Order of things at port of entry

[0selina]

Hi All,
My parents will be arriving on September 14. They will land in JFK and then they have to take a flight to RDU. I had some questions regarding the order in which things proceed after they land. I will jot down what I think will happen but please correct me if I'm wrong.
1. They land and then proceed to the counter where they check the visa, passport and I94 stamping(Could anyone who has experience with JFK tell me if it is easy enought to find this place? I have asked my parents to follow the signs but I'm not sure if the sign says 'Immigration' or something else? Please clarify.)
2. They get the stamp and then proceed to baggage claim.
3. Go throught the customs check (or it does not happen at this point??)
4. Find the terminal for American Airlines ( I think they will have a hard time finding this as there are some elevators and trains involved- can anyone shed any light on that??) Also are the trolleys free or you pay 1-2$ in JFK. I wanted to tell my parents to keep some change.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[immihelp]

1. There is no way to get lost regarding this. Once they get out of the plane, there is only way, going to the immigration counters. People can't go anywhere else.
4. Nothing is free. It is usually $3.