FlightRecord

Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA) runs noticeably smoother than most US airports: 88% of its ~44 daily departures leave on time, 10 points above the national average, with an average departure delay of just 9 minutes. 6 airlines fly from Kona, HI to 18 destinations.

Departures on-time
88%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
9 min
Arrivals on-time
85%
Cancelled
1.0%
Destinations
18
nonstop
Airlines
6

Plan your departure from KOA

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 7 a.m.
96% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
90% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Southwest Airlines
94% on-time from KOA
Cancellation risk
1.0%
below the US average
Check routes from KOA ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at KOA50%75%100%June 2024: 90% on-time (1,399 flights)90Jun 2024July 2024: 88% on-time (1,463 flights)88August 2024: 89% on-time (1,409 flights)89September 2024: 93% on-time (1,332 flights)93Sep 2024October 2024: 90% on-time (1,365 flights)90November 2024: 92% on-time (1,285 flights)92December 2024: 89% on-time (1,391 flights)89Dec 2024January 2025: 91% on-time (1,377 flights)91February 2025: 91% on-time (1,227 flights)91March 2025: 88% on-time (1,397 flights)88Mar 2025April 2025: 90% on-time (1,274 flights)90May 2025: 93% on-time (1,329 flights)93June 2025: 86% on-time (1,330 flights)86Jun 2025July 2025: 86% on-time (1,382 flights)86August 2025: 91% on-time (1,343 flights)91September 2025: 93% on-time (1,234 flights)93Sep 2025October 2025: 87% on-time (1,267 flights)87November 2025: 88% on-time (1,247 flights)88December 2025: 82% on-time (1,389 flights)82Dec 2025January 2026: 83% on-time (1,424 flights)83February 2026: 85% on-time (1,277 flights)85March 2026: 81% on-time (1,435 flights)81Mar 2026April 2026: 87% on-time (1,298 flights)87May 2026: 87% on-time (1,353 flights)87

Best time of day to depart from KOA

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at KOA6 a.m.: 96% on-time (1,371 flights)67 a.m.: 96% on-time (955 flights)78 a.m.: 95% on-time (2,524 flights)89 a.m.: 95% on-time (1,603 flights)910 a.m.: 93% on-time (2,274 flights)1011 a.m.: 88% on-time (2,036 flights)1112 p.m.: 85% on-time (2,132 flights)121 p.m.: 83% on-time (3,272 flights)132 p.m.: 82% on-time (2,366 flights)143 p.m.: 82% on-time (2,514 flights)154 p.m.: 88% on-time (1,681 flights)165 p.m.: 81% on-time (1,030 flights)176 p.m.: 84% on-time (1,088 flights)187 p.m.: 90% on-time (1,769 flights)198 p.m.: 90% on-time (1,605 flights)209 p.m.: 88% on-time (2,553 flights)2110 p.m.: 91% on-time (1,047 flights)2211 p.m.: 90% on-time (399 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday88%8 min
Tuesdaybest90%7 min
Wednesday88%7 min
Thursday85%12 min
Friday85%12 min
Saturday87%9 min
Sunday88%8 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from KOA ↓

Busiest routes from KOA

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
KOA → HNL (Honolulu)7,31988%7 min
KOA → LAX (Los Angeles)1,60684%17 min
KOA → OGG (Kahului)1,46090%5 min
KOA → SEA (Seattle)1,42286%9 min
KOA → SFO (San Francisco)1,00885%13 min
KOA → SMF (Sacramento)52189%8 min
KOA → PHX (Phoenix)38493%25 min
KOA → DEN (Denver)37091%7 min
KOA → LAS (Las Vegas)36595%3 min
KOA → LIH (Lihue)36594%3 min
KOA → SAN (San Diego)36474%14 min
KOA → PDX (Portland)36078%12 min
KOA → SJC (San Jose)14678%16 min
KOA → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)12282%17 min

Compare airlines departing KOA ↓

Where flights into KOA come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
HNL (Honolulu) → KOA7,31789%6 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → KOA1,60684%12 min
OGG (Kahului) → KOA1,46085%7 min
SEA (Seattle) → KOA1,42176%13 min
SFO (San Francisco) → KOA1,00987%8 min
SMF (Sacramento) → KOA52190%7 min
PHX (Phoenix) → KOA38481%13 min
DEN (Denver) → KOA37084%13 min

Most reliable routes

  1. KOA → LAS95%
  2. KOA → LIH94%
  3. KOA → PHX93%
  4. KOA → DEN91%
  5. KOA → OGG90%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. KOA → SAN74%
  2. KOA → SJC78%
  3. KOA → PDX78%
  4. KOA → DFW82%
  5. KOA → LAX84%

What causes delays at KOA

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing KOA.

  • Late-arriving aircraft49%
  • Airline operations37%
  • National airspace system10%
  • Weather4%

Alternative airports near Kona

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
ITO — Hilo International Airport65 mi89%6 min
OGG — Kahului International Airport84 mi87%9 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at KOA

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Southwest Airlines94%3 min6,212
Hawaiian Airlines90%6 min11,967
United Airlines90%11 min3,238
American Airlines88%26 min1,604
Delta Air Lines84%12 min1,556
Alaska Airlines81%12 min7,650

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at KOA?
12% of departures from Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 9 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from KOA?
Flights scheduled around 7 a.m. depart on time 96% of the time at KOA, versus 81% around 5 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at KOA?
In this dataset, March 2026 was the weakest month at KOA, with 81% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at KOA?
1% of scheduled departures from KOA were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 32,227 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.