Richmond International isn't a market where you'd expect a straightforward path to Norway's fjord country, and that's precisely the point: there is no nonstop, so business class from Richmond to Trondheim requires a smart routing decision through one of three European gateways, with total journey times typically running well past the 8.5-hour flying time once you factor in the connection. My preferred build is via Amsterdam on KLM, whose World Business Class on the 787 or A330 offers lie-flat comfort and a smooth onward SAS connection through Copenhagen or Oslo into Trondheim's compact Værnes airport. Lufthansa routes through Frankfurt or Munich work well too, particularly if you can snag their newer Allegris business seats, which are gradually rolling out on select long-haul aircraft with more privacy than the older business product.
Having flown this corridor several times over the years, my strongest recommendation is to fly SAS for the final leg whenever possible — their Scandinavian short-haul business cabin, while modest compared to the long-haul product, includes guaranteed empty middle seats and lounge access in Copenhagen or Oslo that make the last mile far less draining after a transatlantic haul. Arrive at your European hub with at least two hours of buffer; Frankfurt and Amsterdam security lines can be brutal during peak summer travel, and missing a tight SAS connection into Trondheim means waiting hours for the next flight, since frequency to Værnes is limited. Trondheim itself has no dedicated business lounge to speak of, so plan your comfort stops upstream.
Late spring through early autumn — May through September — is when this routing delivers the best combination of favorable business class award space and reasonable fares, largely because Trondheim's tourist season (think aurora chasers giving way to summer hikers) creates more competitive capacity management from all three carriers. Given how much these fares fluctuate week to week across KLM, Lufthansa, and SAS, setting up automated fare alerts is genuinely the smartest way to catch a premium-cabin deal before it disappears.
