ST. LOUIS — A long-delayed plan to add a third baggage carousel at St. Louis Lambert International Airport’s Terminal 2 has been scrapped by Southwest Airlines, airport officials say.

However, some other changes are still being implemented under a reduced plan, the cost of which will be up to $25 million and will be paid for by the airline.

These changes will result in departing passengers’ checked baggage getting onto the plane more quickly than before, a Southwest spokesman said in an email Thursday.

Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said the new plan also continues to renovate the two existing carousels in Terminal 2, which are largely used by Southwest – Lambert’s primary airline.

Last year, Southwest and Lambert agreed to an estimated $60 million baggage system upgrade that also included additional restrooms and a new baggage service office.

However, Hamm-Niebruegge said Southwest decided to reduce the scope of the project because the revamped system will only be in operation for a few years before Terminal 2 closes as part of Lambert’s longer-term plan to consolidate its operations into a larger, remodeled terminal. will expire.

“They just looked at it and said we’re not going to get the value of a system that’s going to be so short-lived,” Hamm-Niebrügge told the city airport commission Wednesday.

The Commission approved the revised baggage upgrade plan by voice vote. It still requires approval from St. Louis city councilors and the city’s top taxing authority, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment.

The previous plan called for the city to sell bonds that would be repaid by Southwest. According to Hamm-Niebruegge, according to the new version, Southwest will finance the upgrade itself.

Hamm-Niebrügge said under the latest plan, construction is expected to begin in early or mid-2025 and take about 18 months.

The airline and Lambert first announced the project in 2018, but it was put on hold while city officials considered a controversial and ultimately scrapped proposal to lease Lambert’s entire operation to a private company.

“They didn’t want to invest in something that they might not have control over,” she said, referring to the possible privatization of the airport.

The project was further delayed when the COVID pandemic broke out in 2020.

One commission member, Kathy Osborn, expressed disappointment that the additional carousel was not added after all.

“I feel like we’ve been waiting for the third bag thing for ages,” she said.

“If we had been able to start on time,” replied Hamm-Niebrügge, “we could have enjoyed it for four or five years now.”