When Alaska opened up it's a app window a while back, it was on there. I believe on the mins, besides all the hours and other stuff, it made reference to "non-tobacco" users as well.

seems like a lot of those questions are an invasion of privacy, beyond what they need to know

AK is well-known for the non-tobacco thing. The reason that they can ask that is because while tobacco use is not illegal, it is also not a protected right. The constitution does not guarantee it's use, or outlaw discrimination based on that. Actually a number of large companies are going tobacco free...lowers insurance premiums.

To clarify a little bit...

Some folks who obviously have no military/law enforcement experience will tell people that expunged means gone forever. Those of us who have been subject to, and/or involved with federal background checks on subordinates know darn well that the words expunged, plea bargain, dismissed, not charged, etc don't mean a thing to the feds...

What I do not know is how much of the almost unlimited info available to the federal government is provided to the airlines. Maybe nothing at all, maybe it's just pass/fail based on the list of disqualifying crimes. I don't know, and unless you work for TSA or Homeland security you don't know either.

People need to be aware that the info is out there, and make their own decisions on how to deal with their issues.

Tobacco free workplaces and insurance surcharges are one thing. Not hiring someone b/c they chose to smoke tobacco in their free time is the same as not hiring someone b/c they drink alcohol in their free time. The company can regulate it all they want at work, but they are coming up against legal challenges when they try to reach into your personal life. The first round of lawsuits have been levied against companies who tried to fire people for smoking off duty off company property. I don't personally smoke, but I like beer. I don't want a slippery slope where companies start trying to limit anything that could make you a higher insurance premium.

Beer (and red wine) is actually beneficial to your health in moderate quantities, unlike tobacco. But you're probably right, it's a slippery slope and it will be interesting to see where it ends up.