IME, UA's LAX station is by far the worst run operation in their system. Every aspect - from check-in (which terminal is it this week?) through to bag reclaim (8 flights on one carousel while others sit empty) - is a disaster. Since I am based in the LA area, I try my best to only connect through LAX rather than start and/or end my trip there.

It's a shame about your delay, but UA's LAX operation made a bad situation much, much worse.