United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD, red shirts) leader Jatuporn Prompan announced that the group plans to gather at Utthayan Road in Bangkok’s Thawi Watthana District beginning April 5. UDD supporters will camp at the location, but it remains unclear if the rally will last for two or three days. Organizers claim that as many as 500,000 supporters could join the demonstration, though government projections place the number of participants closer to 100,000.

Union members operating airports in Iceland have voted in favor of holding four short strikes. The strikes will occur on April 8, 23, and 25 between 4 and 9 am. A general strike will occur on April 30, which will also run from 4 to 9 am and continue until further notice. Travelers should reconfirm flight status with the airline for travel on these dates.

Public transportation workers postponed a 24-hour strike originally planned for April 7 in Rome, following renewed negotiations with city and regional representatives. A future date for the strike was not announced.

Numbering conventions vary widely from airline to airline. A few general guidelines apply to most carriers: One- and two-digit flight numbers are generally reserved for long-haul or other premium flights. Flight number 1 is often for an airline’s “flagship” service. Four-digit numbers under 5000 are typically used for regional affiliate flights and over 5000 are often, though not always, codeshare flights. Beyond that, practices are individual by airline. Some carriers assign odd or even numbers according to the direction of the flight. Other carriers will use consecutive numbers to indicate a pair of flights, such as 222 on the outbound and 223 on the reverse inbound flight. Where there are multiple flights a day on the same route the flight numbers tend to increase throughout the day. Flight numbers are usually retired after a crash or serious accident.

• The Mediterranean was so named because the Romans believed it to be the middle of the earth
• Unique in that it is almost land-locked, the Mediterranean’s tides are much less prominent than in other seas
• 30% of the fish protein consumed in the word come from the Mediterranean
• The Mediterranean includes 5 straits, 16 gulfs, several capes and bays, and 8 smaller, named bodies of water
• Approximately 1/3 of international tourists go to the Mediterranean countries each year
• In addition to the cities bordering the Mediterranian Sea, other cities that enjoy a “Mediterranian climate” include San Francisco, Santiago, Perth, and Cape Town.

Effective April 1, 2014, Avis is lowering the minimum age requirements to 21 at all locations within Washington DC, including Washington National Airport. Customers who previously had to be 25 years of age to qualify for a rental are now permitted to rent with Avis between the ages of 21-24 with a valid credit card and driver’s license. At the time of rental, Avis will automatically apply a $27 per day underage surcharge for these customers in addition to the rental rate.

“Aniela possesses an innate sense to provide great customer service, and it certainly reflected in her above and beyond actions to assist you.”