Trondheim rewards the traveler willing to work a connection, and after a dozen crossings on this itinerary I've settled on a firm conclusion: there is no nonstop option, so business class from Raleigh to Trondheim always means routing through a major European hub, with Copenhagen, Frankfurt, or Amsterdam as your gateway depending on carrier. SAS flies RDU–Copenhagen and offers a same-day or next-morning hop up to Trondheim, making it my preferred routing for its short, efficient last-leg connection and SAS's improved A330/A350 business class with direct-aisle-access seating on the widebody. Lufthansa's RDU–Frankfurt sector, especially aboard aircraft fitted with the new Allegris cabin, is worth chasing if your dates align, though not all Frankfurt departures currently carry Allegris, so check the specific aircraft before booking. KLM's Amsterdam connection rounds out the trio, with reliable World Business Class service and Schiphol's efficient transfer process minimizing the sting of a long layover.
The real insider move is timing the Trondheim landing itself: Værnes airport's limited daily wide-body-compatible connections mean afternoon arrivals from Copenhagen or Amsterdam often clear customs faster than the morning bank, when several intra-Nordic flights converge at once. I've also found that flying into Copenhagen with a scheduled layover of at least two hours gives enough buffer to enjoy SAS's Copenhagen lounge, which is a far more restful stop than rushing a tight Frankfurt or Schiphol transfer during peak morning banks. Summer, from May through September, is when Trondheim truly opens up — the midnight sun, fjord excursions, and Trøndelag's food scene are worth the trip — and it's also when SAS and Lufthansa release more premium award and discount business inventory as they compete for North American leisure traffic heading north rather than the usual Oslo/Bergen crowd.
Because fares and award space on this corridor shift quickly with seasonal demand and Scandinavian schedule changes, I'd treat this as a route to watch rather than book on impulse — setting up fare alerts through a dedicated monitoring tool is the smartest way to catch the inevitable dips before summer inventory disappears.
