How Long Does It Take To Get To Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands are served by seven California airports.

The Hawaiian Islands are served by seven California airports. (Photo: Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images )

Daydreaming about the feel of soft white sand between your toes? You'll have plenty of time to picture it during a flight from California to Hawaii. The journey across the Pacific Ocean is a long one, no matter which ticket you book. There are plenty of flight choices, with airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Korean Air and Delta making daily trips between Californian and Hawaiian airports each day. Plan to spend at least six hours strapped into your airline seat, but take heart: The trip home will be shorter.

How Far Apart Are Hawaii and California?

Hawaii is about 2,500 miles from California. But while Hawaii is southwest of the mainland United States, the curve of California's coastline means that Hawaii is actually closer to northern cities like San Francisco than it is from southern cities like San Diego. Flying out of a northern city does mean a slightly shorter flight.

Does It Matter Which Hawaiian Airport I Fly Into?

The airport you fly into is relevant to your travel plans. After all, arriving on Oahu when you've booked a hotel room on Maui is fairly inconvenient. But your arrival airport doesn't make much difference in terms of travel time. Hawaii's largest airport is Honolulu International Airport on the island of Oahu. The majority of flights from the mainland are bound for Honolulu. But if your flight lands at Kona International Airport on the big island or Kahului Airport on Maui, it won't make much impact on your flight time.

And if you do accidentally book a ticket to the wrong island, don't panic. Once you're in Hawaii, it's pretty easy to fly from one island to another. Inter-island flights typically take 45 minutes or less.

How Long Is the Flight to Hawaii From California?

For travelers who fly from Sacramento, San Francisco or San Jose, a direct flight to Honolulu takes about five hours and 40 minutes. The average flight to Honolulu from Los Angeles is typically only about 10 minutes longer, clocking in around five hours and 50 minutes. And although San Diego is the southernmost California city, its Hawaii-bound flights are the longest, lasting an average of six hours and 15 minutes.

How Long Is the Flight to California From Hawaii?

It's hard enough to leave Hawaii, so boarding a long flight is a little like rubbing salt into the wound. Luckily, the trip home should be shorter than the flight into Hawaii. The fast-moving wind known as the jet stream blows from west to east. It gives resistance to planes moving west, making those flights longer, but it eases the way for planes moving east.

Flying home to one of the northern California airports like San Francisco International takes just around five hours total, making this return route about 45 minutes shorter than the reverse. The trip from Honolulu to Los Angeles takes about five hours and 10 minutes, and flying into San Diego takes, on average, around five hours and 25 minutes.

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Writer Bio

Kathryn Walsh has been writing about travel topics for more than 10 years, but has been feeding her inner travel bug for much longer. Her favorite place to visit is Scotland, and her work has appeared on sites including USAToday, AZCentral and Choice Hotels.