In the computational fluid dynamics analysis of airfoils, a laminar/turbulent transition location is determined by consideration of a turbulence length scale in addition to a turbulence intensity. In an exemplary implementation, the transition is predicted as occurring when a momentum thickness-based Reynolds number reaches a given exponent of the factor multiplied by a constant. The factor may consist of the turbulence intensity multiplied by a momentum thickness and divided by the turbulence length scale.