FlightRecord

Lihue Airport (LIH): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Lihue Airport (LIH) runs noticeably smoother than most US airports: 88% of its ~43 daily departures leave on time, 10 points above the national average, with an average departure delay of just 8 minutes. 6 airlines fly from Lihue, HI to 14 destinations.

Departures on-time
88%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
8 min
Arrivals on-time
86%
Cancelled
1.0%
Destinations
14
nonstop
Airlines
6

Plan your departure from LIH

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

Best departure time
Around 6 a.m.
96% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
89% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Southwest Airlines
95% on-time from LIH
Cancellation risk
1.0%
below the US average
Check routes from LIH ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at LIH50%75%100%June 2024: 89% on-time (1,385 flights)89Jun 2024July 2024: 88% on-time (1,455 flights)88August 2024: 92% on-time (1,395 flights)92September 2024: 92% on-time (1,260 flights)92Sep 2024October 2024: 92% on-time (1,308 flights)92November 2024: 93% on-time (1,277 flights)93December 2024: 89% on-time (1,363 flights)89Dec 2024January 2025: 90% on-time (1,319 flights)90February 2025: 83% on-time (1,178 flights)83March 2025: 88% on-time (1,355 flights)88Mar 2025April 2025: 88% on-time (1,268 flights)88May 2025: 93% on-time (1,344 flights)93June 2025: 86% on-time (1,344 flights)86Jun 2025July 2025: 86% on-time (1,409 flights)86August 2025: 90% on-time (1,356 flights)90September 2025: 92% on-time (1,228 flights)92Sep 2025October 2025: 91% on-time (1,258 flights)91November 2025: 89% on-time (1,236 flights)89December 2025: 81% on-time (1,369 flights)81Dec 2025January 2026: 83% on-time (1,328 flights)83February 2026: 83% on-time (1,163 flights)83March 2026: 79% on-time (1,331 flights)79Mar 2026April 2026: 85% on-time (1,292 flights)85May 2026: 83% on-time (1,372 flights)83

Best time of day to depart from LIH

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at LIH6 a.m.: 96% on-time (1,850 flights)67 a.m.: 96% on-time (920 flights)78 a.m.: 96% on-time (1,836 flights)89 a.m.: 92% on-time (1,307 flights)910 a.m.: 90% on-time (2,032 flights)1011 a.m.: 91% on-time (2,189 flights)1112 p.m.: 86% on-time (2,282 flights)121 p.m.: 81% on-time (3,651 flights)132 p.m.: 81% on-time (2,798 flights)143 p.m.: 84% on-time (1,929 flights)154 p.m.: 83% on-time (1,764 flights)165 p.m.: 85% on-time (1,187 flights)176 p.m.: 85% on-time (754 flights)187 p.m.: 92% on-time (1,928 flights)198 p.m.: 92% on-time (1,207 flights)209 p.m.: 89% on-time (2,097 flights)2110 p.m.: 85% on-time (1,322 flights)2211 p.m.: 87% on-time (538 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday87%7 min
Tuesdaybest89%6 min
Wednesday89%6 min
Thursday86%9 min
Friday83%11 min
Saturday85%9 min
Sunday86%8 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from LIH ↓

Busiest routes from LIH

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
LIH → HNL (Honolulu)7,81087%7 min
LIH → LAX (Los Angeles)1,50283%11 min
LIH → OGG (Kahului)1,46086%7 min
LIH → SEA (Seattle)1,09485%10 min
LIH → SFO (San Francisco)80989%7 min
LIH → OAK (Oakland)66087%7 min
LIH → PHX (Phoenix)38493%20 min
LIH → DEN (Denver)37995%6 min
LIH → KOA (Kona)36581%10 min
LIH → LAS (Las Vegas)36593%3 min
LIH → SAN (San Diego)28472%17 min
LIH → SMF (Sacramento)20980%15 min
LIH → PDX (Portland)19785%9 min
LIH → SJC (San Jose)16874%15 min

Compare airlines departing LIH ↓

Where flights into LIH come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
HNL (Honolulu) → LIH7,80488%7 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → LIH1,50287%8 min
OGG (Kahului) → LIH1,46082%10 min
SEA (Seattle) → LIH1,09476%14 min
SFO (San Francisco) → LIH80891%5 min
OAK (Oakland) → LIH65986%9 min
PHX (Phoenix) → LIH38485%9 min
DEN (Denver) → LIH37983%11 min

Most reliable routes

  1. LIH → DEN95%
  2. LIH → LAS93%
  3. LIH → PHX93%
  4. LIH → SFO89%
  5. LIH → HNL87%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. LIH → SAN72%
  2. LIH → SJC74%
  3. LIH → SMF80%
  4. LIH → KOA81%
  5. LIH → LAX83%

What causes delays at LIH

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft55%
  • Airline operations33%
  • National airspace system8%
  • Weather4%

Alternative airports near Lihue

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
HNL — Daniel K. Inouye International Airport101 mi86%9 min

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

Airline performance at LIH

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Southwest Airlines95%4 min6,144
United Airlines95%6 min2,658
American Airlines90%16 min1,493
Delta Air Lines89%9 min1,460
Hawaiian Airlines87%7 min13,740
Alaska Airlines77%14 min6,098

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at LIH?
12% of departures from Lihue Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 8 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from LIH?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 96% of the time at LIH, versus 81% around 1 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at LIH?
In this dataset, March 2026 was the weakest month at LIH, with 79% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at LIH?
1% of scheduled departures from LIH were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 31,593 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.