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The world's busiest airport? Yes. The world's busiest ATMs? Not so much

August 11, 2017

Atlanta might have the world's busiest airport, but the same distinction does not extend to ATMs at Hartsfield-Jackson International.

In fact, declining ATM revenues at the airport are forcing the Atlanta City Council to rethink the terms of its rental contract for bank branch, foreign exchange and ATM space, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The current provider, Wells Fargo, has declined to rebid the contract. The bank has said that falling ATM use and fee income (to $850,000 last year), combined with unprofitable branch operations at the airport make the $1.7 million annual rent requirement untenable.

A recent request for bids on the contract "didn't get as much interest as we expected it to," the airport's concessions manager told AJC.

That's a slight understatement: Only one bank, SunTrust, bothered to submit a proposal.