On how to make a flight in 45 minutes

For future reference and posterity - our friend Jeff Perlman's departure was a bit more exciting than anticipated. Jeff was supposed to fly Alitalia out of Budapest this morning at 7:15 am. I found him sleeping in bed at 6:30 am (!!!). We called a cab and then were at a loss...

Google led us to this page of tips on what to do if you're about to miss a flight. The essence of the tips: notify the airline immediately and be really nice! While Jeff was speeding to the airport in a cab, we were able to reach Alitalia at the airport, and they actually waited for him! He got to the airport at 7 am, they sped him through the airport, checked his baggage, and he was in his seat at 7:16 am!!!!!!!

One tip I might add to the tips above is that you might want to call the AIRPORT instead of trying to look for the airline's number. When we called the airport, they transferred us to the Alitalia desk, and people at the desk were able and willing to help. Reaching Alitalia's ticketing office would probably not have been helpful.