I toured the Concorde, a discontinued supersonic commercial jet flown by celebrities and royals. Take a look inside.

A total of 20 Concorde planes were built, and 14 flew commercially through British Airways and Air France, with most routes flying between New York City and London and New York City and Paris. The Concorde's supersonic speed caused loud sonic booms upon breaking the sound barrier, which limited its routes to those above water.

Concordes were ultimately discontinued due to high operating costs and safety concerns. British Airways spent around £1 billion a year on its fleet of Concorde jets, which proved unsustainable, according to the Intrepid Museum.

In 2000, a Concorde flying from Paris to New York burst into flames and crashed shortly after takeoff when a blown tire ruptured the plane's fuel tanks, killing 113 people. All Concordes were grounded for a year and rebuilt with stronger fuel tanks, but the business never recovered, contributing to the Concorde's retirement.

Celebrity passengers included Queen Elizabeth II, Christie Brinkley, Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, and British oil executive Fred Finn.

Regular admission to the Intrepid Museum costs $36 per adult, and the Concorde tour costs an additional $11. Tickets can be purchased on the Intrepid Museum's website.

I didn't realize that Concorde tickets were sold with timed admission for tours every 30 minutes, so I missed my slot while exploring the USS Growler, the only nuclear missile submarine in the US open to the public. I went to the box office and a manager was able to rebook me on the next Concorde tour.

Before boarding, Concorde passengers would relax in a special Concorde lounge with an open buffet.

Concorde passengers would drop their luggage off in the Concorde lounge.

At 204 feet long and with a fuselage that was 9 feet 5 inches wide, Concorde planes held up to 100 passengers, though full flights were rare. For comparison, a Boeing 737-700 measures just over 110 feet long with a 12-foot-4-inch-wide fuselage, and seats 149 passengers, according to Boeing.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s tickets cost up to $12,000 round-trip, which would equal about $20,000 today when adjusted for inflation.

As the window seat in the first row, 1A was one of the most private seats on the plane.

The seats used on the tour were covered in plastic to help preserve the luxurious leather.

Each of the Concorde's four engines featured 38,000 pounds of thrust and could take the plane from zero to 250 mph in under 30 seconds, our guide said.

I was surprised by how small the windows were compared to the commercial flights I'm used to.

Dolores Peterson paid $6,703.04 for an Air France Concorde flight from New York to Paris in 1997.

"Upon takeoff, this plane weighs about 408,000 pounds. More than half of that, 209,000, is in fuel alone," our guide said. "It burns about 2 tons of fuel, about 1,800 kilos, just taxiing. It's an extremely thirsty bird."

The Concorde logo was displayed near the door of the plane.

Food was prepared by a gourmet chef. Seasonal menus included beef Wellington, venison, and quail with wine pairings chosen by a sommelier.

The bathroom was decorated with faux-marble finishes and extra toiletries.

Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Concorde passengers could mingle with the pilot and crew in the cockpit as part of the exclusive flight experience.

The flight engineer was responsible for every system on the plane, including fuel management and landing gear, and had the most extensive training of any crew member.

"He's forgotten more about Concorde than most people will ever know," our tour guide said of flight engineers.

While many contemporary celebrities opt to fly on private jets, the Concorde offered record-setting flights across the ocean at twice the speed of sound, seemingly making it worth their while.