In 2015, the planned AirTrain LaGuardia reflected a similar idea, although various media outlets criticized it as inferior due to its distance from the city, calling it a pet project of then-governor Andrew Cuomo.

[4] A subway extension had been proposed since 1943, when the city Board of Transportation suggested a post-war lengthening of the BMT Astoria Line from its terminus at the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station to LaGuardia Field.

[5] However, by the time LaGuardia became a public airport, it was already surrounded by development, requiring any subway lines to travel through residential areas and making construction difficult.

[9] The East Side Coalition on Airport Access's executive director later said of the plan, "We are going to end up with another Second Avenue Subway, another 63rd Street tunnel, another uncompleted project in this city.

Although the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 59th Street had been selected due to its high concentration of airport travelers, Manhattan community leaders were concerned over the volume of traffic that would result from building the terminal there.

Mario Cuomo's successor, George Pataki, expressed skepticism about the JFK rail link's viability during the previous year's gubernatorial campaign.

The MTA also considered an eastward extension along Ditmars Boulevard, and a plan to reroute LaGuardia-bound trains from Queensboro Plaza through the Sunnyside rail yard and along the eastern edge of St. Michael's Cemetery to elevated tracks parallel to the Grand Central Parkway.

[23] In April 1999, the MTA issued a Scoping Memorandum for the LASA study and narrowed the project down to two options: the elevated extension of the Astoria Line from Ditmars Boulevard and the route through Sunnyside Yard.

[24] Since all four proposed extensions of the N to LaGuardia were strongly opposed by local residents, the MTA expanded the options outlined in the EIS in August 2000, examining 22 ways to improve transportation to the airport.

These included four options for people movers, one for guided busways, one for the Metro-North Railroad, one for ferries, one for buses, three for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and eleven for the subway.

[25] On September 30, 1999, the MTA Board approved the agency's $17.5 billion 2000—2004 Capital Program,[26] which included $645 million in funding for the extension of the Astoria Line to LaGuardia Airport.

[30] The plan was strongly backed by both the MTA and city officials, including mayor Rudy Giuliani and Queens borough president Claire Shulman.

[27][4] However, it faced "strong and united opposition" by a group described as "NAMBYs" (Not Above My Backyard), including Queens councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., who described the elevated railway as "19th century technology".

[27] Assemblymember Michael Gianaris also stated that the plan "belonged on the backburner", saying that he "doubted very much that a businessman in Manhattan would suffer the inconvenience of a train ride" as opposed to taking a taxi.

[27] Gianaris had recommended an alternate option, also supported by State Senator George Onorato, involving connecting the 7 train directly from Willets Point to LaGuardia so as not to travel through residential areas, although this plan was rejected by the city.

[27] In June 2001, the MTA narrowed the alternatives to an extension of the N train, a people mover running to Ditmars Boulevard, and a guided busway via the Queensboro Bridge and the Grand Central Parkway.

[38][39] The PANYNJ also studied the possibility of light rail or dedicated bus lanes connecting to existing subway stations, as well as ferry service in conjunction with shuttle buses.

[41][42] Sadik-Khan stated that "everybody loves the idea of a rail connection to the airport", but the panel suggested that extending the subway would cost as much as US$7 billion over 12 years and that it would not attract as many riders as better bus service.

The elevated line would continue along 19th Avenue to the airport, stopping at Terminals B and C.[44] Branching from the 30th Avenue station, the train would be elevated above the Grand Central Parkway until reaching the airport, where it would similarly stop at Terminal B and C.[44] This route avoids residential areas, but has notable drawbacks, including running beneath the Hell Gate Bridge trestle, hugging St. Michael's Cemetery, and splitting service to the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station.