded flight but what can you expect these days?? Crew was accommodating.

The seats in economy were appeared to be quite thin and lack sufficient cushioning to be comfortable. Perhaps it was my seating position but the plane seemed notably load.

The entertainment package was vast and the selections were very current. Keep updating it was great.

The seat was so hard my tailbone was aching The crew was kind of a b**** because I made a joke that I didn't care if they close the door I total c*** when she was trying to f****** act like she was mad at me because I said that The flight was bumpy. Sure you didnt have control over that.

4 hours late, including over +1 hour waiting in plane to take off. Baggage left behind too.

While waiting to claim my checked luggage, I discovered the airline had lost it. After a long wait and inquiries, I discovered it was on another flight. Fortunately, the airline finally sent my luggage home.

Was not able to watch most shows on the entertainment site. They would not load

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