Terminal A (Domestic)

Five‑minute security and short walks define Terminal A

Domestic Terminal A at Trondheim Værnes handles Norwegian Air Shuttle, SAS, and Widerøe flights within Norway, and regulars talk about getting through security in 5–10 minutes on a normal weekday morning. The building is one shared terminal split into domestic (A) and international (B), so walking time from check-in to the furthest domestic gates usually runs under 5–7 minutes at a steady pace.

Locals on r/trondheim say they often arrive 45–60 minutes before departure with just hand luggage, with some admitting they feel fine cutting it to 35 minutes during off‑peak periods. That only works because queues at domestic security rarely go past 6 minutes except right before Christmas, when one user reported a 25‑minute peak as the worst they had ever seen.

All domestic departures and arrivals sit on the Terminal A side of the single building, so Norwegian, SAS and Widerøe check‑in counters are grouped together in the same hall. If you arrive on a domestic Widerøe flight and connect to SAS within Norway, you stay within the domestic side, and most FlyerTalk reports put the walk plus any security check at under 15 minutes end‑to‑end.

Food options inside Terminal A are limited enough that many Trondheim locals eat before leaving the city, at Trondheim S station or at home, then just grab coffee at the airport. With no major branded restaurants catalogued specifically in A, you won’t find a sit‑down meal scene like at Oslo Gardermoen, and prices airside track typical Norwegian airport levels, roughly NOK 40–60 for basic coffee and much higher for anything hot.

Shopping is simple: a bookshop, a clothing shop and a perfume/cosmetics shop cover most last‑minute needs on the domestic side. The bookshop is the easiest place to pick up Norwegian magazines and paperbacks for a Widerøe hop up the coast, while the perfume and cosmetics shop is useful if you forgot a 100 ml‑sized toiletry and don’t want to risk a full‑size bottle at security.

There are no catalogued airline lounges in Terminal A, so SAS Plus and Norwegian Premium passengers stay in the general seating areas. Power outlets are scattered rather than at every seat, so if you see a free socket near your gate, plug in early instead of assuming there will be more nearer boarding.

Road access matters more than airport queues here: locals repeatedly warn that winter weather and E6 traffic between Trondheim and Værnes can chew up 20–30 extra minutes. One FlyerTalk poster with an eight‑hour layover even complained that train and bus departures between the airport and Trondheim Central were sparse in their time window, which matters if you are considering a quick city visit between domestic flights.

Connections through Terminal A are usually painless, but a 35‑minute domestic–international connection via A to Terminal B gets mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, with some calling it “very tight.” The building is compact and walking time between domestic and international sides is short, yet a small inbound delay or slow boarding on the next leg can still break a sub‑40‑minute connection.

Regulars treat Værnes as a no‑drama domestic airport and still aim for 1–1.5 hours before departure to keep stress low. One practical move: check road and weather conditions to the airport first, then set your departure from Trondheim city so you arrive at Værnes 60 minutes ahead and treat any extra time in Terminal A as backup for a delayed bus or train rather than for security itself.