There are some airlines that treat those with two or more failed checkride attempts as a scarlet letter and will never touch you. There are some that will do the same with any part 121 or 135 failures or perceived failures. When they get the required record from the FAA, ALL checkride failures are listed there.

The majority are enlightened and even give those with a distant past DUI a chance. If you get through an interview and then get the "no thanks, you failed a checkride," thank the airline for the free interview prep and selecting themselves out of your future prospects. You'll no longer have to waste time prepping and applying to them.

Having years of successful part 121 flying experience after the checkride failure(s) is a good sign. You grew up, matured, finally learned the system, passed several additional line checks, proficiency checks, sim checks, and so on. Time does heal the wound.

If you lie, and the airline will find out, you can expect another black mark on your record, a termination plus a bad reference, and it'll be a recent stain, refreshing the black marks from the previous events.

If you tell the truth, and don't get any calls, check out an interview prep service to see if perhaps your telling of the truth is too evasive or brutal for an airline to stomach.

And, you never know if the airline might be feeling the pinch and need to hire someone with varied experience. Perhaps their perfect pilots are getting bored in the cockpit, so they need someone in there with stories to tell to keep the others awake. It's all a lottery.