Trondheim rarely appears on the American business traveler's radar, which is precisely why the routing deserves scrutiny. There is no nonstop option: business class from Minneapolis to Trondheim always routes through a European hub, and after dozens of trips on this itinerary, I can say the connection choice matters more than the transatlantic segment itself. SAS via Copenhagen or Oslo, Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich, and KLM via Amsterdam are the three realistic paths, each requiring roughly 10 hours of total flight time split across two legs. SAS is the natural champion here given its Scandinavian focus — its A330/A350 business class with fully flat seats and Nordic-inspired dining makes the Copenhagen or Oslo connection feel purposeful rather than incidental, and MSP has a dedicated SAS check-in presence during peak summer season that eases the transfer stress.
Lufthansa routes you through Frankfurt or Munich, both of which reward travelers who know their lounge geography — Munich's Lufthansa business lounges are less frenetic than Frankfurt's sprawling complex, and if your itinerary allows a choice of connection, I steer clients toward Munich whenever possible. KLM's Amsterdam hub offers strong onward frequency to Trondheim, and Schiphol's efficient layout makes even tight connections manageable, though their World Business Class hard product on the transatlantic leg is dated compared to what SAS and Lufthansa now offer on newer aircraft. One insider trick: Trondheim's Værnes Airport has minimal congestion, so build your connection buffer generously in Copenhagen or Amsterdam instead — that's where delays actually accumulate, not on arrival.
Late spring through early autumn — May through September — brings not only Trondheim's best weather and near-endless daylight but also the most competitive business class fares, as leisure demand to Norway's fjord country creates more premium inventory movement than winter's business-only traffic. Because pricing on this three-carrier, single-connection route fluctuates with surprising frequency, setting up automated fare alerts is the smartest way to catch the inevitable dips before they vanish.
