Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Ask when Hawaii is cheapest and you will hear January, February, September or October. All four can be right, because flights and hotels run on separate calendars, and the cheapest ticket lands you in one of the pricier hotel seasons.
This guide puts KAYAK’s monthly fares for six US gateways next to the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s hotel rates, then combines them into the cost of a week for two. All figures were checked on November 6, 2026.
Fare data
What Flights to Hawaii Cost, Month by Month
KAYAK publishes a median round-trip price for each month on its route pages, based on the past 12 months with extreme outliers removed. These are typical prices, not guaranteed fares, but the pattern is clear. On all six routes below, the cheapest month is January or February, and every route peaks in June or December.
| To HonoluluMonth | LAX | SFO | SEA | DFW | ChicagoCHI | New YorkNYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | $353 | $382 | $428 | $499 | $675 | $813 |
| February | $339 | $399 | $475 | $501 | $623 | $796 |
| March | $447 | $434 | $456 | $799 | $760 | $890 |
| April | $376 | $443 | $498 | $656 | $662 | $861 |
| May | $406 | $465 | $496 | $737 | $743 | $831 |
| June | $521 | $581 | $693 | $836 | $936 | $1,066 |
| July | $511 | $544 | $632 | $795 | $900 | $1,131 |
| August | $439 | $502 | $593 | $607 | $834 | $1,047 |
| September | $376 | $457 | $555 | $587 | $696 | $899 |
| October | $376 | $444 | $581 | $727 | $738 | $948 |
| November | $468 | $508 | $618 | $773 | $790 | $896 |
| December | $546 | $606 | $679 | $912 | $884 | $1,281 |
Source: KAYAK flight route pages to Honolulu, checked November 6, 2026. Medians for round-trip searches over the past 12 months. Bold marks each route’s cheapest month. LAX is Los Angeles, SFO San Francisco, SEA Seattle, DFW Dallas, CHI Chicago and NYC New York.
March is a trap from central cities: Dallas jumps from $501 in February to $799. From Los Angeles, April, September and October all sit at $376, just $37 above the yearly low.
Going found the most deals with travel dates in October, and the fewest in July.
Going, Hawaii flight page · checked November 6, 2026
That is why the fall answer keeps appearing. Medians show what a typical ticket costs, while Going, a fare-alert service, counts unusually low fares. Its average Hawaii deal was $426.63 round trip, against an average price of $709.14.
Hotels
The Catch: Hotels Run on a Different Calendar
January and February are cheap to fly but not cheap to stay. In the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s reports, statewide hotels averaged $383 a night in both months, almost the same as June ($384). The lows came in September 2026 ($325) and October 2025 ($322). The September figure includes a slump on Kauai after Hurricane Lowell, but September 2025 was lower still, at $315, so this is a regular seasonal dip.
Here is what that means for a real trip. We combined the Los Angeles to Honolulu medians with the statewide hotel average for two people and seven nights, before taxes and resort fees.
| Month | 2 flights | Hotel rate | 7 nights | Week total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | $752 | $322 | $2,254 | $3,006 |
| September | $752 | $325 | $2,275 | $3,027 |
| May | $812 | $345 | $2,415 | $3,227 |
| February | $678 | $383 | $2,681 | $3,359 |
| July | $1,022 | $398 | $2,786 | $3,808 |
| December | $1,092 | $449 | $3,143 | $4,235 |
Our calculation from KAYAK medians (November 6, 2026) and Hawaii Tourism Authority hotel reports for October 2025 to September 2026. Statewide hotel averages mix luxury and budget properties, so use the gaps between months rather than the totals.
Across all twelve months, October and September give the lowest totals and December the highest, a gap of about $1,200. February saves $74 on flights compared with September, then gives back $406 on the hotel. If your nights are free, because you are staying with family or using points, chase the February fare. If you are paying for a room, fall usually wins.
Calendar
The Hawaii Price Calendar at a Glance
Winter’s high hotel rates also overlap with whale season. NOAA’s humpback whale sanctuary says the whales are generally seen from November through April, with the peak from January to March.
How-to
How to Find the Cheapest Flight to Hawaii, Step by Step
- Choose your season first. Mid-January through February for the lowest fare, April to May or September to October for the best total. Search a whole month rather than fixed dates.
- Avoid the holiday weeks inside the cheap months. These are monthly medians. The long weekends around January 18 and February 15, 2027 may price higher than the weeks around them.
- Book in your route’s window. KAYAK’s best points are about 13 weeks out from Los Angeles, 9 from New York, 7 from San Francisco, 6 from Dallas, 5 from Seattle and Chicago, and 4 from Denver. That saved 21% to 34% over last-minute booking. Going says airlines typically raise prices 21, 14 and 7 days before departure.
- Move your departure day. KAYAK lists Monday as cheapest from Los Angeles and Chicago, Tuesday from San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas, and Wednesday from Denver and New York. Saturday is the priciest day on the three West Coast routes, 9% to 12% above average.
