Compare 3 loyalty programs for San Francisco to Lihue award flights, with economy seats from 21,000 points.
San Francisco to Lihue is a medium-haul domestic route to Hawaii with nonstop award seats on United Airlines in first class. Just three programs price the route, and the cheapest economy award is 21,000 points via Delta SkyMiles. With so few programs in play, date flexibility does more work than program choice. This page compares every way to book SFO–LIH on points.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
 DeltaDL | 21,000Lowest | Not available | 72,000pts |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 22,500pts | Not available | Not available |
 United AirlinesUA | 22,500pts | Not available | 67,000Lowest |
 American AirlinesAA | 34,000pts | 60,000Lowest | Not available |
When award seats between San Francisco and Lihue price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | No award data |
| Dec 2026 | 60,000 |
| Jan 2027 | 21,000 |
| Feb 2027 | No award data |
| Mar 2027 | No award data |
| Apr 2027 | No award data |
| May 2027 | 22,000 |
| Jun 2027 | No award data |
| Jul 2027 | No award data |
| Aug 2027 | No award data |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
4 airlines with award seats between San Francisco and Lihue, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAAAlaska AirlinesASDeltaDLUnited AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking San Francisco to Lihue with points.
~2,440 miles; ~5h25 nonstop (approximate). Lihue is 3 hours behind San Francisco (2 while San Francisco is on standard time). Award data window: November 2026–October 2027. Only three months carry calendar prices so far: January 2027 is the cheapest at 21,000 points, ahead of December 2026 (60,000) and May 2027 (22,000).
San Francisco to Lihue is served by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta and 1 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 3 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 21,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Flying San Francisco to Lihue covers about 2,440 miles, linking San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with Lihue Airport (LIH); a nonstop takes roughly 5h25, with winds moving it either way. Nonstop award space in the data comes from a single airline: United Airlines. The Boeing 737 shows up on those nonstop award segments. Only about 8% of the award options in the data are nonstop, so most results connect.
San Francisco–Lihue is a domestic route, so the first question is whether to spend points at all. The cheapest economy seat connects once, and the data has no economy nonstop to pay up for: United Airlines' nonstop shows up only in first class. Taxes and fees on the economy floor run about $6, in line with the route's typical economy taxes. If the cash price is modest, buying the ticket is often the better trade.
Delta SkyMiles takes economy at 21,000 points. Etihad Guest is cheapest in business class at 60,000 points. United MileagePlus wins first class at 67,000 points on a United Airlines nonstop. The cheapest program changes twice across the cabins, so match the program to the seat before moving points.
The data has one nonstop award carrier on San Francisco–Lihue: United Airlines. Its Star Alliance membership means alliance partners can sell that seat too, not only United MileagePlus. Connecting awards near the price floor run through Honolulu, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The business-class floor is a partner award: Etihad Guest sells American Airlines seats. Only four airlines show award inventory on the route, so date flexibility matters more than carrier choice.
For San Francisco departures, San Jose (SJC) sits just above the floor at 25,000 points in economy, a fair fallback when SFO dates are stripped. Confirm which San Francisco airport the award uses before transferring points. For a longer redemption from San Francisco, Austin and Amsterdam are tracked too.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside San Francisco to Lihue.
From 4,000 ptsBusiness 17,300 pts
From 4,900 ptsBusiness 21,000 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 23,000 pts
From 7,000 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
From 8,000 ptsBusiness 43,600 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the San Francisco to Lihue route.
