score:2
From the Upper East Side...
*You can do this either at street level by taking the escalator or on the LIRR Mezzanine by taking the elevator. But, the AirTrain station is literally on the other side of the LIRR tracks from the Subway. They are technically three different stations (though someone will doubtlessly quibble the AirTrain is actually a terminal). You must exit the Subway to get to either the AirTrain or LIRR.
Side note, if you're coming from Midtown during rush hour, especially in the afternoon, the F is noticeable less crowded leaving Manhattan. You just have to transfer to the E at Kew Gardens.
I've done all of these, many times.
Upvote:3
The E train will be about 10-25 mins faster depends what time you're taking it. The A trains is taking forever to get to JFK when you reach Brooklyn. The E is way quicker and your transfer to AirTrain will be approximately the same as if you took the A train.
Upvote:5
The E train tends to be faster in my experience. This will be especially true coming from the upper east side, where you can get the E train at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue.
If you have a few dollars to spare and can get to Penn Station relatively easily, take the Long Island Rail Road to Jamaica instead. It's quite a bit faster.
Check your trip using the trip planner at www.mta.info, and using Google maps; these are both fairly accurate, but for a flight you should assume that your trip will require at least 20 minutes more than indicated.