- Add the extras before comparing. Our airline baggage fees comparison shows what a checked bag adds to a low fare. For more on timing, read our guide to the cheapest day to buy airline tickets.
Honolulu from the air. In KAYAK’s data, a February flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu has a median of $339 and takes about six hours.
Airports
Which US Gateway Is Cheapest for Hawaii?
The West Coast wins on price and time. The February median from New York ($796) is more than twice the Los Angeles figure, and the trip takes about 11 hours 17 minutes against about 6 hours.
- Lowest median
- $339 (Feb)
- Flight
- ~6h 02m
- Book ahead
- ~13 weeks
- Lowest median
- $382 (Jan)
- Flight
- ~5h 47m
- Book ahead
- ~7 weeks
- Lowest median
- $428 (Jan)
- Flight
- ~6h 24m
- Book ahead
- ~5 weeks
Source: KAYAK route pages, checked November 6, 2026. The bar shows flight time. The buttons open our flight search (powered by Aviasales) for a midweek round trip, February 2 to 9, 2027. Fares there are live and will not match KAYAK’s medians exactly.
Honolulu is not automatically the cheapest island. KAYAK’s lowest monthly medians to Maui (Kahului) are almost the same: $346 from Los Angeles and $387 from San Francisco, against $339 and $382 to Honolulu. Choose the island first, then compare fares.
Video
What Arriving in Honolulu Looks Like
This cabin video from the LAX Travels channel was filmed on a Delta flight from Los Angeles. It starts as the plane passes Diamond Head and Waikiki, then follows the approach to the landing at Honolulu.
Video: LAX Travels, “AWESOME SCENIC LANDING IN HONOLULU! WAIKIKI & DIAMOND HEAD VIEWS! DELTA 767-300ER! W/ ATC,” via YouTube (July 2026).
Seasons
Is the Cheapest Month Also a Good Month to Visit?
Fall has the best prices, but it falls inside hurricane season, which Going lists as June through November, and 2026 showed the risk. The state’s reports say Hurricane Lala passed south of the islands on August 14 to 16, disrupting scheduled flights, and Hurricane Lowell made landfall on Kauai on September 7. Choose refundable rates for a fall trip, and read what your travel insurance says about named storms before you buy it.
Island hops
Adding a Second Island for Less
Hawaii’s inter-island flights are short and can be very cheap. Going says they are often about $50 round trip, and KAYAK’s lowest recent fare between Kahului and Honolulu was $61. That can leave room in the budget for a second island, such as Kauai and its Na Pali Coast, which has no road along it.
The Na Pali cliffs on Kauai, seen from the ocean.
Check conditions on Kauai before you commit. Lihue Airport reopened the day after the storm, and the damage reported there did not affect operations, but hotel occupancy fell to 47.2% in September, and we have not confirmed which tours and roads are back to normal.
Save more
Money-Saving Tips for Your Hawaii Trip
- Fly in the evening. KAYAK puts evening departures at $479 on average, against $520 in the afternoon.
- Stay in Waikiki for lower rates. Its September average of $251 compares with $455 in Maui County. Our resort fees guide shows how to spot the real total.
- Book a flexible hotel rate. Our hotel booking tips cover how to lock in a rate and rebook if it drops.
- Price the package too. Bundles do not always win, so read whether vacation packages are worth it and compare both totals.
FAQ
FAQ: Cheapest Time to Fly to Hawaii
What is the cheapest month to fly to Hawaii?
January or February, depending on your airport. KAYAK’s lowest medians to Honolulu are in February from Los Angeles ($339), Chicago ($623) and New York ($796), and in January from San Francisco ($382), Seattle ($428) and Dallas ($499), checked November 6, 2026.
What is the most expensive time to fly to Hawaii?
December and June. December is the priciest month on four of the six routes above, and June on the other two. July is close behind.
What is the cheapest time to go to Hawaii overall?
September and October, once hotels are included. Statewide hotels averaged $325 in September 2026 and $322 in October 2025, against $383 in January and February. Both months fall in hurricane season, so book flexible rates.
How far in advance should I book a flight to Hawaii?
About 1 to 3 months ahead. KAYAK’s best booking point ranges from 4 weeks out of Denver to 13 weeks out of Los Angeles. Going suggests 1 to 3 months for domestic trips and warns that fares tend to rise inside the last three weeks.
Is it cheaper to fly to Honolulu or Maui?
The difference is small in the cheapest months. KAYAK’s lowest medians from Los Angeles are $339 to Honolulu and $346 to Kahului. Hotels matter more: September rates averaged $265 on Oahu and $455 in Maui County.
Fares and booking windows in this guide were checked on November 6, 2026, from KAYAK’s route pages and Going’s Hawaii flight page. Hotel rates come from the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s monthly reports, October 2025 to September 2026. Fares change daily, so treat them as a guide and check live prices before you book. How we check prices.
