Former Hartford business owner here.

The Hartford area, despite its shortcomings as a city, supports a surprisingly robust business community. Hartford-Bradley has/ had as flight customers: Otis Elevator, Pratt & Whitney, Stanley Black & Decker, Carrier Air Conditioning, CIGNA Insurance, The Hartford, Travelers Insurance, Hamilton Sundstrand, CT University at Storrs, MassMutual (in Springfield), several hospitals and smaller colleges and universities.

New Haven has/ had Yale University, Sikorsky Helicopter, Electric Boat (equidistant to PVD), and several smaller colleges.

AA kept an Admirals Club in Hartford well past the merger until just a few years ago. I am certain that AA did the numbers and found BDL a more compelling profit center than HVN.