Looking ahead more than a year down the road, the Orlando Sanford International Airport -- one of the
To kick off the hiring process, the Sanford Airport Authority has started
Authority Board Chairman Tim Slattery said he hopes the firm will be in place by September. That will give the agency and the airport board a year to find Crews' replacement and hit the ground running. "We want to get ahead of the game," Slattery said. "We want to get the process started."
Crews took over the helm of the airport on Oct. 1, 2015, when she replaced retiring Executive Director Larry Dale. She came to the airport in 2001 as vice president of administration. She was vice president of finance and administration when she was promoted to president and chief executive officer. She currently earns $229,000 a year.
"I absolutely love my work at the airport, but my retirement date has long been part of my career path," Crews said in an email to the Sentinel. "Getting ready and looking forward to the next chapter!"
In December, the small airport announced it handled a record 3 million passengers in 2018. That's a nearly 63% increase from 2008. Crews said at the time that she expects passenger count at the airport to continue growing about 5% annually.
To accommodate all those fliers, the airport is in the midst of a $60.6 million renovation project that will add nearly 50,000 square feet of space, including four new gates, three new baggage carousels, more parking spaces and an exterior canopy for passengers being dropped off. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air is the dominant airline at the Sanford airport, making up 87% of air traffic and flying mainly to smaller destinations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. The airport's other airlines are Surinam Airways, which flies to Aruba, Guyana and Suriname; Tui, which travels to The Netherlands; and Via Air, which flies to several U.S. destinations.
Most passengers who use the Sanford airport say they enjoy quickly getting their bags checked and easily finding their gates compared to the larger and far busier Orlando International Airport 30 miles away.
Airport board member Chick Gregg said he hopes the next president and chief executive officer will continue Crews' work in trying to lure in more airlines.
"It's of major importance for the board," Gregg said. "But it's difficult."
