Q400 captain reported he was on short final to sea runway 16L when he heard tower clear another airc...

Narrative:

Inbound; initially expecting runway 16R; then switched to 16L for a visual approach due to traffic on approach to 16R. Switched to tower; then cleared to land 16L. Just prior to landing 16L; heard tower controller give [another] flight that had just landed 16R a clearance to cross 16C and 16L. Since we were about to land 16L; I made a quick call to the tower that we were on short final to 16L. The controller immediately had [the other aircraft] hold short 16L; which they did. We landed uneventfully.I could see the [other] flight on the taxiway approaching 16C when the clearance to cross 16L was given. Based on the timing; had [the other aircraft] continued to cross 16L as cleared; we likely would have arrived at that intersection on the runway at the same time. Luckily for all of us; we were paying attention and heard the clearance given to [the other aircraft] to cross the runway we were about to land on and were able to avoid a runway incursion.the controller stated after landing that we were the first to land 16L in a while. Due to the complexity of sea and that the vast majority of flights land 16R; anytime there is a runway change can create an expectation bias or loss of situational awareness among the controllers and/or pilots. Obviously mistakes have and will be made with runway changes; so it's important that we pay attention to what's happening around us. In this case; a clearance that was not for us had a direct impact on our flight.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Q400 Captain reported he was on short final to SEA Runway 16L when he heard Tower clear another aircraft to cross the runway. Tower cancelled that clearance after a heads-up from the reporter.

Narrative: Inbound; initially expecting runway 16R; then switched to 16L for a visual approach due to traffic on approach to 16R. Switched to tower; then cleared to land 16L. Just prior to landing 16L; heard tower controller give [another] flight that had just landed 16R a clearance to cross 16C and 16L. Since we were about to land 16L; I made a quick call to the tower that we were on short final to 16L. The controller immediately had [the other aircraft] hold short 16L; which they did. We landed uneventfully.I could see the [other] flight on the taxiway approaching 16C when the clearance to cross 16L was given. Based on the timing; had [the other aircraft] continued to cross 16L as cleared; we likely would have arrived at that intersection on the runway at the same time. Luckily for all of us; we were paying attention and heard the clearance given to [the other aircraft] to cross the runway we were about to land on and were able to avoid a runway incursion.The controller stated after landing that we were the first to land 16L in a while. Due to the complexity of SEA and that the vast majority of flights land 16R; anytime there is a runway change can create an Expectation Bias or Loss of Situational Awareness among the controllers and/or pilots. Obviously mistakes have and will be made with runway changes; so it's important that we pay attention to what's happening around us. In this case; a clearance that was not for us had a direct impact on our flight.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1328768
Time
Date	201602
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	SEA.Airport
State Reference	WA
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Q400
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Final Approach Landing
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Flight Phase	Taxi
Person 1
Function	Pilot Not Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Conflict Ground Conflict Less Severe

Q400 captain reported he was on short final to sea runway 16L when he heard tower clear another aircraft to cross the runway. Tower cancelled that clearance after a heads-up from the reporter.