Apr 10, 2017 鈥 By WSU News Services 鈥 After four years at the top of the Airline Quality Rating, Virgin America slipped to third in 2016, and the airline it announced a merger with last year -- Alaska Airlines -- has finished No. 1, with Delta coming in at a close second, according to the 27th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR), released today (Monday, April 10) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.