ST. LOUIS - Plans to add a third baggage carousel to the Southwest Airlines terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport have been shelved. Airport officials say the decision rested in the hands of Southwest Airlines.

In 2018, the St. Louis Airport Commission and Southwest Airlines reached an agreement to install three new baggage carousels for Lambert Airport's Terminal 2 and replace two existing carousels in use. However, that agreement was voided in 2022 due to setbacks that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Dec. 4 airport commission meeting, a new memorandum of agreement gained preliminary approval in which Southwest Airlines outlined plans to modify the existing outbound baggage handling system and expand various sections of Terminal 2.

Roger Lotz, a spokesperson for Lambert Airport, tells FOX 2 that the agreement is not yet in motion. The project still needs approval from at least two other St. Louis stakeholders.

In a recent phone call with FOX 2, Lotz further described the plan as one that's "moving forward on some upgrades on how baggage is handled, but it's not in the address of what was on the plan years ago."

Various presentations leading up to the latest MOA suggested that the planned changes could result in checked baggage for departing passengers being moved to planes faster, improving overall efficiency of inbound and outbound baggage services.

According to the MOA with preliminary approval, Southwest Airlines would finance the revised plan and oversee construction at its "sole expense," while the City of St. Louis would not have any financial responsibility. The city's role would be limited to supervising and approving construction plans.

A recent report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch indicates the revised project would carry an anticipated price tag of $25 million for Southwest Airlines.

As the revised plan awaits execution, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines provided this statement to FOX 2:

"Southwest is supportive of upgrades to the customer experience at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The planned enhancements to the existing baggage handling system are sufficient to serve ours and the airport’s mutual customers."

The MOA also indicates that while Southwest Airlines would finance and facilitate the upgrades to the baggage claim area, the City of St. Louis will retain ownership of the baggage claim area itself and any improvements that move forward.

It's unclear how soon the outlined changes to Terminal 2's baggage operations could begin after final approval or whether these plans could be affected by efforts to consolidate Lambert Airport's two terminals.