I'm back from my first SY experience. Flew FC PHX-MSP yesterday on the 4:30pm flight. Bottom line: For the price, I'll fly them again over NW any day!

The SY ticket cost me $247 OW (fully refundable) purchased two days out vs NW's $709 OW FC ticket.

Overall, SY is a slightly better experience, although similar to NW's FC in several ways.

Here is my analysis:

• Seats: SY's leather seats are more comfortable - better lumbar support, padding, and headrest 'wings' that you can move to cradle your head. There are only 3 rows of FC seats, so you have 25% fewer passengers as NW for the same dedicated FA.
• Pre-Departure Service: Preboard, drink - same.
• IFE: SY has several channels of good audio programming, NW does not.
• Options: I couldn't believe my ears, but the beverages SY offers for sale in Y and for free in FC are: Champagne, Blue Hawaiian, Straw. Daquiri, Long Island Ice Tea, plus usual wine/cocktails and soda/juice. Beer & wine is only $3! The specialty drinks and cocktails are $4-5.
• Meal: The FC meal was stuffed chicken breast w/rice & veggies & a side of flat-bread w/real butter, a smallish but good spring mix salad with dried cranberries and blue cheese with Red Wine Vinegar, and a tasty chocolate fudge brownie. Overall, meal quality was similar or better to NW's.
• Details: All service-ware in SY's FC is disposable. No glassware. This didn't bother me significantly. The water & wine cups were bigger. The FC service is like DL in that it is all run out of the galley, not carts. Nice.
• Service: Overall, about equal. Certainly NW isn't any better. I have heard that the FA on SY are typically more attentive and cheerful, and this one wasn't bad, but not significantly better than NW. They did provide several beverage services throughout the flight. Note: in Y, there was a hot meal service and at least 2 beverage services. This was a 2:40 long flight.
• 3 (of 12) empty seats in FC! I couldn't believe it. How nice to have some extra room, including the seat next to me. I will find out if this is typical on future flights. Can't remember that ever happening on NW.
• Website: I was easily able to choose/change seats and check-in online (up to 6 hours pre-departure vs. NW's 60 min).
• Customer Service Line: Always got through right away to a live, friendly and helpful person on the regular SY CS line.

If I could get upgraded on NW every time and spend significantly less than $247 OW with less than 7 day advance purchase, and they got rid of the RoachChoice program (boycotting until then), I may have stayed w/NW. As it stands, not having the ability to choose good Y seats on NW and not being guaranteed an upgrade, I'd personally rather spend an extra $100 on SY to get a fully refundable P class ticket. Furthermore, now that I know that all SY seats don't always fill up in FC, I may take my chances on the day-of-departure UG for $50, assuming I don't need refundability.

By the way, I would not have gotten upgraded on the any of NW's flights that would have worked for me -- I checked them all for FC UG possiblities.