Yes, they all arrived on the same flight - 17 people total. (Although I was unnerved by several media reports saying there were 18 total, when most said 17.)
They came in to JFK. Montana State U didn't send anyone to meet them; they were supposed to catch a connecting flight to Bozeman. Some reports said there was to be a stop in Minneapolis on the way, but I've never confirmed that or seen it confirmed.
At JFK, there were delays in customs, but 5 of them made their connecting flight to Montana. Another one was late and missed that flight, but got into Bozeman the next day. Six total showed up and are taking the course. (Again, the media who reported 18 total people also reported that 7 showed up and took the course!)
So, there were 11 missing all this time, since July 29. The normal timeframe for waiting to report them is 30 days, but this was just a 30-day-long program, not a whole semester - so the MSU people called it in about a week later.
The first guy, found in Minneapolis, said they had just gone into the rest room at JFK and when they came back, their group was gone. (All 11 in the restroom? OK.)
So, they split up and went to various places - an uncle in Minneapolis with a grocery store; a hometown friend in NJ with an Italian restaurant; another friend-of-a-hometown friend with a pizza place in MD. We can assume they ate well.
The kid found at Chicago O'Hare was picked up when he tried to use his remaining ticket to get to Bozeman, but it was supposed to be from JFK, not ORD - so the airline called LE.
I don't know the story on the Des Moines three, who supposedly went to San Francisco first and then to IA, lol. *How ya gonna keep 'em down the farm, after they've seen Fris-coooo?*
And the last two, found sitting in front of an apt complex in south Richmond, VA, we're still waiting to hear the "story" on.
Thanks for the info.
Here's where I think it gets weird: The first guy, found in Minneapolis, said they had just gone into the rest room at JFK and when they came back, their group was gone. (All 11 in the restroom? OK.) >>>So, they split up and went to various places - <<<<<
So all 17 of them are in the restroom. Eleven come out and find that six of them are gone (to Bozeman). ELEVEN foreign students are "lost" in the airport, and decide to SPLIT UP?????? If they could fly to Minneapolis, and Chicago, and Virginia, etc.. why in the H*ll couldn't they all stay together and fly to Bozeman? Their "decision" to split up, I believe, was made long before they got "lost". More like a PLAN, IMO.