SARO was one of the first low-cost domestic airlines, starting many years before the modern ones. However, it was plagued by unfavorable conditions, strong competition from more established airlines such as
Mexicana and
Aeromexico (which at the time were both part of the government-run CINTRA) as well as from
TAESA, owned by then-Secretary of Tourism
Carlos Hank González. It was founded by private investors led by Samuel Rodriguez from Monterrey, Mexico who owned a bus company. However, the large operating costs of a scheduled airline against many difficulties, some placed by the established operators at the government-owned CINTRA, others by the official fuel supplier and the governmental airport operators conglomerate (ASA), were impossible to overcome. Concurrently, many corners were cut. Crews consisted of captains with varying experience, together with an inexperienced co-pilot (at the time, the concept of pilot-flying and pilot-assisting were not truly present). The captain was the only one truly in command, with the co-pilot merely being present by requirement; almost all take-offs and landings were made by the captains. Training was limited and performed in an old-fashioned way by an experienced Chief of Pilots imparting practice on captains and first officers as well. Equipment was decrepit and often second-hand. Maintenance was performed in other countries because of insufficient infrastructure in Mexico. It was common for flights to carry one or two mechanics on board for routine maintenance (and frequent minor repairs). Some of these mechanics were from
Mexicana, and were working in their "spare time", due to their familiarity with old Boeing equipment. Many times, the flights became increasingly delayed for various reasons: lack of equipment due to maintenance or various failures, or lack of fuel due to debts with the official supplier (NACOA). In addition, many airports assigned SARO planes undesirable embarkment and disembarkment times, which resulted in passenger discomfort and dissatisfaction. As a result, SARO's only true selling-point was its low fares, frequently less than a third of those of the two major national airlines. By the end of its troubled and short career, SARO was nearly bankrupt, with high debt, failing equipment, and several serious incidents. Delays were very frequent, and crews were forced to make unplanned stops at intermediate points directed by their management, in order to pick up more passengers to fill nearly-empty flights. By 1993, SARO was banned from flying to the U.S. due to several safety violations. The 1994
Mexican peso crisis proved to be the airline's death-knell. ==Incident==