Hawaiian Airlines says Flight 33 bound for Maui was forced to return to the gate at Los Angeles International Airport three times for three separate problems before finally being cancelled.
Spokesman Alex Da Silva says the plane took off and landed again twice on Saturday. A third time the jetliner pushed back from the gate and then came back.
Da Silva says each return was "due to separate and unrelated faults with different systems". He didn't elaborate.
The more than 200 passengers were given hotel rooms and will be placed on other flights.
Da Silva says Flight 33 is categorised as an "extended-range operation" because of the distance between LAX and Maui's Kahului Airport.
"These flights have more rigorous safety requirements because of the greater distance between suitable airports," the airline said. "When there is an abnormality on an over-land flight it can, and often does, continue to its destination.
"However ETOPS flights operate to a more stringent safety standard. Our aircraft have redundant systems, yet our standard is to respond to any indication of abnormalities with an abundance of caution."