Time difference between Honolulu and Brisbane

The gap holds all year

Neither city changes its clocks — Honolulu does not change its clocks and Brisbane does not change its clocks — so 20 hours is the difference in January and in July alike. That is worth knowing about this pair specifically, because most international pairs do move and a recurring meeting between them does not need checking twice a year.

About Honolulu and Brisbane

Hawaii is UTC−10 and does not change its clocks, so it drifts an hour further from the mainland every March. It is the furthest behind of any populated US zone, and the overlap with a European working day is essentially nil.

Brisbane is UTC+10 and does not change its clocks, while Sydney and Melbourne — the same offset in winter — go an hour ahead in October. For half the year Queensland is an hour behind its southern neighbours, which is a standing annoyance for anyone scheduling across the east coast.

What 20 hours actually costs you

This is an easy pair. 4 hours of the working day are shared, which is enough for a standing meeting at a time neither side has to think about. 1:00 PM–5:00 PM in Honolulu lands inside office hours at both ends.

At 20 hours the two are far enough apart that the date stops matching. Midday in Honolulu is 8:00 AM the next day in Brisbane. "Tomorrow morning" means different things to the two of you, and a deadline given without a date attached will be missed by one side or the other.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 4 hours — 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Honolulu, the same moment as 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Brisbane.

Honolulu

Brisbane

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How far apart Honolulu and Brisbane are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 7,570 km (4,704 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 9 hours 35 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

Over that distance you cross 20 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 20 hours takes most people 20 days or so to absorb. Flying east to Brisbane is the harder direction — you lose the hours and have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants.

Honolulu to Brisbane, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 20 hours.

Frequently asked questions